A federal judge in Seattle on Friday sentenced a Tacoma man to two years, three months in federal prison for embezzling more than $300,000 from a Kent company that ultimately went out of business.

Christopher W. Phillips, 63, previously was convicted of mail fraud.

From 2002 to 2005, Phillips worked as the chief financial officer of Vitech, a firm that manufactured breath mints and breath strips.

Federal prosecutors contended that Phillips used his company credit card for personal use – paying for lavish trips, fancy dinners and luxury merchandise – and paid his personal bills with company money.

"Vitech's owners ultimately had to sell the business for a fraction of its worth," according to a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle.

Before pronouncing sentence, U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones said Phillips turned "thievery into an act of entitlement" and that his actions were "a substantial and major factor in termination and loss of this business."

A Pierce County sheriff's deputy was justified when he shot and killed a Parkland man armed with a handgun earlier this year, Prosecuting Attorney Gerald Horne announced Friday.

Deputy Seth Huber "acted in strict conformance with state law" when he fired two shots at Kenneth Alan Woodham at a house in the 800 block of 111th Street South in April, Horne said in a news release.

Woodham had turned toward Huber and another deputy and pointed a .45-caliber pistol at them. He previously had ignored commands to drop the gun, which later was found to be cocked and loaded.

Woodham, 57, was hit twice in the chest and later died.

Woodham's wife, Denise, reportedly told investigators, "Honestly, I think Ken wanted it over for him."

Huber and another deputy had been dispatched to the house to investigate a reported domestic disturbance.

Woodham was on probation for a DUI conviction and reportedly had been drinking alcohol in violation of the terms of his release on the day of his death, according to the news release.

Medical Examiner Eric Kiesel also reviewed the case and decided a coroner's inquest would not be necessary, Horne said.

One man was injured Thursday night when an argument fueled an exchange of gunfire between several people in an apartment complex parking lot in the Midland area.

Deputies found the 20-year-old victim in a car that was stopped after it had fled the scene, sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said. Investigators were surveying hospitals to see if there were any other victims from the shootout.

"We may have more people who were shot that we don't know yet," Troyer said.

Several people were involved in an argument about 9:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Woodmark Apartments in the 2400 block of 96th Street South, Troyer said.

The words led to gunfire. Troyer said several rounds were fired by several people wielding several weapons.

When the bullets stopped, everybody involved fled. Deputies stopped some suspects in the area.

In one car, they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. They also found drugs. The car was towed for further investigation, Troyer said.

No arrests were immediately report but detectives were investigating.

Pierce County sheriff's deputies arrested three men early today after they broke into a Roy-area home, tied up the two residents and stole several items.

Based on statements the robbers' made during the incident, investigators suspect the men targeted the wrong house. Detectives were looking at whether the men might be tied to other recent home burglaries and robberies, sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

The men, ages 20, 25, and 29, were booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of first-degree robbery.

The men broke into the home in the 6000 block of 322nd Street South about 1 a.m. They were wearing helmets and body armor and armed with guns.

They woke up a 59-year-old man and his 70-year-old wife, then tied them up and demanded their belongings, Troyer said. They also pointed a gun at the couple's dog.

The robbers took computers, cash, weapons and documents from house and fled, Troyer said.

The victims called 911 and provided deputies with a partial license plate of their attackers' car and descriptions of the robbers.

A deputy driving in the 27600 block of Eighth Avenue East passed a car that matched the description from the home-invasion robbery. The car contained three people who also matched the robbers' descriptions.

The deputy stopped the car and held the three men inside at gunpoint until other deputies arrived. The three men were taken into custody without incident.

Deputies impounded the car and were getting a warrant to search it.

Here are updates on the two fires in the City of Tacoma on Thursday night.

Crews are still investigating what sparked an apartment fire at 3931 Mason Loop Road. However, they have determined the blaze caused about $230,000 damage, the fire department reports.

Crews have confirmed that an overheated BBQ grill sparked a devastating blaze at a home at 1904 N. Proctor St, the fire department reports. The blaze caused about $485,000 to the house and detached garage.

In regards to Monday's fire at the Hillside Quickie market, crews are continuing to dig to find out what sparked that blaze. More information might be available next week.

Pierce County prosecutors have filed charges against a 27-year-old man after a wild police chase involving a stolen car Tuesday.

Charging documents provide the following information:

A Pierce County sheriff's deputy spotted the stolen vehicle Tuesday and tried to stop it at South 84th and South Hosmer streets. (Court documents don't indicate a time for this chase but we've heard it was at night.) The car previously had been reported stolen at gunpoint to the Yakima County Sheriff's Office.

The vehicle didn't stop for the deputy and its driver made several evasive actions. The vehicle's driver steered into the police vehicle when the deputy tried to perform a PIT maneuver. The deputy avoided the crash.

The driver drove in the north and southbound lanes and nearly hit a pedestrian in the area of South 96th and Hosmer streets.

The driver turned into the Pierce Transit Center, 9403 39th Ave. Court S.W., and crashed through a locked chain-link fence. He got out of the car, climbed a fence and tried to run. A Transit employee grabbed the driver, who took a swing at the employee.

Other employees helped out and the driver was taken to the ground. Officers arrested him a short time later.

The driver, identified as Joe A. Mata, was the subject of a restraining order involving the woman who was in the car. He was prohibited from contacting her and has five prior convictions for violating a no contact/protection order.

Mata told officers he "freaked out" because of the protection order. He claimed he traded the use of the stolen car for drugs.

A detective found a handgun in the stolen vehicle. Mata is a convicted felon and prohibited from owning or possessing a handgun.

Prosecutors have charged Mata with possession of a stolen vehicle, felony elude, first-degree malicious mischief, first-degree felon in possession of a firearm, felony domestic violence court order violation and obstructing.

A teenage boy was seriously injured early today when he and two friends were handling a loaded handgun and it went off inside a South End home, Tacoma police reported.

The boy, described as either 14 or 15, was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment after being shot in the face.

"He's going to survive but it's going to be life altering," Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The shooting occurred about 12:15 a.m. in the 5600 block of South Park Avenue. Two teenage boys had gone to the home of another teenage friend and brought two guns with them, Fulghum said. The boys were in the basement while other family members were upstairs.

The boys were handling at least one of the guns and might not have realized it was loaded, Fulghum said. The gun went off, striking one of the boys in the face.

The other two boys took off, Fulghum said. Officers found the two a short time later in the area.

Detectives responded to the scene. They were still trying to sort through what happened. As part of their investigation, detectives will be researching where the teens got the guns, Fulghum said. It appears the guns were seized by officers.

A man wanted in connection with the kidnap and assault of a 79-year-old man last month in Lakewood has been found.

Prosecutors had charged Bryan Lee Stetson, 37, last month with first-degree kidnapping and first-degree assault. An arrest warrant was issued June 17.

California police officers arrested Stetson earlier this month. Lakewood police had asked them for their help in locating Stetson, who is from California, police Lt. Heidi Hoffman said Friday. A Lakewood police detective went to Bakersfield, Calif., and interviewed Stetson on July 17.

Stetson was escorted back to Pierce County last night by deputies and booked into Pierce County Jail,.
He is expected to make his first court appearances on the charges this afternoon.

Prosecutors have alleged Stetson and the victim had been sharing a room at the Gloria Motel, 10005 South Tacoma Way, in Lakewood for several days. Officers and paramedics were called to the room about 4:30 p.m. June 12.

The victim had bruises around his eyes and on his arms and torso. His hands were discolored, he had open wounds on his arms and his skin was torn and bleeding.

The victim was hospitalized and went into cardiac arrest.

The victim has been unable to tell officers what happened.

A witness told Lakewood police that she'd been sitting outside the motel room, talking to Stetson for several hours. He kept saying he'd had a fight with the victim.

"When she asked Stetson about the fight he told her that it was 'personal,' " court documents state. "She noted what appeared to be blood on Stetson's clothing (coveralls)."

The woman asked if the victim was all right and Stetson said they should go see. They entered the room and the witness saw the victim crawling on the floor, unable to get up.

"He appeared to have been badly beaten," court documents state. "She asked (the victim) if he was OK and he responded, 'I'm trying.' "

The witness left the room and reported what she saw to the motel manager. Meanwhile, Stetson was seen leaving. His car was found the next day in Tacoma and towed away for processing. The motel room also was processed for evidence.

Stetson returned to the motel Saturday and asked to be let into the room to retrieve his identification so he could fly to Alaska. Though he was denied, he got in anyway and took a bag from the room.

All lanes of northbound Interstate 5 in Fife are back open this morning after a crash.

The collision, reported just before 6 a.m., blocked two right lanes at the Ardena Curve for about 10 minutes.

Troopers and medical aid responded. Traffic backed up for two miles.

From the Lakewood Fire Department:

At approximately 1:20 p.m., Lakewood Fire District 2 responded to a brush fire at 114th Street and Bridgeport Way. Firefighters arrived to find the grass on fire along Bridgeport Way, across the street from Happy Days Casino and Restaurant.

As firefighters were putting the first fire out, witnesses saw a man starting another fire just a few yards away. A Lakewood firefighter then chased the man down and detained him until police arrived. Lakewood Police arrested the man for suspected arson.

The road has given way to the heat.

Crews believe the record-high temperatures have contributed to a newly-formed sinkhole on State Route 7 in Spanaway, the state Department of Transportation reported.

The right lane of northbound SR 7 is closed at 175th Street South because of the hole. Crews expect to have the lane closed through most of today.

Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offer a reward after a Lakewood police officer's personal car was spray painted and torched late Wednesday.

The car was parked at the officer's Spanaway home. It was painted with gang graffiti, then set on fire about 10:45 p.m., Lakewood police report. The driveway also was spray painted, according to police.

The officer's personal car is a loss.

The blaze caused heat damage to the officer's patrol car, which was parked next to his personal car. A rain gutter on the house also suffered heat damage.

The officer was inside the house at the time, police reported. No one was injured.

Investigators are looking into what might have motivated the attack. The officer recently had spray painted over gang graffiti in his neighborhood, Lakewood Assistant Police Chief Mike Zaro said. Or the officer's house could have been randomly targeted by someone who spotted a police car.

"With the graffiti left behind, we are definite confident it was gang related," Zaro said.

Before the attack, the officer twice had spotted a suspicious vehicle outside his home and went outside to investigate. Each time, the officer shined a flash light and the car took off. The car came back in 20 minutes intervals, Zaro said.

Twenty minutes after the officer spotted the car a second time, his personal car was on fire.

"They knew somebody was home and they knew it was a police officer's house," Zaro said. "It was pretty brazen."

The suspicious vehicle is described as a late 1980s maroon Buick or Cadillac.

Pierce County sheriff's detectives are investigating the arson. The regional gang officers also are assisting in the case, Zaro said.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to arrests and charges filed in the case. Tipsters may remain anonymous. Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

Tacoma Power reports that all of the customers who lost electricity last night now have it back.

The outage occurred about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday when two power lines touched. The event caused about 10,000 customers to lose electricity in areas of Tacoma, Lakewood, Parkland and Spanaway.

Tacoma Power crews will be monitoring the utilities lines today in hopes of preventing any more outages.

Tacoma Power asks anyone who has a power outage to call (253) 502-8602.

The following two YMCA's are open for seniors who need to get out of the heat:

Gig Harbor Family YMCA: 10550 Harbor Hill Dr., Gig Harbor.

Tacoma Center YMCA: 1144 Market St., Tacoma.

Pierce County prosecutors have accused a 42-year-old man of robbing another man at gunpoint when the victim went to the apartment of a woman he met on a singles chat line.

Joey S. Sims is being held in Pierce County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail. He was arrested late Tuesday and charged Wednesday with one count of first-degree robbery, with a firearm enhancement.

Charging documents provide the following information:

The victim told Tacoma police he'd been on a singles chat line when he spoke with a woman who lived in the 1000 block of South 14th Street. The two agreed to meet and he went to her apartment.

When he arrived, a woman answered the door and directed the victim to the bedroom. The only other person inside the apartment was an infant, the victim told officers.

The victim was undressing when a man with a rag over his face came into the bedroom, pointed a gun at the victim and told him to get on the floor.

The robber went through the victim's pockets and took his cash, iPhone, a debit card, driver's license and bank card.

"The male told him several times that if he called police, they knew where he lived and would come to his house and shoot him," court documents state. "The male asked several times, 'How much do you value your life?'"

The robber took the victim's belongings, then gave the victim his keys and told him to leave.

The victim left and called police from a fast-food restaurant. He was too afraid to go home alone and was escorted by officers.

Officers went to the address where the robbery occurred and contacted the woman who was described by the victim. Court documents note she was initially uncooperative but eventually told officers that Sims had been in the apartment when the victim came over.

During the robbery, Sims closed the bedroom door most of the way. The woman told officers she sat on the couch with her infant son, then moved into the bathroom until the two men left. She indicated she and Sims have robbed other people.

Officers contacted Sims at his home and arrested him.

UPDATE: The woman has not been arrested in connection with the robbery. She has been identified and the case remains under investigation, Tacoma police reported.

A collision continues to block all lanes of westbound State Route 16 at Pearl Street.

Westbound traffic is routed off the highway at 6th Avenue. The crash happened at 8:20 p.m.

UPDATE: 9:20 p.m.: An Auburn Police Department pursuit ended with a crash on State Route 16, Washington State Patrol Trooper Brandy Kessler said. The officer may be injured, she said.

MORNING UPDATE: The crash was the result of a Auburn police pursuit.

Officers responded to a report of a fight with a gun at a convenience store in the city just before 7:45 p.m. An officer arrived at the scene and spotted a vehicle that matched the description of a vehicle suspected of being involved in the incident, Auburn police reported..

The vehicle didn't stop for the officer. The officer pursued the vehicle, police reported.

Officers used a technique to stop the vehicle on Highway 16 in Tacoma. Two suspects were taken into custody.

The officer's patrol car hit a guardrail after performing the technique. The officer was taken to the hospital for treatment, police reported.

We talked on this blog before about fake rental ads on popular online advertising sites.

The FBI sent out a customer alert today related to the scam. Find the alert here.

Here's the beginning of their press release:

You can't believe your good fortune — you find a rental home in a nice area through a Craigslist classified ad at an unbelievably low rate. The landlord—who had to leave the country and travel to Nigeria—asks that you wire him two months’ worth of rent. You arrive at the home on the agreed-upon date, but there’s just one small problem—the house is not actually for rent and its owners know nothing about your agreement.

This latest scam being perpetrated by Nigerian criminals located halfway around the world has been seen in a number of U.S. states, perhaps in response to the current housing market—with fewer people buying, more people are renting.

Pierce County agencies are reporting that about 10,000 customers in the Spanaway area are without power.

UPDATE: 6:10 p.m.: Lou Dooley, the duty officer at Pierce County Emergency Management, said his department is receiving reports of a transmission line in Tacoma being down, causing the power outage.

"We've got water systems out of commission because they don't have any power, and that's a big concern for us," he said.

This post will be updated as more information becomes available.

UPDATE: 8:59 p.m.: Here's what happened, according to Tacoma Public Utilities:

Tacoma Power has restored power to all but 100 customers, most of whom are between South Hosmer and South J Streets and South 84th and South 96th Streets. An outage at about 5:30 p.m. today left about 10,000 homes and businesses without power. The outage occurred when two power lines came in contact with each other. Crews will continue to work until they have restored power to all customers. Tacoma Power customers without power should call (253) 502-8602 to report outages.

"One life lost. One life wasted."

Those were the sentiments of Pierce County Superior Court Judge Frank Cuthbertson on Wednesday as he sentenced 22-year-old Tristan Ryng to two years, three months in prison for his role in the death of his girlfriend, 18-year-old India Escobar.

Ryng pleaded guilty last month to vehicular homicide in the April 2008 wreck that killed Escobar, a popular student at the Tacoma School of the Arts.

Ryng admitted to driving recklessly when he sped across a parking lot and slammed into a tree. Escobar suffered a ruptured aorta in the crash and later died.

Police contended the couple had taken LSD prior to the wreck.

The sentence imposed by Cuthbertson was the high end of the standard range, a punishment that deputy prosecutor Tim Jones called "rather embarrassing considering the loss of a life."

The victim's aunt, Kara Murphy, flew to Tacoma from Connecticut to attend the sentencing.

Murphy told Cuthbertson her niece was an "incredible young lady" who had the ability to make people feel special.

"Everybody thinks India was their best friend," she said. "We don't have her any more."

Jaime Escobar, a member of the Army, traveled to Tacoma from his assignment in Kuwait for the hearing.

Escobar testified that he and his only child were very close despite his frequent absences and that he misses her every day.

He then turned his attention to Ryng, who leaned on crutches for support. He was run down by a hit-and-run driver in November and suffered multiple injuries.

"I trusted you with my daughter," Escobar said. "Why? Because my daughter was in love with you."

He then accused Ryng of pressuring India Escobar into taking drugs and said she died because of Ryng's "stupidity."

Ryng's attorney, Robert Martin Krinsky, called Wednesday "a devastating day for Mr. Ryng."

"The love of his life died," Krinsky said.

Given a chance to speak for himself, Ryng apologized.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen," he said. "I'm just so sorry. That's all I can say."

Shortly thereafter, a corrections officer led Ryng away.

(This photo of the couple was posted on India Escobar's MySpace page at the time of her death).

Residents of Enumclaw who need a break from the heat can got to one of two cooling centers now open.

The Senior Center, 1350 Cole Street, is open Monday through Friday, from 8a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Public Library, 1700 First St., is open Monday through Thursday, from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For transportation, call the Senior Center at (360) 825-4741 or the Library at (360) 825-2938.

One dog died and another was receiving treatment after flames broke out inside an Auburn home, the Valley Regional Fire Authority reported.

Firefighters went to the house in the 600 block of 24th Street Southeast just before 1:45 p.m. today. A neighbor reported seeing smoke and flames coming out of the back of the house.

Firefighters found flames on the deck. They had spread to the house and attic area.

Firefighters searched the house and found two dogs inside. One dog died at the scene; the other was being treated by firefighters. No other injuries have been reported.

Crews were investigating the cause of the fire.

This comes from the state Fire Marshal's Office:

Fire season has arrived and homeowners in the wildland/urban interface (WUI) should be thinking about performing a Wildfire Hazard Assessment. "Hazard assessments are an important tool in fire prevention and aid in protecting homes and property," says State Fire Marshal Mike Matlick. Several aspects of the home and property are evaluated and points assigned to each hazard – the higher the hazard, the higher the number of points. The points are then tallied and the level of risk is determined by the score; hazard categories are low, moderate, high and extreme.

Interface homeowners have several factors to consider when mitigating the wildfire hazards to their home. The changes below are optimum to create a low-hazard Firewise home:

Building Construction:

Roofing Material – Made of fire-resistant material such as metal, tile or composition.

Roof Cleanliness – No accumulation of combustible debris.

Building Exterior – Non-combustible siding such as stucco, brick, or metal.

Eaves, Vents & Openings – Screened with corrosion-resistant, 3-millimetre wire mesh.

Balcony, Deck or Porch – None or fire-resistant material with 12-millimetre sheathing.

Window & Door Glazing – Tempered or multiple-pane windows.

Landscape:

Vegetation Types – Fire-resistant vegetation that is green and well watered or drought-resistant.
Defensible Space – At least 30 feet but preferably 100 feet surrounding home.

Means of Access:

Ingress & Egress – Two or more roads in and out of your property.

Road Width & Accessibility – Driveway is at least 20 feet wide with 15 feet of overhead clearance for emergency vehicles.

Street Signs – Visible and made of non-combustible material; address numbers are clearly marked with 4” reflective letters.

Washington State Patrol troopers say a lit cigarette sparked a brush fire in the median of Interstate 5 near Des Moines that clogged up traffic this afternoon.

Several lanes of the highway were closed in both directions are crews battled the flames. Drivers were backed up eight miles doing north and more than four miles heading south.

The fire was reported just after 1 p.m. The blaze is being investigated by the agency's fire and arson unit. Anyone who witnessed a lit cigarette fly out a vehicle going north on I-5 at 200th Street about 1:10 p.m. today is asked to call 206-296-6670.

Troopers ask that drivers keep all lit debris inside their cars, especially on days like today.

"Anyone who is caught throwing lit debris, to include cigarettes, from a vehicle is subject to a minimum $1,024 fine," the State Patrol reported. "King County Troopers would like anyone who witnesses cigarettes or any other lit debris exit a vehicle to please call the WSP at 425-401-7788 and provide the location, direction of travel, vehicle description, and license plate number."

PREVIOUS POSTS:

Firefighters are battling a brush fire in the median of Interstate 5 near Des Moines, the state DOT reports.

The four left lanes of northbound I-5 lanes and the two lanes lanes of southbound I-5 are blocked as crews battle the flames.

The fire broke out shortly after 1 p.m.

UPDATE at 1:48 p.m.: Northbound traffic is backed up about four miles. Southbound drivers are backed up three miles.

UPDATE at 2:17 p.m.: The three far right lanes of southbound I-5 are now open. The two left lanes remained closed.

The northbound back up now extends seven miles; the southbound back up is two and a half miles.

UPDATE as of 2:29 p.m.: Three northbound lanes and three southbound lanes are now open.

The back ups remain.

UPDATE as of 2:42 p.m.: All southbound lanes are now open. Two left lanes of northbound I-5 remained blocked.

Northbound drivers are backed up eight miles; southbound drivers more than four miles.

The Pierce County Department of Emergency Management has put together an informational, heat wave phone line to answer heat-related questions.

You can call 1-866-97-PCEOC (1-866-977-2362) from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., today through Friday.

Residents are asked to check on elderly neighbors or those with small children.

Library branches in Pierce County have extended their hours. The branches and other facilities have invited people in to cool off.

Five places have been established as cooling centers at Fort Lewis. They are available to Fort Lewis community members, military retirees and other Department of Defense card holders.

They are:

Main Post
- The Cascade Community Center
- The Bowling Center

North Fort
- The American Lake Community Center
- Wilson Recreation Center

The Eagles Pride Golf Club house and restaurant

It's already too hot outside and we have several hours of climbing temperatures to go before they start dropping again.

Temperatures have rocketed into the low 90s by early afternoon. The number will continue upward with an expected high of 103 for the South Sound.

The previous record for Tacoma was 95 degrees, set in 1971. On a "normal" July 29 day, the temperature is 77 degrees.

Wouldn't that be nice?

The spray park at Tacoma's Jefferson Park was packed around noon with kids and adults alike, soaking up the water. The shaded spots around the spray zone were filled with blankets and adults trying to stay cool. An ice cream truck or two were circling the grounds, looking for hungry customers.

An excessive heat warning and an air stagnation advisory remains in effect until 6 p.m. Friday.

UPDATE: It doesn't appear that all this heat - or rather people cranking up the A/C to deal with the temperatures - is maxing out the power companies.

Interesting factoid of the day: The power system in the Puget Sound region is built to withstand the coldest of days. In one hour last December, the system was running around 5,000 megawatts, said Dorothy Bracken, spokeswoman for Puget Sound Energy.

The region reached historic highs in terms of electricity and natural gas usage during the bitterly cold week.

This week, the system is running in the 3,300 to 3,400 megawatt range, Bracken said.

"In the region see our greatest use of energy during winter months when the weather is very cold," Bracken said.

In other parts of the region, the power system sees the greatest amount of energy used in the summer months.

UPDATE: At 1:53 p.m., the temperature in Tacoma was 97 degrees according to this weather summary on The News Tribune's web site. That broke the 1971 record of 95 degrees for this date.

UPDATE: KIRO TV says that the National Weather Service reports the record has been broken.

The National Weather Service reports Sea-Tac Airport has reached 102 degrees, making it the hottest day ever since record keeping began in 1891.

It's reached more than 100 degrees in Tacoma at the Narrows Airport, Thun Field and McChord Air Force base, according to the National Weather Service's Web site.

King County's Metro Transit has issued a heat advisory. Anyone looking to ride the bus this afternoon should be warned that the trips could be "very hot," the agency reported.

Here's more from the release:

Customers should expect longer trips and crowded buses following the baseball game and afternoon commute. Those trips will be especially uncomfortable if you are traveling on a bus that is not air conditioned. Only about 30 percent of Metro's bus fleet is equipped with air conditioning. But even those buses with AC will likely be hot, especially when they are crowded and doors are being opened frequently.

Given the excessive heat warning now in effect, Metro customers may want to consider traveling later in the day when it's cooler and buses aren't as crowded. Customers with health problems may even want to consider forgoing their bus travel until temperatures moderate.

If you do need to travel during the heat wave, there are some additional tips to keep in mind. Dress for the weather on these hotter days. Remove jackets and sweaters you wear in air conditioned buildings before you board the bus.

Fire crews from around the state have been mobilized to help firefighters battle the wildfire threatening homes near Chelan.

State Patrol Chief John Batiste authorized the mobilization just after midnight.

Here's more from the authorization:

Mobilization specialists from the Fire Protection Bureau have ordered 5 Interface Task Forces (2 structure engines, 2 wildland engines, 1 water tender and a Strike Team Leader), 3 Wildland Strike Teams (5 wildland engines, 1 water tender and a Strike Team Leader). An additional 3 Wildland Strike Teams will be ordered later on 7-29-09. This is a joint fire with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. They will be ordering aircraft and handcrews for this incident.

According to local officials, the fire has grown to approximately 500 acres on joint Fire District # 7 and Washington State Department of Natural Resources protected lands. The fire is burning light brush, grass and timber just north of Chelan. Homes threatened by the fire are 120 to 140 and 79 individuals have been evacuated. A Red Cross Shelter has been opened at the Chelan High School with no residents seeking shelter at this time.

The State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at Camp Murray has been activated to Phase II, to coordinate state assistance for the Union Valley Fire. Personnel from the Office of the State Fire Marshal will be enroute to the scene of the fire to coordinate dispatch of resources, while other personnel are staffing the State EOC at Camp Murray.

Under the mobilization plan, the Fire Protection Bureau will be coordinating the initial dispatch of firefighters, engines, water tenders, and helicopters. The Washington State Fire Services Mobilization Plan is implemented to provide personnel, equipment and other resources from around the state when wildfires exceed the firefighting capacity of local jurisdictions.

A man was injured Tuesday night when he stepped in front of a car and was hit on the East Side.

The man's injuries were non-life threatening, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum reports.

The car was eastbound on East 72 Street when a man stepped out in front of the vehicle near McKinley Avenue.

The man went over the car and hit the ground. Officers noted he appeared to be heavily intoxicated, Fulghum said.

The woman driving the car was not cited at the scene.

Pierce County prosecutors have charged a 29-year-old man with four crimes after he tried to elude sheriff's deputies at speeds of more than 100 mph in a stolen car.

Fulton K. Santos Jr. is charged with second-degree assault, attempting to elude a police vehicle, theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Court documents give the following account of what led to the charges:

A Pierce County sheriff's deputies tried to stop a stolen car just after 12:40 a.m. Friday in the 10400 block of Canyon Road East.

The drive sped off. The deputy, his lights and siren activated, pursued the speeding car.

The driver went more than 100 mph on surface streets and eventually got onto Meridian Avenue East. The deputy moved into the center lane.

The driver peered over his shoulder and twice swerved at the deputy in attempts to hit the patrol car. The deputy wasn't struck.

The pursuit ended (the charging documents don't say any more about why). The driver and stolen car remained in the area. Other deputies spotted the stolen car.

The driver failed to negotiate a turn in the 13800 block of Woodland Avenue East and crashed into a retaining wall. The driver got out and ran.

After a short foot chase, the driver was arrested.

The driver, identified as Santos, reportedly told deputies he stole the car from a grocery store in the 11600 block of Canyon Road East.

"Santos said he fled in the car and drove at the deputy because he wanted to get away," court documents state.

A Tacoma police officer had to jump out of the way of a car early today as it sped off from a suspected home-invasion robbery.

The officer was not injured and the driver has not yet been found, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

Officers were dispatched to the 5400 block of South J Street just before 2 a.m. for a possible burglary-in-progress.

Once at the house, officers spotted a vehicle leaving the scene at a high rate of speed. One of the officers had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the car, Fulghum said.

Officers couldn't catch up to the vehicle.

Through the investigation, officers learned the situation was more like a home-invasion robbery. The suspect was looking for someone he knew who lived at the home.

Officers identified a possible suspect and his address. The suspect wasn't found but officers did find the car that had sped away from the crime scene, Fulghum said.

The car was impounded.

A 21-year-old Puyallup man was arrested early today after he allegedly hit a Tacoma police car and drove off.

The crash occurred just after midnight. The patrol officer was driving in the 1400 block of South 84th Street.

The officer got dispatched to a call, activated his emergency lights and made a U-turn in the roadway, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

During the turn, a car hit the police cruiser from behind and then fled on Sheridan Avenue.

The suspect's vehicle was damaged and didn't make it very far, Fulghum said. The driver got out of his car and was identified by witnesses.

The man was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and hit and run.

The officer suffered minor injuries, Fulghum said. He was treated and released from the hospital. His patrol car was smashed and had to be towed to the station for repairs.

The Kitsap County Sheriff's Office was left out Tuesday when the Department of Justice announced federal grants for local law enforcement agencies to hire more officers. In fact, none of the sheriff's offices received money.

Kitsap County was closest in line. The Sheriff's Office ranked No. 30 out of the 156 law enforcement agencies in the state that applied for the COPS grant, according to documents posted on the DOJ web site. For some reason, however, the Sheriff's Office was passed over and Yakima (ranked No. 31) got grant dollars instead.

Tuesday night, the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office released the following, sharply-worded statement:

Port Orchard, Wash. -- The announcement came as a shock and a disappointment, or rather "As an unpleasant surprise," as Sheriff Steve Boyer put it, after a public release was made this morning naming those law enforcement agencies that are to be recipients of grants funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The Kitsap County Sheriff's Office was not on the list of law enforcement agencies within the state slated to receive funding, despite its relatively high ranking in the final standings. For that matter, no Washington State sheriff’s agency appeared on the list of grant recipients.

The joint announcement, made by The White House and the Department of Justice, advised that $1 billion in grant monies are to be made available to fund hiring / re-hiring of more than 4,500 law enforcement officers. The news release indicated that 1,046 law enforcement agencies were selected, representative of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.

The list names city police departments and tribal law enforcement agencies locally, including Bremerton, Gig Harbor, Port Orchard and Shelton Police Departments.

"I have to seriously question the selection criteria," stated Sheriff Boyer. "This was vetted as a competitive process based on community and agency needs, coupled with performance."

"The decision makers in this endeavor, in my opinion, appear to be clueless," Sheriff Boyer added. "Not a single Washington State sheriff received so much as a dime out of this process when county governments are recognized as being in worse financial shape."

The Kitsap County Sheriff's Office is the second lowest staffed sheriff’s agency in the state at .71 of one officer per 1,000 residents in the county. The accepted standard in law enforcement is two officers per 1,000 residents, although most county sheriff's agencies have always operated under this ratio, due to county government funding restraints.

"This is a people business. The county has hard working deputies and detectives out in the field providing service to its residents," said the sheriff. "Evolving technology is very useful and helps us daily, but it doesn't solve crime. Investigators do that. It doesn't enforce the law or maintain the peace, or respond in times of emergency. Patrol deputies do that."

"We are acutely aware of the current financial crisis and have worked diligently over the past two years cutting and trimming our budget, to meet fiscal restraints, to the point that we are shortly going to be in the running as the lowest staffed sheriff's agency anywhere," continued Sheriff Boyer. "County residents need to know that the level of service that they expect, in which we have taken pride in providing, will be severely curtailed."

"I will be calling on all Washington State sheriffs to meet, face-to-face, to research and seek out alternative funding for county sheriff's agencies, and to address this issue with our state's elected representatives to the U. S. Congress," the sheriff said.

"Additionally, I will call on the board of county commissioners, in hopes that we can work together to fulfill the core responsibility of government: To protect and promote the safety, health and welfare of our citizens in an efficient, accessible and effective manner."

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department finished No. 57 in the rankings. Here's the response from Sheriff Paul Pastor:

I am disappointed that Pierce County Sheriff's Department did not receive stimulus grant monies despite our application indicating that our citizens have very pressing needs. We police more people in Pierce County than all of the municipal agencies combined and budget cuts have reduced our staffing. I understand that our application is still pending and we may be eligible for a second round of funding in 2010. I believe that the citizens of Pierce County deserve a higher level of service. I would hope that the federal government will recognize the needs of Pierce County citizens and I will be in touch with our Senators and Congresspeople on this topic.

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg will hold a press conference this morning to announce what charges his office is filing in connection with the stabbings - one deadly - of two women in their South Seattle home.

Isaiah Kalebu has been held in jail in lieu of $10 billion bail in connection with the case. He's also a person of interest in a suspicious fire in University Place. Two people were found dead inside the burned out home.

The press conference begins at 10:30 a.m.

UPDATE: Kalebu has reportedly been charged with aggravated first-degree murder, attempted murder, rape and burglary.

Here's the alert from the Associated Press:

SEATTLE (AP) — King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg says he's charging Isaiah Kalebu with aggravated first-degree murder, attempted murder, rape and burglary in a stabbing attack that shocked a south Seattle neighborhood and tied up at least 10 percent of the city's police force.

Kalebu, 23, is accused of crawling through an open window at a home in the South Park neighborhood and attacking Teresa Butz and her 36-year-old partner on July 19. Both women were stabbed and ran naked out of the house covered in blood. Butz died, but her partner survived and was able to give police a description.

Police said fingerprints and bodily fluid tied Kalebu to the crime scene. He was arrested five days later.

Satterberg has 30 days to decide whether to seek the death penalty.

Fire and rescue crews are looking for a man who went missing while swimming in Steel Lake in Federal Way at about 5 p.m.

According to South King Fire and Rescue, the man dove off a dock and didn't come back up. A witness alerted a life guard, who called 911. Federal Way Police cleared the public beach, and fire crews from South King along with a dive team from the Valley Regional Fire Authority and the Renton Fire Department are searching the lake.

The only description of the swimmer is that he is in his 30s or 40s.

UPDATE: Kendra Kay, from South King Fire & Rescue, reported this morning that the search was turned over to the King County Sheriff's Office later in the evening.

South King crews searched for about two hours but didn't find the missing swimmer.

Lots of advice out there about how humans can keep their cool this week. Dani Archer of the Pierce County Animal Response Team sent in a reminder to look out for your four-legged friends.

• Never leave your pets in a parked car. On a warm day, temperatures inside a vehicle can rise rapidly to dangerous levels. On an 85 degree day, for example, the temperature inside a car with the windows opened slightly can reach 102 degrees within ten minutes. After 30 minutes, the temperature will reach 120 degrees.
• Shade and water are a must. Anytime your pet is outside, make sure he or she has protection from heat and sun (a doghouse does not provide relief from heat) and plenty of fresh, cool water. Heat stroke can be fatal for pets as well as people.
• Limit exercise on hot days. Take care when exercising your pet. Adjust intensity and duration of exercise in accordance with the temperature. On very hot days, limit exercise to early morning or evening hours, and be especially careful with pets with white-colored ears who are more susceptible to skin cancer, and short-nosed pets. Asphalt gets very hot and can burn your pet's paws.
• Recognize the signs of heatstroke. In case of an emergency, it's important to be able to identify the symptoms of heat stress caused by exposure to extreme temperatures. When in doubt, contact your veterinarian immediately. Some signs of heatstroke are: heavy panting, glazed eyes, a rapid heartbeat, restlessness, excessive thirst, lethargy, fever, dizziness, lack of coordination, profuse salivation, vomiting, a deep red or purple tongue, and unconsciousness. If the animal shows symptoms of heatstroke, take steps immediately to gradually lower their body temperature and contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.

• Follow these tips, and it could save her life: ·

  • Move the animal into the shade or an air-conditioned area.
  • Apply ice packs or cold towels to her head, neck and chest or run cool (not cold) water over her. You can also soak towels in cool water and cover them with the towels.
  • Let them drink small amounts of cool water or lick ice cubes.
  • Take her directly to a veterinarian.

=> Read more!

The state Department of Transportation said a sweeper will drive up northbound Interstate 5 after rush hour tonight to clean up any remaining animal parts from last night.

A rendering truck spilled its load on the interstate near Pacific Avenue on Monday night. Neighbors said the smell today was bad, especially as the day went on and temperatures rose.

It is a moving operation, so no lanes will be closed.

The DOT hopes this will help clear the stench, but a lot of the moisture from the spill seeped into the ground.

"There's really nothing more we can do," DOT spokeswoman Kelly Stowe said, adding even if they could power wash the road, the liquid would still seep into the shoulder.

A 23-year-old Federal Way mother pleaded guilty today to a misdemeanor charge that she abandoned her baby daughter outside a church.

Nine months after pleading not guilty, Sarah M. Christianson pleaded to one count of third-degree abandonment of a dependent person, a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail.

She's scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 14.

King County prosecutors will recommend Christianson receive a 24-month deferred sentence with no jail time as long as Christianson completes 200 hours of community service and remains employed or in school, undergoes mental health counseling and have no contact with her child except as permitted by Child Protective Services, office spokesman Dan Donohoe said.

King County prosecutors said when they charged Christianson in October 2008 they would not ask for jail time if she is convicted. They said they would request a sentence that includes treatment and parole.

Christianson admitted to leaving her baby at Steel Lake Presbyterian Church in Federal Way at 2:15 a.m. Sept. 28, two hours after she gave birth alone outside her apartment complex one-third of a mile away.

A church member found the baby 5 1/2 hours after she was left there in a towel.

Christianson pleaded not guilty Oct. 22 in King County Superior Court in Kent.

She was released after turning herself in to Federal Way police Sept. 29. She told police she left the baby because she wasn't emotionally or financially ready for a child and that she thought the church was a legal "safe haven" to leave a baby anonymously. State law allows for newborns to be left anonymously with personnel at fire stations and hospitals, but not churches.

The baby, Mariah Verle Stevens, had been placed with her father's mother, who was living in the Auburn area.

The father, Spc. Clark Stevens, 24, went to Iraq in October with the 81st Brigade Combat Team of the Washington National Guard.

Donohoe said Stevens is still deployed in Iraq and the baby is being cared for by his family in King County.

Neither Stevens nor his mother could be reached for comment July 20. Christianson also declined comment July 21.

Two lanes of westbound Highway 512 near the Interstate 5 interchange are blocked this morning by a multiple-vehicle crash, the state DOT reports.

The right lane is open but drivers should expect delays.

The crash occurred just before 9 a.m. Troopers are on the scene.

UPDATE at 9:38 a.m.: The back up extends roughly four miles.

UPDATE at 10:30 a.m.: The crash has been cleared and all lanes are now open to drivers.

Five Pierce County law enforcement agencies will be hiring more police officers thanks to federal grants announced this morning.

The Tacoma Police Department topped the list, getting $1,595,375 to hire five officers, the White House announced in a press release. The department has indicated the officers will help beef up the agency's gang unit to aid in the continuing battle against youth violence.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department, which requested money to hire 25 deputies to boost its ranks, was not mentioned. No other sheriff's offices were mentioned.

The Pierce County agencies receiving federal COPS grant money are:

* Fife Police: $263,563 to hire one officer.

* Lakewood Police: $784,520 to hire three officers.

* Gig Harbor Police: $283,436 to hire one officer.

* Sumner Police: $321,401 to hire one officer.

The federal grant money awarded today is part of a $1 billion economic stimulus program to help cities avoid laying off police officers. About 7,000 agencies from across the country applied for the money in April.

Only about 1,000 of the requests were approved. An Associated Press story noted that four major cities - including Seattle - did not receive any funds.

Washington state received more than $18,543,197 in grant money. That will allow 30 agencies to hire 71 law enforcement officers in Washington. Among the agencies, the Vancouver Police Department is receiving the largest chunk of grant money - $2,582,710 to hire 10 officers, according to the White House press release.

In the Puget Sound area, the following agencies also are receiving grant money:

* Nisqually Indian Tribe: $153,090 for one officer.

* Des Moines Police: $587,896 for two officers.

* Tukwila Police: $928,308 for three officers.

* Kent Police: $572,374 for two officers.

* Auburn Police: $1,290,880 for five officers.

* Renton Police: $1,644,972 for six officers.

The federal grant money provides money to cover the salary for each officer for the first three years of employment. The agencies who receive the money must commit to providing the salary of the officer for at least the fourth year of their employment. The grant money does not cover equipment costs.

In the Tacoma Police Department's request, commanders indicated they wanted to hire one lieutenant, two detectives and two police officers.

The Fife Police Department asked for three officers but got money for one. The agency had three unfilled patrol officers but the money was frozen to fill them.

"We're excited," Fife Police Chief Brad Blackburn said. "This comes at a good time for us."

The Gig Harbor Police Department asked for two officers to help move the agency toward a problem-oriented policing philosophy. They got one.

Lakewood originally said they were asking for two officers to fill frozen positions. They got money for three officers.

The Sumner Police Department requested money to hire one officer to fill a spot frozen last year.

UPDATE: Here's a press release from the City of Sumner regarding today's announcement.

Sumner, WA—On July 28, 2009, Sumner Police received word that the department had been awarded $321,401 from the COPS Hiring Recovery Program to hire a new officer for four years. Sumner Police requested this money to fully cover the position left vacant for over a year due to budget constraints. The grant will pay this position’s salary for three years with the understanding that the City fund the position for at least one more year.

"Only 14.3% of the agencies that applied were awarded grants," said Mayor Dave Enslow. "We are honored that Sumner was one of the ones fully awarded."

According to the US Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), they based funding decisions on many factors, such as the applicant's fiscal health, crime, and community policing plans. With all the factors, Sumner ranked number 23 out of the 156 agencies applying in Washington State.

"Our officers were working really hard to make cuts that the public wouldn't see, but we were out of options, especially with this position sitting unfilled for so long," said Sumner Police Chief John Galle. "Now, the COPS grant, along with other grants we have received, will allow us to continue working with citizens to keep crime from happening rather than only respond to crime after it happens."

For the Sumner Police Department, the COPS grant follows other grants that the department has received in 2009 including:

· $32,835 from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance to purchase improved technology and support community-oriented policing projects (also a grant funded by Federal stimulus money),

· $93,682.50 from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs to fund an officer for a year to work as a gang prevention officer,

· $4,800 from a Traffic Safety Equipment Grant for patrol equipment,

· $25,000 from the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority to purchase a vehicle for a detective assigned to the regional auto theft task force.

UPDATE 2: Regarding the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, the agency didn't make the cut. No sheriff’s offices in the state did.

The Department of Justice has posted several documents and guides related to this grant.

The short summary is: Each agency that applied for money was scored. Up to 50 points were possible for fiscal health of the jurisdiction and up to 50 points were possible for crime and community policing initiatives.

The Tacoma Police Department ended up being the highest ranked agency in the state. The Pierce County Sheriff's Department was ranked No. 57 out of 156.

Find the documents, rankings and explanation here.

On my way into the office this morning, I swung by the scene of yesterday's devastating fire at the Hillside Quickie market.

A fire engine and ladder truck were at the scene, mopping up and keeping an eye on things.

Only two of the building's four walls remain standing - sort of. The top half of a third wall is gone; the bottom half was leaning outward. The wall bows out and is touching - or nearly touching (I couldn't get close enough to tell) - the house next door. That house - 1604 - has been boarded up.

The roof and back wall of the grocery are completely gone. The cell phone photo I took of the back end of the structure didn't turn out because of the morning sun.

South 16th Street next to the market is still blocked off. One lane of South G Street in front of the store also remains taped off to traffic. The other streets are open.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

UPDATE: Tacoma fire reports that investigators have not yet be able to comb through the rubble of this fire to determine a cause.

The department is working with the property owners and insurance company to bring in heavy equipment to stabilize what remains of the structure.

A cause and origin of the fire will not be known for a couple of days.

WSDOT photo.

Traffic is backed up more than three miles while crews pick up a nasty mess on northbound Interstate 5 at Pacific Avenue.

A rendering truck spilled its load, covering the lanes in animal parts. Traffic is backed up to 56th Avenue. The state Department of Transportation hasn't estimated when the mess will be cleared and all lanes will be open.

UPDATE: 8:53 p.m.: The mess is still covering all lanes of the highway. Traffic is getting by using the shoulder. The state DOT estimates the lanes will stay closed until about 11 p.m.

UPDATED: 9:29 p.m. The state DOT said the department responded to the scene with Incident Response crews, maintenance crews, a loader, a dump truck and two sanding trucks to clean up the mess. Traffic is still backed up about three miles.

A DOT press release states: "Crews report the smell is horrendous."

FINAL UPDATE: The mess was cleared and all lanes reopened to traffic at 10:20 p.m.

Tacoma firefighters are still battling a sizable, two-alarm fire this afternoon on South G Street.

"It's pretty stubborn," Tacoma Deputy Fire Chief Jolene Davis said just before 3:30 p.m., more than two hours after the fire fight began.

Flames ripped through the 120-year-old, two-story building at the corner of South 16th and South G streets. Part of the building, which housed a grocery store on the first floor and several apartments on the second floor, has collapsed onto the sidewalk, Davis said. No injuries have been reported.

The fire was called in just after 1 p.m. Flames were showing from the front of the building when firefighters arrived, Davis said.

Firefighters initially went into the burning building and conducted searches on the first and second floor. No one was found.

The floor became unstable, however. The firefighters pulled out of the building and went to a defensive attack. The first floor collapsed a short time later.

About 60 firefighters were working on the blaze. The size of the response has been scaled back a little. Commanders have been working to shorten the fire-fighting shifts of the crews because of the heat, Davis said.

Investigators are at the scene, waiting to dig into what started the devastating blaze.

UPDATE: Tacoma police have blocked of part of Yakima Avenue for the fire. Other streets are being blocked off around the scene.

There's talk on the police scanner about evacuating nearby houses.

UPDATE 2: Yakima Avenue is blocked off from South 15th to South 17th. South 16th is blocked off from Yakima to Tacoma. Traffic is also restricted on South 15th and South 17th.

UPDATE 3: wowjohnt posted interesting background on the building.

Actually, the fire is at 1602 S. G Street. From the Tacoma Public Library:

Estil K. Christie Grocery Store & residence
-Christie is first listed at this address in the 1888 City Directory
-in the 1890 City Directory he is listed as having furnished rooms
-the grocery store is first listed in the 1891 City Directory
-added to Tacoma Register by Resolution No.32895, 1/31/1995
-bldg. commonly known as Hillside Grocery

The building was 120 years old.

I've heard talk on the scanner about a side wall collapsing. This is in addition to the first-floor collapsing an hour ago.

UPDATE 4: Hillside Grocery was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1995. Here's the listing from the register's web site:

Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event
Architectural Style: Stick/Eastlake
Area of Significance: Exploration/Settlement, Architecture
Period of Significance: 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Commerce/Trade, Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Multiple Dwelling, Single Dwelling, Specialty Store
Current Function: Commerce/Trade, Commerce/Trade
Current Sub-function: Professional, Specialty Store

I didn't quite get to this one on Friday ...

Pierce County prosecutors have filed charges against a 21-year-old man accused of robbing two Jiffy Lube shops while armed with a gun.

Willie S. Lewis is being held in Pierce County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. He was charged Thursday with three counts of first-degree robbery.

Court documents provide the details.

The first robbery occurred at the shop in the 12200 block of Meridian Avenue East on July 11. A man, later identified as Lewis, entered the shop's back door just after 7:10 p.m. He wielded a gun and demanded cash.

"When the employee asked if Lewis was joking, Lewis racked the slide of the gun and indicated it was not a joke," court documents state.

After getting an undisclosed of cash, Lewis fled. The employee provided deputies with a general description of the robber.

Eleven days later, the Jiffy Lube in the 2200 block of Mildred Street West in University Place was robbed. The robber walked into the service bay holding a gun on Wednesday at 7:15 p.m., just before closing time.

The robber, later identified as Lewis, demanded cash from the register and the employees' wallets and cell phones.

After the robbery, Lewis fled to a nearby car. Employees provided University Place officers with a partial license plate number of the getaway car. They also reported the robber had a specific tattoo on his neck.

"An employee also reported that prior to the robbery there he received a 'strange' telephone call from someone asking for directions," court documents state.

Lewis, a former Jiffy Lube employee, was identified as a suspect in the robberies. Tacoma police stopped a car driven by Lewis and arrested him late Wednesday. A gun was recovered from inside.

Prosecutors charged a second man in the University Place Jiffy Lube robbery. He's suspected of driving Lewis to and from the auto shop. The man claimed he drove Lewis to the Jiffy Lube because Lewis said he wanted to get a job application.

In preparation for this week's hot, hot, hot temperatures, Pierce County has announced the availability of several "cooling centers."

The Pierce County Library system branches and other facilities invite people to step inside and cool off for a few minutes. The county also urges people to go to other, air-conditioned public buildings. All Lowe's and Petsmart stores will be allowing people and their pets to come inside, the county reported.

Here's a list of "cooling centers":

* Bonney Lake Library, 18501 90th St. E. It's open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

* Bonney Lake Senior Center, 19304 Bonney Lake Blvd. It's open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

* Buckley Library, 123 S. River Ave. It's open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

* DuPont Library, 154 Wilmington Drive. It's open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

* Eatonville Library, 205 Center St. W. It's open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

* Graham Library, 9202 224th St. E. It's open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

* Key Center Library, 8905 Key Peninsula N. It's open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

*Lakewood City Hall, 6000 Main St. S.W. It's open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

* Lakewood Library, 6300 Wildaire Rd. S.W. It's open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.

* Milton Library, 1000 Laurel. It's open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

* Orting Library, 202 Washington Ave. S. It's open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

* Parkland/Spanaway, 13718 Pacific Ave. S. It's open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.

* Peninsula Library, 4424 Point Fosdick Drive N.W. It's open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.

* South Hill Library, 15420 Meridian E. It's open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.

* Steilacoom Library, 2950 Steilacoom Blvd. It's open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

* Summit Library, 5107 112th St. E. It's open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

* Sumner Library, 1116 Fryar Ave. It's open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.

* Tillicum Library, 14916 Washington Ave. S.W. It's open 1 to 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday; 12:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday; 12:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday and 1 to 5 p.m. Friday.

* University Place Library, 7315 27th St. W. It's open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.

UPDATE: If you are struggling to beat the heat, Click! will be providing images of much, much cooler times.

The local cable outlet will be showing pictures from the area's recent winter storms and playing appropriate music this week to remind residents that the heat wave will end.

"We did something similar in July 2007 and received hundreds of thank you calls," said Mitch Robinson, marketing and business operations manager for Click! Cable TV, in a press release. "We thought it would help people who are dealing with the heat to remember past snowstorms and know that this heat wave won’t last forever."

View the cold-weather photos on Click! channels 1 and 117. They were provided by Tacoma resident and blogger Kevin Freitas.

Tacoma police need the public's help in solving the following homicide from last year.

The victim: James Guillory Jr., a 28-year-old University Place father. (pictured here)

The homicide: Guillory was out with friends early on Dec. 27, 2008. They were involved in a fight outside of Maggie O'Toole’s Irish Pub in Lakewood just before closing. Officers broke up the melee and those involved left in different cars, Tacoma police detective Lindsey Wade said.

Guillory and his friends went to a home in the 5400 block of South Oakes Street, where another fight broke out. Guillory got into an argument with another man, who pulled out a gun and shot Guillory several times. Guillory died at the scene.

Suspect description: The shooter is described as black, in his early 20s, clean-cut, nicely dressed, 5 feet 8 to 5 feet 9 and 160 to 175 pounds. He was a passenger in a gray 2002 or newer 7 series BMW with tinted windows. Two other clean cut, nicely-dressed young men were in the car.

The car might have been at Maggie O’Toole’s before the deadly confrontation.

The investigation: Detectives have interviewed people involved in the Maggie O’Toole’s and South Oakes Street incidents. They have also reviewed police reports from the Lakewood fight and surveillance footage from the pub.

Investigators believe people involved in the incident have some ties to gangs but say Guillory was not a gang member.

Guillory's death is the only unsolved homicide for Tacoma police from last year. (Check out The News Tribune homicide map here.)

Help wanted: Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and charges filed in the case. Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959. Tipsters also can call Wade at 253-591-5993 or file a confidential tip with the Police Department here.

A man considered a "person of interest" in a suspected arson fire that killed two people in University Place was arrested by Seattle police tonight in an unrelated attack that left a woman dead and another injured, the Seattle Times reported.

Seattle police said today that Isaiah M.K. Kalebu, 23, is suspected of breaking into a house in Seattle's South Park neighborhood July 19 and stabbing two women who lived there.

A 37-year-old woman was killed in the attack. A 40-year-old woman was cut numerous times but managed to flee, according to a Seattle Police Department news release.

Kalebu (seen here) is the nephew of Rachel Kalebu, 61, who died in the July 9 fire at her University Place home. Former NFL player John E. Jones, 57, also died in the blaze.

Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said Friday detectives questioned Isaiah Kalebu following the fire and continue to consider him a "person of interest" in the case. He has not been arrested or charged in the fire.

"Nobody's been ruled in or out," Troyer said.

Isaiah Kalebu had been living at the home in the 5500 block of 64th Avenue West until his aunt got a domestic violence protection order against him the day before the fire. In a petition for the order, Kalebu pleaded for help, saying her nephew had threatened her.

"(He) has threatened me very many times and is very defiant, disrespectful to me," the 61-year-old woman wrote. "The truth is that I am a prisoner in my own home."

In seeking the protection order Rachel Kalebu said her nephew had made threats, according to court documents. She asked to keep the pit bull, which she described as nice and innocent. She also wanted the nephew to return her computer.

"Please be kind and restrain (my nephew) from my house," Kalebu wrote. "Otherwise it is like (living) in hell."

The week before the fire, deputies were called to the house for an incident involving Isaiah Kalebu and a pit bull that was concerning neighbors.

Kalebu was uncooperative and struggled with deputies, who fired bean bags and a Taser at the man to get him into custody, Troyer said. He was booked into jail in connection with that incident. He was released shortly thereafter.

Our news partner, KIRO-TV, has video and other information about Kalebu.

A Lakewood police officer acted lawfully when he shot and killed a knife-wielding man who advanced on him earlier this year, the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office reported today.

Officer Brian Wurts was justified when he shot Curtis Wetzel, 37, inside a mobile home in the 3200 block of 96th Street South on May 6, Prosecuting Attorney Gerald Horne said in a news release. Wetzel ignored commands to drop the knife as he advanced "wide-eyed and smiling" at the officer, the news release states. Wetzel had a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit at the time of his death, according to an autopsy.

"The shooting was necessary for the officer to protect his own life," Horne said.

Wurts and other officers had been dispatched to the scene to investigate a domestic violence call.

Also Friday, the Pierce County Medical Examiners Office announced it will not conduct a coroner's inquest into Wetzel's death.

Two South King County incidents from today ...

Firefighters from South King Fire & Rescue and the Regional Valley Fire Authority battled flames at a detached garage this afternoon.

Smoke from the fire in the 29200 block of 65th Avenue South in Auburn could be seen for several blocks, the fire departments reported.

The garage and its contents were a total loss. No one was injured. The cause of the blaze was under investigation.

A pregnant 30-year-old woman was injured this morning when her car veered off the West Valley Highway and crashed, according to Kent fire officials.

She reportedly felt faint when she went off the road about 11 a.m. Her car went through a fence, ran over a number of bee hives, clipped a small shed and hit a small cinder block outbuilding.

"Kent Fire Department and Medic 1 personnel were harassed by angry bees while extricating the injured woman from the car," a press release stated.

The woman, who is 8 months pregnant, was treated for minor injuries and taken to a local hospital for further evaluation.

Pierce County prosecutors have charged a 35-year-old man in connection with two sexual attacks on teenage boys.

Dwayne Clark was charged with first-degree kidnapping with sexual motivation and third-degree child molestation in connection with the abduction in May 2007 of a 15-year-old boy. Clark was charged with indecent liberties and second-degree assault with a deadly weapon in an attack on an 18-year-old man Wednesday in Lakewood.

In both incidents, Clark is accused of contacting the victims as they walked down the street. It appears neither victim knew Clark, according to court documents.

Charging documents provide the following information:

On May 16, 2007, a 15-year-old boy told Pierce County sheriff's deputies he was walking in a parking lot when he was contacted by a man. The man was standing near a maroon truck.

The man talked to the boy about the Army and work. During the conversation, the man grabbed the teen, shoved him into the passenger side of the truck and took off. The victim told deputies he couldn't get the door open.

As the man drove around the Parkland area, he fondled the victim. He also took photographs of the victim with his cellphone.

"The suspect gave (the victim) a note with his phone number on it and stated they should do this on a regular basis," court documents state.

The man drove to Spanaway Lake Park and got out to use the restroom. The victim was able to get out and took the man's cell phone with him. He fled into the bushes and later went home.

A Pierce County sheriff's detective tracked the cell phone and phone numbers of the boy's attacker. Clark was developed as a possible suspect and the victim picked him out of a photo montage. The day after the incident, Clark reported his cellphone and credit card were stolen at Spanaway Lake Park.

The detective reported he could not locate Clark.

On Wednesday, Clark reportedly was in Lakewood. An 18-year-old man told Lakewood police he was walking home from American Lake when a man pulled up and offered him a ride. The young man accepted and told the driver where to go.

"While en route, (the victim) told the defendant he made a wrong turn," court documents state.

Clark went down a side street, then tried to sexually assault the young man. The victim pushed Clark away and fought off other advances.

Clark pulled out a knife and lunged toward the victim, who was able to get out of the truck and run. Clark tried to chase him but eventually got onto the freeway.

The victim reported the incident to Lakewood police and gave officers a description of the truck and his attacker. While the victim talked to the officer, Clark walked within sight. The victim told the officer the man was the one who attacked him.

Officers found Clark and his truck nearby and arrested him. Clark asked why he was being arrested and reported he was "a hard working citizen and had done nothing wrong." He claimed he was in the area to get a haircut.

Clark is being held in Pierce County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Tacoma police were investigating a shooting early Friday on the Hilltop.

No one was injured in the incident. Officers collected 10 shell casings from the street and the sidewalk, police spokesman Mark Fulghum reported.

Tacoma police were called to the 2300 block of South Wilkeson Street just after midnight Friday for a report of several shots being fired.

A resident reported seeing several suspected gang members sneak around the side of his house. One person fired a gun, police reported.

The gunman - described as a black man wearing a white bandana, white sweatshirt and blue jeans - fled.

A police dog searched the area but lost the track a short distance from the scene.

Jennifer Rice, the former Tacoma teacher convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 10-year-old student, was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison Friday.

There was no argument over the what Rice's punishment would be. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Gary Steiner followed state statutes in imposing the sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

"This was a terrible violation of trust," Steiner told Rice before imposing her sentence. "I think the acts themselves speak to the significance of the crime."

Rice made no excuses for her behavior and recognized the hurt she's caused to many people.

"I am desperately sorry for what I have done," Rice said. "My behavior was careless, impulsive and selfish.

"I am here today as a result of my poor decisions."

Steiner convicted Rice in April of first-degree kidnapping, first-degree child molestation and two counts of third-degree rape. He found the kidnapping and child molestation charges were predatory offenses because the victim was a student. The predatory designation - required when a teacher is accused of certain sex crimes - meant Rice faced stiffer sentencing requirements.

Prosecutors contended that Rice had a sexual relationship with the 10-year-old boy for several months while she was a teacher at Tacoma's McKinley Elementary School. The ordeal came to light in August 2007, when Rice sneaked the boy out of his home and drove him to Ellensburg. The two had had sex at a rest stop before she returned him to his home, court documents alleged.

During the course of the investigation, detectives discovered Rice also had sex twice with the boy's older brother in July 2007.

Rice chose to have a "stipulated facts" trial during which an agreed upon set of facts in the case was presented by prosecutors and Rice's defense team to Steiner. The judge then reviewed the facts before making his decision. The victims did not have to testify.

Neither the victims nor their parents attended Friday's sentencing hearing. Attorneys for the family, which has sued the Tacoma, Bethel and Yelm school districts, did attend but declined to comment afterward.

The family's civil suit alleges the schools districts negligently hired and supervised Rice and didn't do enough to protect the students from her.

Thirteen friends and relatives of Rice, including her parents and husband, attended the sentencing hearing and reiterated their support for her. Rice's father, husband and a friend spoke on her behalf during the hearing. None excused her behavior but told Steiner they still loved and supported her.

"We would give anything to change what's happened," her husband said.

The state has revoked Rice's licenses to work as a teacher and counselor.

Pierce County prosecutors have decided not to seek the death penalty against a man accused of killing his estranged wife and stepdaughter with an ax at their home south of Orting earlier this year.

Prosecutor Gerry Horne said he based his decision on Charles W. Nettlebeck's documented history of mental illness.

"It is something that should be considered as to whether or not the death penalty would be appropriate," Horne said.

He added he didn't believe Nettlebeck's history of schizophrenia rose to the level of being a defense in the criminal trial but should be considered in the death penalty decision.

Nettlebeck, 52, still faces life in prison without the possibility of release if convicted as charged in the deaths of Barbara Jo Nettlebeck, 52, (pictured here) and Bretta Joan Hawkins, 33. Prosecutors have charged Charles Nettlebeck with two counts of aggravated first-degree murder, the state's highest crime. He is scheduled to go to trial in March.

Charles Nettlebeck told investigators he was at his home in the 27200 block of 168th Avenue Court East with his estranged wife the afternoon of March 13. They got into an argument inside the house.

He grabbed an ax and swung it at Barbara Jo Nettlebeck's head, killing her, charging documents state. Charles Nettlebeck then went outside and swung the ax at Hawkins, who had been tending to the horses. He hit her in the head several times, charging documents state. Hawkins died the next day from her injuries at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Barbara Jo Nettlebeck worked as a corrections officer for King County for nine years. Her daughter, who lived in Milton, was a police specialist with Renton police for seven years.

Tacoma Police are working to find the suspect in a shooting on Tacoma's East Side on Thursday night.

Police spokesman Mark Fulghum said a man in his mid-20s shot his stepfather after an argument at about 8:45 p.m. and fled. No additional description of the suspect is available.

The victim, a 48-year-old man, was taken to Tacoma General Hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg. The injury is not life-threatening, Fulghum said.

MORNING UPDATE: The 24-year-ld suspect in this incident turned himself into the Pierce County Jail, Tacoma police reported.

The shooting occurred in the 1000 block of East 64th Street. The suspect got into an argument with his father. The argument spilled outside and the suspect went out to his vehicle to retrieve a shotgun.

The son fired one blast from the shotgun. The father was struck in the leg as he stood on the front porch with his 2-year-old granddaughter. The granddaughter was hit in the hand and may lose a finger as a result, police reported.

The injuries to both victims were not considered life threatening.

Officers initially located the suspect's vehicle at a North End address. The suspect later turned himself in and was booked into the jail on assault charges.

Firefighters are on scene of an apartment fire near Highway 512 in the Parkland area.

The fire has gone to a second alarm.

The apartment is located at 106th Street South and Sales Road.

UPDATE: Firefighters were called to the Sienna Park Apartments about 2:30 p.m. When firefighters arrived at the three-story unit, they found two of the top floor apartments heavily involved with fire with flames poking through the roof of the two units, Central Pierce Fire spokesman Matt Holm said.

The flames have burned through the roof of those units. The roof is gone, Holm said.

No injuries have been reported so far but firefighters have not yet been able to conduct searches through the effected apartments.

Holm said there were no initial indications that anyone was inside the apartments.

UPDATE 2: The American Red Cross is responding to the scene to help the displaced residents.

Fife police have arrested a young man on suspicion of robbing at knifepoint two juveniles who were walking home from summer school class at Fife High School.

The 20-year-old had previous convictions for robbery.

The victims, ages 16 and 17, reported they were walking home about 12:30 p.m. today when the suspect approached and demanded their personal belongings. The suspect wielded a knife and took the victims' backpacks and a laptop computer.

The robber fled. Officers found the suspect a short distance away. They found the victims' property.

Fort Lewis officials have identified the man who fatally shot a woman Wednesday at the Fort Lewis Main Post Exchange as Lafayette C. Meminger, 59, of Lakewood.

The woman was official identified Thursday as Sharlona White, 33, of Tacoma, a civilian vendor who worked at a kiosk in the PX.

After shooting White, Meminger shot himself in the head. He died later at Madigan Army Medical Center.

White also was take to Madigan where she was prounounced dead.

Fort Lewis officials said Meminger was a retired sergeant first class who retired from the U.S. Army in 1992. No further informantion was avilable on Meminger.

The FBI has assumed jurisdiction of the ongoing investigation with joint participation from Fort Lewis law enforcement and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID).

Two men and a woman were arrested this morning after Tacoma police officers served a warrant at a Hilltop house.

The house in the 2300 block of South Ash Street had been the source of complaints from the surrounding neighbors, Tacoma police reported. The neighbors complained about increased suspected gang and drug activity at the house and in the area.

The police department conducted a drug and gang investigation, Assistant Police Bob Sheehan said. The investigation culminated with a search warrant being served at the home about 7:30 a.m. today.

SWAT officers served the warrant, then drug investigators executed the serve. Investigators found illegal drugs and arrested two men, ages 26 and 27, and a 55-year-old woman. One of the men was booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of unlawful drug possession with the intent to deliver and unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, according to the online jail roster.

A team of inspectors conducted a task force level inspection on the house and found several code violations. The power to the house was shut off and the home was boarded up. A no trespassing sign has been posted. Public Works officers spent some time this morning cutting back the limbs of some trees in the block.

The investigation was still ongoing.

A 32-year-old man accused of breaking into a Fife car dealership early Tuesday initially made off with a bunch of silver lug nuts but, in the end, got a trip to jail.

Pierce County prosecutors charged Jeffrey Gene Hernandez on Wednesday with second-degree burglary in connection with the incident.

Court documents provide the following information:

The alarm at Hinshaw's Acura sounded about 3:15 a.m. Tuesday and Fife police responded to the car dealership.

An officer arrived and spotted someone inside the dealership. The officer heard a metal object drop to the ground and the burglar started running.

The burglar, later identified as Hernandez, scaled the fence that surrounded the dealership's property and appeared to be ready to surrender. However, as the officer approached, the burglar took off. He ran across Interstate 5 and headed toward the Emerald Queen Casino.

The officer did not chase the suspect across the freeway. He found a bag where the burglar stopped momentarily. The bag was filled with 12 silver lug nuts, a tire iron, a pair of gloves, a flashlight and a car jack.

Inside the dealership, the officer found a new car with a smashed window and other body damage. A pair of bolt cutters was inside the car and a silver lug nut was on the floor next to the car.

Another officer arrested Hernandez near the casino. Hernandez reportedly was sweaty, wet and covered in mud. Officers found a silver lug nut in his pocket.

"The defendant maintained that he had accompanied a friend to the dealership and was trying to talk the friend out of stealing," court documents state.

Tacoma Fire photo.

Crews from the Tacoma Fire Department and Central Pierce Fire and Rescue fought a brush fire on Tacoma's East Side on Wednesday afternoon.

At about 2:50 p.m., crews responded to the area of East 44th and East T streets and found a rapidly growing brush and tree fire.

Additional crews were called to assist. About 6 to 8 acres of grass, brush and trees burned. No cause has been determined.

A slideshow of the fire is available at the Tacoma Fire Department's blog.

Updated at 5:10 p.m.with new details.

The man who allegedly shot and killed a woman working at the Fort Lewis Main Post Exchange and then turned the gun on himself has died at Madigan Army Medical Center.

Officials said the gunman is a 59-year-old retired soldier.

The identity of the woman, who was pronounced dead after being rushed to the on-post hospital, isn’t being released. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has taken over jurisdiction of the case and will investigate with help from Fort Lewis law enforcement and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, said I Corps spokesman Maj. Mike Garcia.

“This is not business as usual,” he said. “This is not a regular occurrence – violence in general, but especially firearm violence. It is not the norm.”

The post exchange, about the size of a Wal-Mart, was packed with thousands of shopper when the shooting occurred at 11:20 a.m., the start of the lunch rush. Garcia wasn’t sure how many people were inside the building, which features shops and fast-food restaurants, when the shooting occurred.

“The PX is very crowded on any duty day during the lunch hour,” he said.

Military policemen were on the scene within 5-6 minutes, Garcia said, and chaplains were there within 10 minutes to provide counseling.

The woman was working in her kiosk when the man opened fire with a handgun, Garcia said. An eyewitness told The News Tribune said she heard about four to six shots fired, but that information has yet to be released. When police arrived, the man had apparently already shot
himself.

No other injuries have been reported from the shooting.

Police evacuated the scene, closed the PX and cordoned off the area. The exchange is expected to remain closed at least until the end of today.

The FBI assumed control of the investigation because the victim and suspect are both civilians, Garcia said.

Details of the relationship between the two weren’t released. The woman was a civilian vendor working at the post exchange. The suspect was a retired sergeant first class and would therefore have access to the otherwise-closed installation.

No other personal information was released.

Concealed firearms are not allowed on Fort Lewis. Any firearm on post must be registered and, when in a car, unloaded with the ammunition stored separately, Garcia said.

“There is no reason to bring a loaded firearm onto this installation, nor is it authorized,” he said.

Garcia asked any eyewitnesses to contact the Fort Lewis military police.

Kathy Johnson and her mother, Kazui Miller, had been shopping on opposite sides of the PX for a few minutes when the shooting started.

The 44-year-old Tacoma native said she heard four to six shots, and everyone inside the store began screaming.

“Everyone ran in every direction,” said Johnson, who now lives in the Bay Area. “Everyone was yelling, ‘Call 911!’”

Johnson dove under a rack of women’s clothes and tried calling 911.

The line was busy. She tried again.

“It just rang and rang and rang,” she said. “So I called my husband back home, and he called 911 and was patched through to the Fort Lewis operator.”

A woman sat beside her under the rack of clothes, screaming uncontrollably.

Johnson tried to tell her to be quiet while she tried to relate what she heard on the phone.

“Everyone in the store thought it was a mass shooting because of the number of gunshots,” she said. “My heart was racing. We weren’t sure if a gunman was coming for us.”

An eerie silence overcame the store, broken only by the woman’s screams and the music over the intercom. About 15 or 20 minutes later, Johnson estimates, a voice came over a loudspeaker and told everyone to evacuate to the back of the store.

The woman next to Johnson was still in hysterics.

“She kept saying, ‘Oh, my God, I’m about to die,’” Johnson said, adding that she shook her enough to run out of the store with her.

When Johnson walked outside, she noticed Fort Lewis MPs on the roof and throughout the parking lot. She couldn’t find her mother, so she circled the parking lot until the two reunited.

Miller had been buying a pack of cigarettes when the shooting started, and a cashier helped usher her outside.

The two went to Johnson’s car and left, but not before being stopped by military policemen who asked to see ID and asked if they saw anything.

“It was crazy in there,” said Johnson, who owns a technology public relations firm. “No one knew what was going on.”

Fort Lewis law enforcement commended the quick reaction by PX employees to evacuate the facility without additional injuries.

-- reporting by the TNT's Scott Fontaine and Mike Archbold

A Spanaway man was arrested Tuesday afternoon while riding a bike in Pierce County for allegedly molesting and taking pornographic pictures of children on Fort Lewis grounds.

Jeffrey R. Smiley, 36, was charged in U.S. District Court in Tacoma with aggravated sexual abuse. He was also wanted on a warrant in Pierce County Superior Court for two counts of first-degree child molestation. The victims he's accused of assaulting were known to Smiley, Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Smiley is not connected to the Army or Fort Lewis.

Investigators reportedly found mattresses, toys and cameras at two locations in a wooded area near Fort Lewis. They also found his car, which contained a computer and child porn image.

The FBI said there could be more victims. Anyone with information about additional victims should call the FBI at 206-622-0460.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, military police and Pierce County Sheriff's Department, Troyer said.

The News Tribune received one e-mail from a reader who spotted a contingent of federal and local law enforcement officers Friday afternoon near the base. Turns out, the officers and agents were investigating Smiley. They'd discovered two of his campsites on Fort Lewis property last week and had been actively searching for him.

Tacoma police, fire crews and a Washington State Patrol aircraft were out Tuesday night, looking for an elderly man who had been reported missing by his wife.

The man, described as in his late 80s, had gone for a walk in the Point Defiance Park by Owen Beach. He had been gone for more than two hours when his wife called police.

Tacoma police launched a search and rescue mission. They enlisted the help of the Tacoma Fire Department's boat and the State Patrol's aircraft.

While they were looking for the man throughout the park, he called home from a payphone in Ruston. He was found and returned home safely.

A man accused of hitting and killing a bicyclist in Puyallup last year, then fleeing the scene has pleaded guilty in the case.

Blair Jensen entered guilty pleas this morning to charges of reckless driving and failure to remain at the scene of an injury accident that resulted in death. Christina Ripple, Jensen's girlfriend at the time, also pleaded guilty this morning to second-degree rendering criminal assistance.

Both will be sentenced Sept. 18.

Prosecutors had alleged Jensen was racing another vehicle Sept. 8, 2008, when he struck John M. McRae III in the 2600 block of East Main Avenue. The 51-year-old McRae had been riding his bike at the time.

Jensen fled the scene but was later identified as the suspected driver in the deadly crash. He eventually surrendered to police.

Prosecutors contended Ripple helped Jensen in the days after the crash.

Jensen faces between three years, 10 months and five years, one month in prison when he's sentenced. Deputy prosecutor Tim Jones said today that he'll ask for the high-end of the standard range for Jensen.

Ripple faces between no jail time and one year in custody.

It's just a drill.

Central Pierce Fire & Rescue personnel and others are participating in a three-day domestic terrorism drill this week. The exercise began Monday and concludes Wednesday.

The drill involves a bomb detonating on a school bus. Fire crews will be working on their triage, treatment and transportation skills.

I heard some of this activity on the police scanner Monday. If you have a scanner, you might hear it as well. Just remember that it's a drill.

Tacoma police are searching for a man who robbed a North End bank branch on Monday afternoon.

Detectives have released surveillance photos of the robber (seen here) in hopes of identifying him. Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and charges filed in the heist. Tipsters may remain anonymous. Call Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

The robbery occurred about 3:30 p.m. Monday at the Rainier Pacific Bank, 2525 N. Proctor St., police reported.

The man walked into the bank and put an envelope on the counter in front of a teller. The man leaned forward and, in a whisper, demanded cash from the teller, police reported.

The cash was put into the envelope and the robber fled on foot.

The robber is described as white, in his 40s and 5 feet 11 with an unshaven appearance. He sported a goatee-type beard and short, brown hair during Monday's heist. The robber wore a blue-and-black baseball hat with a black leather A on the front, sunglasses, a black T-shirt and dark blue jeans.

Investigators suspect the robber is the same man who hit the Key Bank at 3917 N. 26th St. on the afternoon of July 6.

That suspect was described as a white male in his 40s, about 5-foot-10 with medium to heavy build and was wearing a long-sleeved beige sweatshirt, grayish blue hat, blue jeans, glasses and was unshaven. He had dark colored hair.

Here's the surveillance photo released of the bank robber from the July 6 Key Bank robbery.

A despondent man reportedly set a fire in his South Hill house Monday evening after an argument over the phone with his wife.

The man set fire to articles inside the home in the 12100 block of 134th Street East about 8 p.m. while his wife was away and their children were down the street playing, said Matt Holm, assistant chief of Central Pierce Fire & Rescue.

The children came home to find the house locked up. They could hear the smoke alarms going off. The children could see flames coming from the back of the house.

They alerted neighbors, who called 911.

Firefighters initially thought the man was inside the home and waited for Pierce County sheriff's deputies to check out the report. They learned the man had left and firefighters doused the blaze.

No injuries were reported. The fire caused $10,000 damage.

Tacoma Fire crews are investigating a fire that damaged a playground at Ailing Park in Tacoma's South End late Saturday.

Fire spokesman Joe Meinecke said crews were called to the park, at the corner of South 61st Street and Sheridan Avenue, for a playground on fire. Crews arrived at about 11:20 p.m. and put the fire out. About 5 hours later, crews were again called to the park for a bark fire.

A fire investigator is at the park Monday continuing to investigate what caused the fire. No damage estimate was available.

Here's the press release from Fort Lewis officials regarding the arrests of 10 soldiers in Tacoma over the weekend:

Ten Fort Lewis Soldiers assigned to the 5th Stryker Brigade were arrested late Friday night, July 17, by Tacoma Police for setting off military smoke grenades in a residential area in Tacoma. The incident involved four green smoke grenades and caused damage to a neighboring lawn. The Soldiers were having a party at one of their residences.

Tacoma Police turned the Soldiers over to their unit early Saturday morning.

All ten Soldiers were scheduled to deploy today with their unit to Afghanistan; however, their departure has been delayed pending an investigation of this incident and a determination of jurisdiction by civilian and military officials.

The names of the Soldiers have not been released, but the Soldiers present included three staff sergeants, three sergeants, one specialist, and three privates. At this time it is unclear whether all the Soldiers were involved in the incident.

Currently, all ten Soldiers are with their unit on Fort Lewis.

Smoke grenades are not explosive, but once ignited, a flame is exposed and they do pose a fire hazard.

The Army is keenly aware of the trust placed in our Soldiers by the greater Puget Sound community and the danger this activity posed to the community, especially the fire danger. Fort Lewis officials will ensure a thorough investigation is done regarding this incident.

The Tacoma man accused of robbing two women and trying to sexually assault one of them pleaded not guilty on Monday to two counts of first-degree robbery.

Earl Lee Sherrod, 53, is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail. Prosecutors are trying to determine Sherrod's criminal history to see if a conviction would be his third "strike," which leads to a life sentence.

At about 11 p.m. on June 8, Sherrod reportedly confronted a woman at the Dome Transit Center near the Tacoma Dome. While reportedly holding a knife and threatening to stab her. he demanded cash, her cell phone, debit card and PIN. The woman surrendered her purse and Sherrod fled, court documents state. The incident was captured on surveillance video.

On July 13, Sherrod reportedly cornered a woman in an elevator at the Cedar Medical Center at South 19th and Cedar streets. He demanded sex and held a knife to the woman, police said. At some point, the door opened and the woman screamed. He got cash from the woman and fled.

Sherrod was arrested Saturday night while waiting for an elevator at the Olympus Hotel in downtown Tacoma.

Tips led Pierce County sheriff's investigators to a sizable underground marijuana grow operation constructed in buried shipping containers on a property in the South Prairie area last week.

Investigators believe the operation had been in the works for some time and said the man in charge had not had a job in years.

Prosecutors on Friday charged Greg A. Riffero, 52, with unlawful manufacturing of a controlled substance while armed with a firearm and unlawful possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver while armed with a firearm.

Court documents provide the following detail:

Two neighbors and another tipster contacted Pierce County sheriff's investigations about a marijuana grow operation in the 13200 block of 225th Avenue East.

Deputies investigated and used thermal images of the property. They got readings "consistent with a large grow operation," court documents state.

On Thursday morning, investigators served a search warrant on Riffero's property and discovered the underground operations.

Deputies say Riffero had buried "Sealand" shipping containers and used them for the growing operation. The underground containers were accessible through a garage attached to the house.

"Deputies found 288 starter marijuana plants, 87 adult plants, fertilizer, grow lights, temperature regulars, fans, pots, ballasts, dehumidifiers, CO2 controllers, cloning compound, drying racks, etc.," charging documents state. "All items were working together in a very sophisticated grow operation that appeared to be several years in the making, considering there was old landscaping over the underground operation."

Investigators seized $2,750 cash, four guns and items commonly used by drug dealers. Riffero had outfitted his property with surveillance cameras and a large metal gate with "no trepassing" signs across his driveway.

"Riffero has not had a job in years and pays his bills with USPS money orders," court documents state.

Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said a 12-year-old girl was living in the house and was put into the care of other family members.

Pierce County investigators say a man's body floated to shore this morning at Sunrise Beach County Park on the Gig Harbor Peninsula.

The body was spotted about 7:45 a.m., sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Detectives and the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office were on scene.

The body is that of a man. Not much else is known yet.

Local clergy will gather today for a Moment of Blessing for two people found dead after a devastating house fire in University Place.

The brief spiritual ceremony for Rachel Kalebu, 61, and John E. Jones, 57, begins at 11 a.m. at Kalebu's home, 5508 64th Ave. W.

Kalebu and Jones were found dead inside the charred remains of the home July 9.

Investigators have said the fire is suspicious and its being investigated as an arson.

Here's a few of the crime incidents from the City of Tacoma this past weekend.

Officers responded to a home-invasion robbery on South Pine Street. Find the story about that information here.

--

On Friday night, a man was found severely beaten in the roadway in the area of North 10th and Adams streets, police reported.

He suffered serious head injuries after someone beat him with a baseball bat.

Officers investigated and were able to identify a suspect in the beating. The suspect beat the victim because he believed the victim was bothering the suspect's girlfriend.

Paramedics took the victim to Madigan Army Medical Center for treatment of his serious injuries.

Officers were searching for the suspect.

----

Also on Friday night, Tacoma and military police arrested 10 military personnel after they were throwing explosive devices into yards in South Tacoma.

Officers were called to the 3400 block of South 62nd Street for fireworks, police reported. They contacted several neighbors who said people from a party were throwing explosive devices into their yards.

The devices produced a large amount of smoke and then a brief fireball.

Officers went to the party house, which was filled with military personnel. Tacoma police contacted a military police liaison.

Ten military personnel were taken into custody and taken down to TPD headquarters, police reported. Officers learned the devices were military grade.

The military police took custody of the 10 suspects and indicated they would face charges of possession of stolen property and unlawful detonation of explosive devices.

---

One man was critically injured in a shooting Saturday in a South Tacoma alley.

Tacoma police reported two suspects opened fire on a party in an alley behind South 67th and Monroe streets. The gunmen fired at least seven rounds.

Two people were hit - one person was struck in the hand and the other in the leg and lower abdomen. The more seriously injured victim, identified as a known gang member, was taken to a local hospital, police reported.

He was initially listed in critical condition with life threatening injuries. He remains in critical condition but his injuries are no longer considered life threatening, police reported.

Tacoma police detectives and forensics specialists processed the crime scene for evidence.

Firefighters evacuated a building in Fife on Friday afternoon while they cleaned up a hazardous materials spill, the Tacoma Fire Department reported.

Firefighters responded to 2807 Valley Ave. about 2:45 p.m. after someone at that address reported a solvent spill.

Firefighters found that a 540-gallon container filled with Isobutyl Acetate had spilled, TFD's Joe Meinecke reported on the department's blog.

The following is from Meinecke's narrative:

The first in arriving engine was on scene within 7 minutes. TFD’s Hazardous-Materials crew’s diked the liquid from reaching storm drains, plugged the leaking container and used vapor suppressing foam to minimize the effects of any fumes coming from the product. The product was contained to the area of the spill – with negligible environmental impact.

No injuries were reported.

(Photo courtesy of Tacoma Fire Department)

Click here to see the story.

Tacoma police arrested a teenage girl this week for allegedly helping her friends beat, tie up and rob her grandmother.

The girl and three other juveniles were booked into the Remann Hall juvenile detention center for investigation of robbery, authorities said. Their ages could not be determined Friday.

Authorities contend the three girls, a boy and a 20-year-old man on Wednesday bound the woman with duct tape, pummeled her with kitchen pots and pans then took her car and other items.

The attack allegedly took place in the woman's home in the 6000 block of South Gove Street.

Detectives believe the girl and her friends may be so-called "Juggalos," followers of the band Insane Clown Posse who are sometimes known to engage in criminal activity.

The juveniles could be charged as early as Monday, said Sue Sholin, a Pierce County deputy prosecutor.

The man who allegedly took part in the incident was charged Friday with one count of first-degree robbery.

Matthew Richard White pleaded not guilty and was ordered jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Pierce County law enforcement officers recovered a body from The Narrows on Friday morning and were investigating how the man died.

A boater spotted the man's body about 7:15 a.m. Pierce County sheriff's deputies recovered the body along the shore below the 4400 block of Reid Drive Northwest, sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

"We believe we know who it is," he said.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office was working to identify the man, who is believed to be in his 40s, and determined how he died. Troyer said it's possible the man jumped from the bridge.

"It's still under investigation," Troyer said.

The Tacoma Police Department has initiated a crackdown on the East Side in response to a flurry of gang-related violence.

They've added more officers to the East Side after Sunday's homicide and a handful of driveby shootings in this week.

Here's the story I've written about the crack down.

Here's the press release sent out this afternoon by the department:

Five shootings, in the span of one week, have prompted the Tacoma Police Department to initiate an aggressive gang suppression strategy. The Tacoma Police Department is sending a clear message that gang violence in our community will not be tolerated.

Tacoma Police will use a two pronged approach in an effort to stop the increase in violence. The first prong will be a short term emphasis that targets the Eastside of Tacoma, the area where the recent incidents have occurred. The second prong will focus on the long term goal on reducing gang related crime in the City of Tacoma.

The short term solution will be to effectively focus resources from the Gang Unit, Community Liaison Officers, the Traffic Section, School Resource Officers, and the Special Investigations Section to suppress and disrupt violent gang activity.

The long term solution is to use suppression, intervention, as well as prevention techniques and strategies to reduce gang violence and the increase of gang recruitment.

The Tacoma Police Department recognizes that we are not the sole solution to stopping youth violence and is relying on cooperation from the community to assist us in solving this problem. Citizens with any information regarding the recent shootings or other gang related crime are asked to call the Tacoma Police Department Tip Line at (253) 594-7867, select option #2.

Puyallup police are camping out on the top of Krispy Kreme this weekend to raise money for Special Olympics of Washington.

The fundraiser at the Puyallup Krispy Kreme, 3610 S. Meridan, began at 2 p.m. today. It will end at 6 p.m. Sunday.

From the doughnut shop's rooftop, officers will be fishing for donations for the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics.

"During the weekend we will have the Mustang Car Club on site Friday, Armed Forces vehicles and soldiers on Saturday and Camaro's Unlimited Car Club on Sunday assisting in the fundraising efforts and showing their vehicles as we compete with other Krispy Kreme locations around the state," a Puyallup police press release states.

Coloring stations will also be set up.

Customers who donate $5 or more to the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics will receive not only the sincere thanks of participating officers, but will also receive treats from Krispy Kreme ranging from a free doughnut to a free dozen Original Glazed doughnuts. Corporations, organizations or individuals donating $500 or more will receive a free Krispy Kreme doughnut party for their employees.

The mission of the Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics is to raise funds for and awareness of the Special Olympics movement worldwide. Law enforcement officers from the 50 United States, 10 Canadian provinces and territories, and 5 countries carry the Flame of Hope in honor of the Special Olympics athletes in their area and around the world. The Law Enforcement Torch Run is the largest grass-roots fund-raiser and public awareness vehicle for Special Olympics in the world. Last year, this international program raised $20.5 million to support Special Olympics programs. More than 80,000 law enforcement officers from thousands of agencies have carried the Flame of Hope and have raised $113 million since the Torch Run's inception in 1981.

Founded in 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Krispy Kreme is a leading branded specialty retailer of premium quality doughnuts, including the Company's signature Hot Original Glazed. Krispy Kreme currently operates approximately 350 stores and 60 satellites in 45 U.S. states, Australia, Canada,

A woman was seriously injured this morning when her motorcycle crashed into a jersey barrier on a ramp to eastbound Highway 18 in Auburn, the Valley Regional Fire Authority reported.

Paramedics took the woman, described as in her mid-30s, to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of her injuries.

According to the Fire Authority, the woman's riding partner called 911 just after 8:45 a.m. today to report a crash. Firefighters found the woman, who was wearing a helmet at the time, pinned between her motorcycle and the barrier on the on-ramp to Highway 18 near Auburn Way South.

Firefighters got the woman freed and stabilized her. King County Medic One paramedics took her to the hospital.

The cause of the crash was under investigation.

Tacoma police were searching for two men suspected of firing several shots into a South End home early Friday.

The bullets caused property damage only. No one was injured, police reported.

According to officers, two men went to a home in the 4500 block of South L Street just after 1 a.m. They knocked on the door and asked for an occupant of the residence.

The person was not home at the time, police reported. The other occupants of the house didn't open the door and instead, shut off the lights.

Moments later, several shots were heard. Several bullets struck the house, going through a bedroom and front window, police reported.

Officers set up containment in the area and a police dog searched for the suspects. They were not located.

The forensics unit responded to the scene and processed the house for evidence.

Two people were able to escape when a fire started in their Algona home Thursday night, the Valley Regional Fire Authority reported.

Investigators were looking into what started the fire.

Firefighters were called to the home in the 600 block of Algona Boulevard on Thursday night.

They found flames coming from the back of the house. Police officers reported there were flames bursting through the roof, the fire authority reported.

The blaze was doused.

An 18-year-old man charged with shooting another teenager to death on a Tacoma street over the weekend pleaded not guilty today to a charge of first-degree murder.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge John McCarthy ordered Xavier M. Magana jailed in lieu of $1 million bail at the request of deputy prosecutor Phil Sorensen. Magana also is charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Magana is accused of shooting 18-year-old Alrick Hendricks to death on Sunday evening in the 5500 block of East G Street.

Witnesses told police Magana and Hendricks had attended the same graduation party earlier that day. Magana left the party but returned and challenged Hendricks to a fight, according to court documents. The two reportedly had fought in the past with Hendricks prevailing.

At one point, Magana pulled out a pistol and fired at Hendricks, felling him with a shot as he tried to run away, the documents state. Prosecutors contend Magana then walked to where Hendricks lay prone on the ground and fired several more shots into him.

The gunman fled the scene.

A police SWAT team arrested Magana on Wednesday at a house in the 9200 block of South Sheridan. Magana was armed with a handgun and is reported to have held the gun to his own head during a standoff before being taken into custody, Sorensen said Thursday.

Both Hendricks and Magana were convicted of crimes as juveniles, but acquaintances and relatives said the young men were trying to leave that in their pasts and move forward with productive lives.

Hendricks' family has set up a fund to raise money to help pay his funeral expenses. Donations can be made to the Alrick Hendricks Memorial Fund at any KeyBank branch.

Tacoma Fire photo.

The Tacoma Fire Department Technical Rescue Team on Thursday rescued a person who fell down a hill on Marine View Drive at Heron Ridge.

Tacoma Fire spokesman Joe Meinecke said crews were called out at about noon for a report of a person who fell down and appeared to be injured. The rescue team used a Stokes stretcher to transport the patient, who was taken to a local hospital.

There is a walking trail near where the person fell, Meinecke said.

Tacoma Police blocked Marine View Drive for about an hour for the rescue.

Tacoma police are searching for a 53-year-old man suspected of trying to sexually assault two women and then robbing them in recent weeks.

Pierce County prosecutors charged Earl Lee Sherrod with two counts of first-degree robbery Wednesday and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Sherrod (pictured here) is described as black, 5 feet 11 and 150 pounds. He has brown eyes.

Investigators are concerned because the man appears to be escalating his attacks.

"We've got to find this guy," Tacoma police detective Larry Andren said. "We don't want anyone else hurt."

According to police and court documents, Sherrod is accused of attacking a woman about 11 p.m. June 8 at the Dome Transit Center in the 600 block of Puyallup Avenue near the Tacoma Dome.

The woman got off a bus and walked to her car. As she opened the driver's door, a man approached and demanded cash. She turned and saw the man, later identified as Sherrod, holding a knife.

Sherrod demanded the woman's cell phone and debit card (including the PIN) and said he'd stab her if she didn't comply.

She gave him her purse and he fled. The incident was captured on surveillance tape.

Last week, the same woman reported to transit security officers that she thought she saw her attacker again in the center, police reported. Security officers couldn't immediately locate the man.

Later, a bus driver contacted an off-duty Tacoma police sergeant and reported that the attacker might be on the bus on the East Side. The man was contacted and officers got his information. He was not arrested at that time because he had not been positively identified by the victim as her attacker.

On Monday, the victim in the transit attack was shown a photo montage of suspects. She picked Sherrod out of the montage.

Later that day, Sherrod is accused of attacking a nurse after she got on an elevator in the Cedar Medical Center at South 19th and Cedar streets.

The nurse told police she waited at the elevator with a man. After they both got inside, he tried to hit the stop button. He demanded sex but the nurse was able to resist his advances, police reported.

The man pulled out a knife and held it to the nurse.

When the elevator door opened, the nurse screamed. The man demanded - and received - cash from the nurse and then fled just before 5 p.m.

The nurse picked out Sherrod from a photo montage Wednesday. Charges were then filed against him.

Investigators got warrant for Sherrod's arrest in the two incidents. They say he's a transient and ask the public for their help in finding him.

"Women really have to be aware of their surroundings," Andren said.

KIRO TV posted the surveillance video of the Pierce Transit Center attack on their Web site. You can find it here.

A 46-year-old man wanted in connection with a Tacoma bank robbery turned himself into police Wednesday afternoon.

Kenneth Wolfe was booked into Pierce County Jail on one charge of first-degree robbery. He'll make his first court appearance this afternoon.

Prosecutors had previously charged Wolfe in the June 26 heist at Timberland Bank, 7805 S. Hosmer St. He also is a person of interest in the robbery July 6 at KeyBank at 3917 N. 26th St.

An arrest warrant had been issued last week and Wolfe's photograph released to the media.

On Wednesday afternoon, Wolfe called Tacoma police and said he wanted to turn himself in. Within five minutes, he showed up at the Yelm Police Department, Tacoma police reported.

A patrol car brought Wolfe to Tacoma, where he was booked into the jail.

A Tacoma Police bomb squad robot moves to a suspicious bag outside St. Joseph Medical Center on Wednesday night. Brian Everstine/The News Tribune

A Tacoma police bomb squad detonated a suspicious bag that was thrown from a passing pickup truck tonight at St. Joseph Medical Center.

The bag contained only clothing, police said, but dogs from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sniffed for anything more.

About 6:45 p.m., a car drove past on South 19th Street, a bag was thrown near the curb and a foreign language was yelled from the pickup, witnesses said. It drove away on J Street.

Just after 9 p.m., two bomb squad robots placed explosives near the bag and detonated it, but no larger blast occurred.

South 19th Street from MLK to Yakima was closed, as was part of J Street near the hospital. The roads were reopened at about 9:40 p.m.

The hospital's 19th Street entrance was closed, but otherwise the hospital is open and functioning normally, said spokesman Gale Robinette. People were taken out of the emergency room's lobby and deeper into the hospital so they could be behind walls.

St. Joseph was the county's designated trauma center Wednesday, so ambulances were diverted to Tacoma General, he said. A St. Joseph trauma doctor and assistants went to Tacoma General to handle any trauma patients.

Click here to read KIRO's story and watch its video of the interview.

Here's a link to the TNT story on the alleged shooter's arrest.

The state's Commission on Judicial Conduct has scheduled a hearing to determine whether Pierce County Superior Court Judge Michael Hecht violated judicial canons by allegedly trading cash and legal advice for sex, threatening two men, using racially insensitive language and engaging in unfair campaign conduct.

Hecht denies all the charges.

The so-called "fact-finding" hearing will begin at 9 a.m. Nov. 2 at the King County Courthouse in Seattle.
King County Superior Court Judge John P. Erlick will preside over the hearing. Ten members of the commission will serve as the decision-making body.

Both Hecht's attorney, Wayne Fricke, and disciplinary counsel Paul Taylor will be able to call and cross-examine witnesses at the hearing.

Following the hearing, the panel will decide whether to dismiss the charges against Hecht or impose sanctions of some kind. That could include a recommendation that the state Supreme Court remove Hecht from office.

Hecht also faces criminal charges of felony harassment and patronizing a prostitute. He's pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go to trial in Pierce County Superior Court on Sept. 8.

Drivers who take westbound highway 410 near Sumner can expect delays while crews fight a large brush fire.

One lane of the highway at Eli Hill will stay blocked until about 5 p.m. Earlier, both westbound lanes were blocked.

Associated Ministries will conduct a Moment of Blessing ceremony July 21 for Alrick A. Hendricks, 18, at the spot where he was shot and killed Sunday.

The blessing will take place at 11:30 a.m. the intersection of East 55th and G Street in Tacoma.

Moments of Blessing is a program of Associated Ministries designed to reclaim spaces where homicides have occurred. The brief worship service is open to the public and designed to give support to the victim's family, friends, and the neighboring community.

The site will be marked by bamboo poles with red and purple ribbons. Please arrive promptly. The service is very brief, but very powerful.

Clergy who attend are asked to wear their vestments, if possible, so that there is a clear presence of the religious community.

Tacoma police are investigating a drive-by shooting that occurred early this morning in the 1000 block of East 64th Street.

Two people in a car reported they were shot at by someone in another passing vehicle, according to Tacoma police spokeswoman Detective Gretchen Aguirre.

She said police found numerous bullet holes in their car but neither person was hurt.

The incident occurred shortly before 1 a.m.

Further details were not immediately available.

An 18-year-man sought in connection with the shooting death of another teenager Sunday was arrested early this morning by a Tacoma police SWAT team after a three-hour standoff.

Xavier Magana surrendered peacefully shortly after 1 a.m. at a house in the 9200 block of Sheridan Avenue, according to Tacoma police spokeswoman Detective Gretchen Aguirre.

Aquirre said there were four people in the house when police arrived about 10:15 p.m. Three of them came out and confirmed Magana was inside. He said.

It took another three hours of negotiations by police with Magana for him to finally surrender, she said.

He was booked into the Pierce County jail on a charge of first degree murder. A nationwide arrest warrant was issued Monday for his arrest.

Authorities believe Magana shot and killed 18-year-old Alrick Hendricks in the 5500 block of East G Street after the two had attended the same graduation party that day at a nearby house.

Witnesses told police Magana challenged Hendricks to a fight. When Magana pulled out a gun, Hendricks tried to run away but was shot as he fled, according to court documents. Magana then walked up to him where he lay and shot him several times at close range, the documents state.

The two had fought before with Hendricks prevailing, according to court records.

Here's some more background on the short story we had in today's print edition regarding a massive casino-cheating scheme that targeted Tacoma's Emerald Queen Casino, among others across the nation.

You can read the news release from the Department of Justice here.

A previous story on the case appears below:

=> Read more!

King County sheriff's detectives are asking for the public's help in identifying two people suspected of stealing mail and using a stolen debit card in several cities, including Tacoma and Puyallup.

Investigators released a surveillance photo of the two suspects today.

A SeaTac resident recently discovered the theft when unknown charges popped up on the victim's new debit card, the King County Sheriff's Office reports. The charges were into the thousands of dollars.

The bank supposedly mailed the new debit card and PIN number to the victim in separate envelopes, deputies reported. Both envelopes were stolen.

Investigators say the stolen card was used in Federal Way, Tacoma, Puyallup and Tukwila. They released a photo of the suspects using the stolen card in Puyallup.

Anyone with information on the suspects is asked to call the King County Sheriff's Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours) or 911.

Pierce County prosecutors have charged an 18-year-old man with first-degree murder in the Sunday shooting death of another teenager in Tacoma.

A nationwide arrest warrant was issued Monday for Xavier Magana. Tacoma police were searching for Magana (pictured here) but have not yet located him.

Authorities believe Magana shot and killed 18-year-old Alrick Hendricks following an argument Sunday evening in the 5500 block of East G Street.

Witnesses told police that Magana challenged Hendricks to a fight then pulled out a black handgun, according to court records. Hendricks tried to run away but was felled by a shot, the records state.

Magana then walked up to the prone Hendricks and fired "additional rounds into Hendricks at close range before fleeing the scene," according to the documents.

The two had fought on a previous occasion with Hendricks prevailing, the records state.

Prosecutors also charged Magana with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He has a previous juvenile felony conviction that restricts his right to carry a gun, court records state.

Magana is described as white, 5 feet 11 and 140 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes. He's known to frequent the Tacoma and Lakewood areas.

Investigators advised that Magana should be considered armed and "extremely dangerous."

Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to Magana's arrest. Callers may remain anonymous. Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

There is some work this morning in downtown Puyallup that is likely interrupting traffic.

Here's the press release from the state Department of Transportation.

PUYALLUP – Drivers should expect delays Tuesday, July 14 in downtown Puyallup near the State Route 161/State Route 167 interchange.

With the northbound SR 167 bridge across the Puyallup River closed for repairs between 5 a.m. and noon, northbound traffic will be routed across the southbound bridge, leaving just a single lane in each direction.

Tacoma police were investigating an early morning driveby shooting on the city's East Side.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

Officers were called to a home in the 600 block of East 56th Street at 12:25 a.m. for a possible driveby shooting, police reported.

When officers arrived, they found the home had several bullet holes. They recovered several shell casings in the roadway.

No suspect information was provided to officers when they arrived, police reported.

The investigation is ongoing.

The shooting occurred close to the area where an 18-year-old man was shot and killed Sunday night. Alrick A. Hendricks was killed in the 700 block of East 55th Street.

No arrests have been made and no motive for the slaying has been released. Tacoma police has said Hendricks might have been in a dispute with another man right before his death.

It's not known whether the driveby shooting is related to the homicide.

Hendricks death is the seventh homicide in the City of Tacoma so far this year.

A single-car crash is blocking the right lane of northbound Interstate 5 in Lakewood at Thorne Lane.

Traffic is backed up about one mile to Berkeley Street.

The crash happened at about 7:30 p.m. No word on any injuries.

Update: 8:14 p.m.: The lane is now open. Final back up is about three miles to the Fort Lewis main gate.

A Tacoma man was sentenced to 13 years in prison Monday for heroin distribution, in an investigation that resulted in the largest heroin bust in the city's history.

Alfonso Ibanez Martinez, 32, was convicted in March on conspiracy to distribute heroin and two counts of heroin possession with intent to distrute. The charges carried a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years. He also faces five additional years of supervised release.

When Martinez was arrested in March 2007, investigators found more than 22 kilograms of heroin hidden in his Park Avenue home. He also had a previous drug conviction in Pierce County under a different name.

The northbound Interstate 5 rest area in Federal Way is partially closed right now because of police activity.

Federal Way police have closed off the lower lot, the state Department of Transportation reports. We've got a call into Federal Way police to see what's going on.

The upper lot is open to users of the rest stop.

UPDATE: Officers were dealing with an attempted suicide, Federal Way police report.

UPDATE No. 2: The rest stop is now fully open, DOT reports.

Federal funds are coming to the state to help crime victims.

The governor announced $938,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money today in the below press release.

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced that the Washington State Crime Victims Compensation Program received approximately $938,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) funds to help about 1,000 crime victims and reimbursement for services to about 570 health-care providers who treat crime victims. These funds provide benefits to crime victims such as medical care and wage replacement.

"These funds are easing the financial burden that victims of violent crime often face," said Gov. Gregoire. "I am proud our state acted so quickly with this money, helping victims and their families cover unexpected costs in the aftermath of a crime."

The Crime Victims Compensation Program, within the Department of Labor & Industries, was created to help victims with the many costs associated with violent crime. As a payer of last resort, the program provides financial compensation for expenses such as medical bills, loss of earnings and funeral expenses. The program also covers examinations after sexual assaults to gather evidence for possible prosecution.

The Crime Victims Compensation Program has received about 9,000 claims in the past year, up 20 percent from the previous year. The majority of claims are related to rape and domestic assault. Nearly 70 percent of victims are women and children.

For more information, visit www.Lni.wa.gov/ClaimsIns/CrimeVictims.

Tacoma police continue to investigate two shootings Sunday night - one of which was deadly.

No arrests have been reported in either shooting.

"The two are not related," Tacoma police spokeswoman Gretchen Aguirre said this morning. "They just happen to be in the city."

The first shooting occurred at 7:45 p.m. in a apartment complex in the 5600 block of North 37th Street, police reported. Officers found a 19-year-old man suffering for gunshot wounds in the complex.

Investigators learned he was somehow associated with an apartment in the complex. The young man was taken to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries. He remained in critical condition this morning, Aguirre said.

Detectives were trying to figure out what happened and were interviewing witnesses.

Forty-seven minutes later, officers were called to the 700 block of East 55th Street for a report of a gunshot victim in the roadway.

Officers arrived and found an 18-year-old man dead of "obviously gunshot wounds," police reported.

Officers established a crime scene and homicide detectives were called out. They were interviewing witnesses to determine what happened.

Police officials have said the victim might have been in a dispute with another man.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released the name of the homicide victim.

We'll be checking for new details this morning in the two shootings Sunday night - one of which was deadly - in the City of Tacoma. The name of the 19-year-old man killed on the East Side was not released this morning.

Meanwhile, here are three other incidents from the weekend that Tacoma police put on their media code-a-phone early today.

Officers arrested an apparently intoxicated man Saturday night on suspicion of trying to kidnap two young girls.

The man was reportedly walking along the sidewalk in the 500 block of South L Street when he grabbed a 5-year-old girl and tried to take her away. She kicked and got free of the man, Tacoma police report. The man tried to get another 5-year-old girl but she too got away.

As the man tried to flee, two men got out of a truck and "severely beat" him, police reported. The two men and the suspect fled.

Officers found the suspect in the 200 block of South J Street head injury. The 45-year-old man was stitched up at a local hospital, then booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of attempted kidnapping.

----

A reportedly intoxicated man was arrested Saturday night after throwing a burning thermos into a convenience store.

The 48-year-old man had been inside the store at 753 St. Helens Ave. when he got into an argument with the store owner, police reported. The man left, then returned 30 minutes later with a large plastic thermos containing burning paper.

The man threw the flaming thermos into the occupied store and fled just after 9 p.m. A customer tackled the man and detained him until officers arrived, police reported. The man was arrested on suspicion of first-degree arson.

The store sustained minor smoke damage and a charred floor.

----

Officers arrested another reportedly intoxicated man on suspicion of malicious harassment after he made threats against two store clerks, police reported.

Tacoma police were called to the Shell station at 4211 S. Center St., just after 9:15 p.m. Sunday for a robbery in progress. The suspect was still on the scene.

Officers arrived and detained the suspect. Officers were told the man had entered the store and was apparently intoxicated.

He began harassing the two Arabic clerks, making threats to killed them based solely on their ethnicity.

Officers arrested the 36-year-old man on suspicion of maliciously harassment.

As Tacoma police were responding to reports of a man shot and wounded outside an apartment complex in the West End, another shooting occurred – this one deadly – at East 55th and G streets, near the Stewart Heights Playfield.

In the second incident, at about 8:30 p.m., witnesses reported hearing multiple shots fired, Tacoma police detective Gretchen Aguirre said. The victim, an 18-year-old male, was shot at least once in the side of the head and was dead at the scene.

The shooting followed some sort of dispute, Aguirre said.

Earlier, a man in an apartment complex was shot in the chest in the courtyard of the complex at North 37th and Pearl streets. Witnesses called police after hearing the man yelling that he had been shot.

Tacoma police are responding to reports of an apparent shooting in an apartment complex on Pearl Street.

A man was reportedly lying in the courtyard of the complex, crying that he had been shot.

Indications are that they had at least one gunshot wound to his chest.

Family and friends of slain Loomis armored car guard Kurt Husted will hold a concert and silent auction in honor of him Sunday.

The event starts at 4 p.m. at The Swiss, 1904 Jefferson Ave., Tacoma. The event will end at 7:30 p.m.

The bands Heartless and Dirty Bird are scheduled to play.

Husted, 38, was killed June 2 during a robbery inside the Lakewood Wal-Mart. Husted was picking up checks and cash when he was gunned down as he headed back to his armored car.

Prosecutors have charged the four alleged conspirators of the deadly robbery with multiple crimes.

The northbound lanes of State Route 167 over the Puyallup River Bridge will be closed this weekend for a bridge inspection.

Here's the press release from the state Department of Transportation.

PUYALLUP – Motorists traveling on the SR 167 Puyallup River Bridge can expect delays Saturday and Sunday, July 11 and 12.

Inspections require the closure of the northbound direction of SR 167.

Work hours are 3 to 11 a.m. each day. Motorists should also prepare for the following:

· Left-lane closure of southbound SR 167 near the bridge.

· Closure of the left turn lane on northbound SR 167 (River Road) to SR 161 (Meridian) in front of Korum Ford.

Motorists who travel this route will detour to the southbound Puyallup River Bridge, which will carry a single lane in each direction. Drivers should expect delays.

For more information about traffic impacts on Washington highways visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/.

There's not much new information today about the deaths of two people found after a suspicious house fire in University Place.

Autopies have been done on a man and woman found dead after the flames were doused. However, the cause and manner of their deaths was pending further investigation.

The names of the victims have not officially been released. The family of the woman has identified her as Rachel Kalebu, 61.

Firefighters were called to Kalebu's home in the 5500 block of 64th Avenue West early Thursday. Two bodies were found in the charred home.

Meanwhile, the Pierce County Sheriff's Department continues to investigate the deaths. They were awaiting the results of the autopsies and of investigation into what sparked the fire.

Investigators detained Kalebu's 23-year-old nephew Thursday, then released him. He's been called a person of interest in the case.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested early this morning by Auburn police in connection with the shooting Monday of two teenagers in Auburn.

The youth was arrested about 3 a.m. and taken to the King County Juvenile Youth Center. He was booked into jail for investigation of two counts of first degree assault.

Police had been looking for him since the shooting.

The shooting occurred just after 9:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of 30th Street Southeast. Officers arrived and found a 17-year-old boy with gunshot wounds to the chest and a 19-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the arm, police reported.

The 17-year-old was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment. He was in critical condition, the Valley Regional Fire Authority reported. His condition today isn't available.The older man was taken to Auburn Regional Medical Center.

No information was available about a possible motive in the case.

Pierce County prosecutors have charged a 39-year-old man with assault after he threw hot coffee on two convenience store clerks in Lakewood last month.

Richard Lee Myers was charged Thursday with two counts of second-degree assault.

Court documents provide the following information:

Lakewood police were called to the 7-Eleven store in the 7700 block of Custer Road West at 10:10 a.m. June 21. Two clerks told officers that a man entered the store with a used coffee cup.

The patron, later identified as Myers, threw away the used cup, selected a new one and filled it with hot coffee.

"The victims told Myers that he needed to pay full price for the coffee rather than a refill price," charging documents state. "Myers became enraged and threw the hot coffee on (the victims)."

The patron fled in a vehicle.

The victims suffered burns. One had burns to the face; the other to the side of his chest. Paramedics evaluated the injuries at the scene.

The clerks gave police officers the license plate number of the patron's vehicle. Officers also reviewed surveillance video of what happened.

Investigators researched the registered owner of the vehicle, then prepared a photomontage that included a photo of the registered owner. Neither victim could identify anyone in the montage.

"The investigator noted that the registered owner's brother, identified as Myers, was associated with the registered owner in other investigations," charging documents state. "The investigator showed the victims a photo of Myers and both instantly identified Myers as the assailant."

The Tacoma Fire Department has released its report on fireworks-related calls for this year.

The report, delivered to the city manager and provided to The News Tribune on Thursday, outlines the calls for service for fireworks-related fires and injuries from June 27 to July 6.

During that period, the Fire Department:

* Responded to 58 fireworks-related fire calls. Five of the calls were in the Central Pierce Fire & Rescue's jurisdiction.

* Doused one structure fire, six outside fires, three Dumpster fires and 48 grass, brush and tree fires.

* Estimated the total dollar loss from the fires to be $50,235.

* Transported no fireworks-related patients.

* Handed out thousands of educational fliers and posted messages on readerboards throughout the city.

UPDATE: The Law Enforcement Support Agency released 911-call information today related to fireworks-related calls.

Between June 28 and July 5, Tacoma police officers were dispatched to 422 fireworks-related calls for service. That's down significant from 2008, when 911 dispatchers logged 835 fireworks complaints.

There were 88 fireworks-related calls for service for Lakewood police and 281 for Pierce county sheriff's deputies, LESA reported.

On the Fourth of July, LESA dispatchers took 2,220 911 calls and 1,057 non-emergency phone calls. The number of 911 calls was up from last year, when there were 1,755.

LESA dispatchers handled an average of 1,264 a day during June.

A 21-year-old woman pleaded guilty this morning in connection with the robbery and shooting death of a man inside his University Place apartment earlier this year.

Under an agreement with prosecutors, Airreale E. McCowan pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery this morning. Prosecutors dropped the first-degree murder charge McCowan originally faced. She is scheduled to be sentenced in March.

McCowan is one of three people charged in the shooting death of Darryl Bracey, 61, on March 10.
An employee at Sunset Ridge Apartments found Bracey dead in the unit located in the 5900 block of Hanna Pierce Road West.

Prosecutors also have charged Celestine Danette Nathan and Marcus Thaddeus Clayton with first-degree murder in the case.

Court documents indicate the defendants planned to rob Bracey. Nathan had known him and recruited Clayton to rob Bracey, court documents state.

Clayton agreed. Court documents allege Clayton shot Bracey, then Nathan and McCowan stole items from his apartment.

The trial for Nathan and Clayton is scheduled for February.

Tacoma police were searching for two men suspected in a takeover-style robbery early Wednesday at The Cloverleaf on Sixth Avenue.

Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to arrests and charges filed in the case. Tipsters may remain anonymous. Reach the non-profit organization at 253-591-5959.

According to police, two men wearing bandanas on their faces went into The Cloverleaf, 6430 Sixth Ave., about 12:45 a.m. Wednesday.

They wielded handguns and forced the three people inside - one patron and two employees - to lie on the floor, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The robbers demanded money from the safe but neither employee had access to it. The robbers then took cash from the register and fled. No one was injured.

A police dog searched the area but did not find the robbers.

One robber was described as black, in his 30s, 6 feet tall and about 220 pounds. He wore a dark hat, brown Carhartt-style jacket and dark pants.

The second robber was described as black, 6 feet tall and about 200 pounds. He wore a dark-colored hat, dark-colored jacket and dark-colored pants.

Investigators have not yet found any surveillance video of the robbery, Fulghum said. Detectives were investigating whether the robbers were connected to a series of takeover-style robberies at auto parts stores and restaurants in the South Sound area in recent months.

A crash is blocking one lane of southbound Interstate 5 in Tacoma, the state DOT reports this morning.

The crash occurred about 11:40 a.m. at the 72nd Street off-ramp. It's blocking the far right lane of the highway.

Troopers, firefighters and medical aid were on the scene.

Update: All lanes open on southbound I-5. Previously, a collision blocked the far right lane at the 72nd Street off-ramp. Final backup is three miles.

Flags have been lowered today at all state agency buildings in honor of a Aberdeen solider who was killed earlier this month in Afghanistan.

Gov. Chris Gregoire ordered the flags to be flown at half-staff for U.S. Army Pvt. Aaron Fairbairn, 21. He was killed Saturday in Afghanistan.

The flags will be at half-staff until sunset today or first thing Friday morning.

Pierce County Sheriff's Ed Troyer talks about the investigation.

Local fire agencies are participating in a training exercise this morning out in Spanaway.

According to scanner chatter, the exercise involves a plane crash. There is talk of "victims" and needing the "medical examiner."

Again, this is ONLY a DRILL.

UPDATE: Air Force Master Sgt. Dean Miller said the training exercise is in preparation for the AMC Rodeo later this month.

The rodeo, which is not open to the public, will bring international and national Air Force teams to the base July 19-25 for a competition.

"In advance of the event we do different training to make sure everyone is ready for it," Miller said. "That's what we are doing to make sure everyone is ready for it."

Today's training exercise is being conducted at a private airstrip in Spanaway. The Air Force's 62nd Airlift Wing and 446th Airlift Wing is working in conjunction with Pierce County officials.

Bonney Lake police are searching for a man suspected of trying to ram an officer's patrol car during an early-morning pursuit.

The officer fired his gun a couple of times at the suspect but it was not immediately known whether the shots hit anything, Bonney Lake police spokesman Tony Rice said this morning. The officer will be placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure any time an officer fires his gun.

The incident began at 2:48 a.m. today when the officer initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle because the driver was suspected of drunken driving.

The vehicle pulled over near 234th Avenue East and South Prairie Road, Rice said. The officer got out of his car to contact the driver but the driver sped off.

The officer pursued the vehicle. The pursuit went into the town of South Prairie. The driver went down a dead end street and turned around, Rice said.

The driver drove toward the officer as if he was going to hit the officer's patrol car. The officer fired his gun at the suspect.

The driver took off. He crashed his vehicle a short time later off Carbon River Road and took off on foot. Officers, Pierce County sheriff's deputies, a police dog and King County's Guardian One searched the area but did not find the man, Rice said.

It was not known whether the man was injured. The officer was not injured during the pursuit.

Bonney Lake police officers do not initially have a positive identification of the suspect and are following up on leads. The suspect, described only as a white man in his 40s or 50s, may also have had a weapon but none has been found so far, Rice said.

"A lot of things are still unanswered at this point," Rice said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Bonney Lake police at 253-863-2218.

An overturned excavator is blocking the intersection of Meridian Avenue East and 304th Street East this morning, the Washington State Patrol reports.

A tow truck is headed to the scene.

The excavator was being carried by a semi-truck and overturned. Minor injuries were reported.

UPDATE: The incident is blocking the northbound lane of Meridian (also known as State Route 161). Troopers are on the scene and transportation crews are en route.

UPDATE as of 8:30 a.m.: The state DOT now reports that the southbound lane of SR 161 is blocked.

Drivers are getting through the crash scene using the center turn lane and northbound lane.

UPDATE as of 10:25 a.m.: All lanes are now clear.

Two people have been found dead and one person was being detained after flames ripped through a University Place house early today.

Sheriff's deputies initially said the remains of one person were found in the burned house and two people were missing. They've now found two people dead in the house and detained a young man who also was staying there.

"Everybody is accounted for," Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Investigators are treating the fire as suspicious after deputies were at the house last week to arrest a 23-year-old man. His 61-year-old aunt applied for a restraining order against the young man Wednesday.

"We are looking at it as an arson until something tells us differently," Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said. "We don't know how it's going to turn out later today."

The 23-year-old man showed up at the fire scene this morning and was detained as part of the investigation, Troyer said.

Meanwhile, investigators found a woman dead in the kitchen. Another man, who is in his mid-50s, who used the basement as an office and living space also has been found dead. (Pierce County sheriff's investigators initially described the man as the uncle to the 23-year-old man. That now does not appear to the case.)

University Place firefighters, an arson detective, the Pierce County Fire Marshal's Office and the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office were at the house.

"There's tons of insulation and sheet rock that have come down and buried the rooms," Troyer said.

Firefighters were called to the house in the 5500 block of 64th Avenue West at 2:11 a.m.

They found the remains of a body badly burned in the back side of the house while fighting the flames, Troyer said. The flames were doused before they spread to any other homes.

Investigators believe the fire started inside the home.

Last week, deputies were called to the house after a pit bull was concerning neighbors. Deputies arrested the nephew after he struggled with them, Troyer said. They had to fire bean bags and a Taser to get the man into custody.

The aunt applied for a domestic violence protection order Wednesday, stating her nephew has cursed at her and made threats, according to court documents. She requested to keep the dog and wanted the nephew to return her computer.

Deputies were at the house Wednesday, looking for the nephew, Troyer said.

Photos courtesy of Ed Troyer

A fire Wednesday night burned a 50-by-50-foot grassy area at Chambers Bay Golf Course. Tree lovers shouldn't worry: The fire wasn't near the course's iconic lone fir, which was attacked with an ax in April 2008.

It's not clear whether the fire was accidental or arson.

In an odd twist of corporate absurdity, an employee reached by phone at the golf course wouldn't even acknowledge whether there was a fire. A spokeswoman for KemperSports, which operates the course in University Place, didn't answer a phone call at 11 p.m.

The course opened in June 2007 and is scheduled to host the 2010 U.S. Amateur and the 2015 U.S. Open.

Wolfe

Tacoma Police have identified the man wanted for two bank robberies in the city.

Kenneth M. Wolfe, 46, is wanted for the robbery of the Timberland Bank at 7805 S. Hosmer St. on June 26 and of the Key Bank, 3917 N. 26th St., on Monday. Police say in the first robbery he whispered to the teller, demanded cash and implied that he had a gun.

He is reportedly driving a black 2000 Ford Focus, Washington license plate number 174-VZM.

Wolfe is described as 6-foot tall, 210 pounds with gray and brown hair and a mustache. He is known to frequent the Graham and Spanaway area.

Tacoma/Pierce County Crimestoppers are offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to his arrest. Anyone with information should call 253-591-5959. All callers remain anonymous.

=> Read more!

Tacoma Police are looking for another man who robbed the Stadium District Columbia Bank at gunpoint Wednesday afternoon.

Police spokesman Mark Fulghum said the man came into the bank, 601 N. 1st, at about 2:10 p.m., showed a gun and demanded money. He reportedly tried to get money out of an ATM outside the building, gave up and went inside. He left on foot and police have set up a containment in the area.

The man is described as a white male in his 20s, who was seen wearing aviator sunglasses, a white baseball hat, a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

This robbery is not connected to other recent ones in the Tacoma area, Fulghum said.

OSP photo.

A Kent man was arrested after Oregon State troopers found 65 pounds of marijuana in his car during a traffic stop on July 2.

At about 7:30 a.m., troopers with the Oregon State Police and deputies from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office were doing a joint traffic enforcement patrol on Interstate 5 south of Ashland. They pulled over a 2009 Toyota Camry with Nevada license plates for a traffic violation. The driver was identified as a 22-year-old Kent man.

Officers searched the vehicle, and found 65 individually wrapped one-pound bags of marijuana in the trunk. The haul has a street value of about $195,000, according to the Oregon State Police.

The man was arrested on suspicion of unlawful possession, delivery and manufacturer of a controlled substance – marijuana.

Tuesday morning, the same traffic emphasis patrol resulted in the arrest of a 42-year-old Olympia man and a 41-year-old Tenino man who reportedly had seven pounds of marijuana, a street value of $25,000, in their car.

A multi-vehicle collision blocks the right lane of Southbound Interstate 5 at Milepost 122 in Lakewood, the Washington State Department of Transportation reports.
The backup is about two miles and the Washington State patrol is on the scene. Further details are not available.

Update: All lanes open but five mile residual backup took time to clear.

Tacoma police said Tuesday that someone threw a rock and a smoke bomb through a window at the home of Tacoma Internet publisher John Hathaway.

The window of Hathaway’s home was broken, and a common smoke bomb thrown in about midnight Monday, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. No motive or suspects have been determined. Hathaway publishes local commentary through his Web site, The New Takhoman.

Kent Fire photo.

Crews pulled a backhoe out of the Green River this afternoon near Kent.

According to the Kent Fire Department, the backhoe was backing down the Green River trail in the 200000 block of 58th Avenue Southeast, when it fell down a steep embankment and into the river. The driver was able to climb out of the river and up about 50 feet to the top of the embankment, called over to other workers and reported the incident. He wasn't injured.

It took two tow trucks and more than an hour to get the backhoe out of the river and back to the trail. The Kent Fire Department Surface Water Rescue Team responded to help the crews attach the vehicle to the tow trucks.

The Green River trail was closed. Potelco Inc., which owns the backhoe, was installing a power or light pole on the trail. Company officials told the Kent Fire Department that the driver was following company regulations while working with the machine.

I got two e-mails today from readers wondering about the police activity Monday night around South 35th and Asotin streets.

Here's one of the e-mails:

My neighbor said she saw about 10 police cars around 35th and Asotin last night near 10pm. Do you know what happened over there?

Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum reports that Tacoma police officers were out in the area, looking for a man wanted on warrants. They spotted the guy they were looking for. One of the officers saw the man fire his gun. The report did not say whether the shot was fired in the direction of the officers.

Officers chased the man. TPD set up containment. A police dog located the man. No one was injured.

Tacoma police continue to investigate two bank robberies in the city's North End just minutes apart on Monday.

No arrests have been reported in either. Detectives are investigating whether surveillance images of the robbers were available. None have been released so far.

Tacoma police investigators do believe the man who hit the Key Bank, 3917 N. 26th St., is likely the same person who robbed a Timberland Bank in the South End on June 26.

Investigators also suspect the man who robbed the Columbia Bank, 5727 N. 21st St., might be the same person who tried to rob a Bank of America branch in Renton several hours earlier Monday.

The descriptions of the two robbers were identified, police reported.

About 200 residents of southern Pierce County are asked to boil water today after a water outage.

The state Department of Health said the Sunwood Water System had a major outage today. While water service has been restored, contaminants could have entered the system during the loss of water pressure.

The system's manager found leaks which, coupled with heavy water use, drained the system. There is also a conservation notice – customers are urged to limit use of water for outdoor uses.

The water system serves about 100 homes between Eatonville and Graham. Customers with any questions can call 206-282-4200.

A 34-year-old man was charged Monday after allegedly driving at high speeds and nearly crashing into a Washington State Patrol trooper's car early Sunday.

Prosecutors charged James T. Coe on Monday with attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, first-degree negligent driving and driving with a suspended license.

Court documents provide the following information:

A Washington State Patrol aircraft spotted a vehicle driving erratically on Interstate 5 and going more than 100 mph just before 12:50 a.m. Sunday. A trooper in a patrol car was notified and also saw the car speeding down the highway.

The trooper went to get in position but the car got off I-5 at 38th Street. The trooper located the vehicle in a business lot off South 38th Street.

The driver accelerated toward the trooper's patrol car at a high rate of speed. The trooper stopped his car and braced for an impact.

"The defendant drove up on to the curbing and barely missed the front of the patrol vehicle," court documents state. "The defendant turned back onto 38th Street and accelerated from the trooper."

The State Patrol aircraft and patrol trooper followed the fleeing car. At some point, the driver failed to negotiate a roundabout and struck the cub. He drove on Junnett Street and pass several pedestrians.

The driver drove about 65 mph down South Oakes Street, which has a posted speed limit of 35 mph.

He went through a red light at South 56th and Oakes streets and at South 56th and South Tacoma Way.

The driver sped up to 70 mph and went into the turn lanes. While driving on South Orchard Street, the driver put both hands out the window as if he was surrendering. However, he kept driving.

The driver stopped in a parking lot on Hannah Pierce Road, kissed the female passenger and then was taken into custody.

Troopers found a nearly empty bottle of whiskey in the vehicle. The driver "smelled heavily of intoxicants." His license also was suspended.

Pierce County prosecutors have filed eluding charges against a 27-year-old man suspected of firing a gun at a gas station, then running from Lakewood police on Friday night.

Isidoro Cardenas-Rauda was charged Monday with driveby shooting and attempting to elude a pursing police vehicle while being armed with a gun.

Court documents give the following information:

Lakewood police were called to a gas station in the 127000 block of Bridgeport Way Southwest just before 10:30 p.m. Friday. Several witnesses reported that a minivan drove into the gas station parking lot. A man, later identified as Cardenas-Rauda, opened the driver's side door, pointed a handgun and fired twice into the ground.

The van then took off. Patrol officers spotted the van in Lakewood and initiated a traffic stop. The van took off at a high rate of speed and "ignored the rules of the road in an effort to avoid capture," court documents state.

The van finally rolled to a stop but not before Cardenas-Rauda got out and tried to run away. He was taken into custody after a short pursuit and struggle.

Officers found a .380-caliber gun on the van's driver's seat and a spent shell casing inside the vehicle.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has put a hold on Cardenas-Rauda because he might be in the country illegally. It also appeared he didn't have a license to carry the firearm.

A fire this morning at the vacant tire store at 11021 Pacific Highway SW is a fire exercise being conducted by the Lakewood Fire Department.

While most of the flames are gone, fire crews will be at the scene for much of the day, a department spokeswoman said.

The plume of black smoke was visible from Interstate 5. A reader sent it this cell phone picture (captured by a passenger).

Yesterday, I started posted fireworks-related statistics from this past holiday weekend.

Agencies continue to report in. Here is some more information.

Fireworks-related injuries

At St. Joseph Medical Center, one patient (a 2-year-old child) was treated in the Emergency Room for second-degree burns related to fireworks. The injuries were not considered life threatening.

At St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood, one patient was treated for a neck burns related to fireworks. The injury was not considered life threatening.

There were no patients at Allenmore Hospital in Tacoma.

Fireworks-related calls, citations in Lakewood

July 3: 23 calls for police service; 1 misdemeanor arrest

July 4: 58 calls for police service; 1 citation written

July 5: 30 calls for police service; 1 citation written

A King County Sheriff's deputy carried a man on his back a quarter mile to a half mile to safety over the holiday weekend after the man became hypothermic while rafting in the Green River.
The incident occurred Friday night about 8:30 PM, King County Sheriff spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart said.
A 32 year-old Maple Valley man was rafting on the river most of the day and became unresponsive on a last trip down the river.
When deputies arrived the man's girlfriend who saw her boyfriend drift by said he had been missing on the river for about an hour.
A Washington State Patrol aircraft was called in to search for the man. They directed Sheriff's Sgt. Cameron Lefler to a driveway in the 21200 block of southeast Green Valley Road.
From there, Urquhart said Lefler made his way through thick underbrush to the river. He found the man in the water, extremely hypothermic and unable to move. Urquhart said the sergeant dropped his duty belt and waded into the water up to his waste to get to the man. He then carried the man on his back to the waiting aid car.
The man was treated and taken to Auburn Hospital by ambulance, where he was treated.
Alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor in the incident, Urquhart said.
Lefler is no stranger to public service, according to Urquhart. Lefler joined the King County Sheriff's Office in 1993. After the 9/11 attacks he resigned from the Sheriff's Office and enlisted in the Marines. He served two tours in Iraq, including Fallujah, and was promoted to sergeant. He also received two awards for valor in combat and a Purple Heart.
He returned to the Sheriff's Office in 2005, and was promoted to sergeant earlier this year.

A 66-year-old man died Monday night after falling off his balcony in downtown Tacoma.

Tacoma police were investigating what happened on Broadway shortly after 8 p.m. The man hit the sidewalk.

According to the initial scanner chatter, the man fell from the sixth floor. He'd been in an apartment, a reader reported to The News Tribune.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office identified the man as David Mirkovich.

UPDATE: Tacoma police spokesman reports the victim was up on a ladder, making a repair. A bystander heard a noise.

The ladder and the man fell to the sidewalk.

There's nothing suspicious about the fall, Fulghum said.

Two teenagers were shot Monday night in Auburn and police were searching for the gunman.

The shooting was reported just after 9:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of 30th Street Southeast. Officers arrived and found a 17-year-old boy with gunshot wounds to the chest and a 19-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the arm, police reported.

The 17-year-old was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment. He was in critical condition, the Valley Regional Fire Authority reported. The older man was taken to Auburn Regional Medical Center.

Officers were searching for a suspect known to the victims in connection with the shooting, police reported.

No information was initially released about a possible motive in the case.

The number of bank robberies in the United States dropped last year, according to statistics released today by the FBI.

There were 6,700 bank robberies in 2008, down from 6,849 in 2007. In Washington, bank robberies were down 13 percent in 2008 from the year before - 153 compared to 176, according to the FBI. Tacoma police investigated nine bank heists in 2008, down from 16 in 2007.

The federal agency also reports:

* The total amount taken was valued at more than $61.9 million.

* A note was used in 3,833 incidents; a firearm was used in 1,734 incidents; and robbers threatened the use of a weapon in 2,839 incidents.

* Acts of violence were committed during 293 (4 percent) of the reported incidents. These acts included 78 instances involving the discharge of firearms, 171 instances involving assaults, and 53 instances of hostage situations.

* Twenty-one deaths occurred during this reporting period, including 17 perpetrators, one employee, and three deaths classified as "other." No law enforcement officers were killed responding to bank crimes incidents in 2008.

* Most violations occurred on Friday. Regardless of the day of the week, violations between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. were the most common.

Tacoma Police are responding to an armed robbery at Columbia Bank, 5727 N. 21st St.

The suspect reportedly left on foot on 21st Street with money in his pockets, according to scanner chatter. He is described as a black male, about 6-foot tall with a thin build, no facial hair and was wearing a dark-colored baseball cap, black coat and jeans.

The robber used a note. He did not show or imply he had a weapon, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. He took an undisclosed amount of money, put it in his pocket and fled.

This robbery was reported at 3:09 p.m.

UPDATE: Police are also responding to a robbery at Key Bank on 3917 N. 26th Street. The suspect in this robbery is described as a white male in his 40s, about 5-foot-10 with medium to heavy build and was wearing a long-sleeved beige sweatshirt, grayish blue hat, blue jeans, glasses and was unshaven. He had dark colored hair.

This second robbery was reported at 3:25 p.m. The robber demanded cash from the bank but did not show or imply a weapon. He put an undisclosed amount of cash in his pocket and fled, Fulghum said.

Officers and detectives were responding to both scenes.

Strong winds are causing delays of arriving flights at Sea-Tac International Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration said flights are delayed between 16 and 30 minutes.

Someone stole more than $17,300 in cash and checks after the Tacoma Highlands Games last month.

The president of the Tacoma Highland Games Association wants attendees to the event to know about the theft and be watchful of possibly fraudulent activity on checks they wrote to attend the games or camp on the grounds of Frontier Park in Graham.

"We just to warn people about the fraud potential," Brian Nelson, the president of the association, told The News Tribune today. "If they wrote a check to the Highland Games for gate entry or camping, call us and let us know."

The games, which feature Highland athletes, bagpipers, drummers and dancers, took place June 27 at Frontier Park. Nearly 2,000 people attended the one-day event.

That night, the games treasurer told Pierce County sheriff's deputies that he received the money collected from entrance and camping fees. The treasurer checked the bag, which was located in a cardboard box, the police report states.

He put the box in his truck, then shut and locked the door. He later discovered the money bag missing and reported it stolen to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.

"If you wrote checks to the Tacoma Games Gift Shop or for clan or vendor fees you need not be concerned," according the association's Web site. "These checks were safely deposit into the bank and were not involved in the theft."

Nelson said the stolen cash made up the bulk of the next year's budget.

"We are going to be struggling for next year, no doubt," Nelson said.

The Tacoma Highland Games Association advises anyone who wrote a check for gate admission or camping to:

* Notify you bank of a stolen check and take proper action to protect your account from fraud or identity theft.

* If a check has been cleared have your bank hold the actual check as potential evidence in the case.

* Contact Nelson at (253)761-1397 or nelsons@harbornet.com. Any details of your check may be helpful.

Photo courtesy Washington State Animal Response Team.

The bull didn't want to move to another pasture.

Now, two men, ages 57 and 75, are facing first-degree animal cruelty charges after being arrested Sunday for allegedly dragging the bull about a half-mile down a road in unincorporated King County.

The bull suffered hoof and leg injuries and received medicine to relieve its pain from the Washington State Animal Response Team. The team took the animal for safekeeping, the King County Sheriff's Office reported today.

Witnesses called 911 about 4:30 p.m. to report that a 1989 Buick Century was "dragging a cow with a rope" in the 4200 block of South Star Lake Road, the Sheriff's Office reported.

When deputies arrived, they found the bull lying in the roadway on his stomach. All four legs were splayed outward and he had bleeding wounds around his hooves and lefts.

A rope was around the bull's neck and tied to the car.

A witness saw the bull being dragged and told deputies it was obviously in distress. The bull was strongly resisting being pulled and collapsed where deputies found him, the office reported.

Deputies contacted two men, who reported they were trying to move the bull to a nearby pasture.

"(They) said this is how they always move this cow because 'he is stubborn,'" the Sheriff's Office reported. "The passenger went on to say the cow wasn't hurt and 'You have to be like that with cows.'"

After a while, the bull stood and was moved to the grassy area on the shoulder.

Deputies found bloody streaks on the roadway.

The men were arrested and booked into the King County Jail on suspicion of first-degree animal cruelty.

One person suffered smoke inhalation this morning when smoke filled a mobile home in Auburn.

Regional Valley Fire Authority firefighters responded to the home in the 700 block of 37th Street Southeast in Auburn about 10:50 a.m. today. They saw smoke coming from the windows, the agency reported.

Crews quickly put out the fire.

A family of five was inside at the time of the fire. Smoke alarms alerted the relatives to the fire and they escaped.

One person was treated and released at the scene for smoke inhalation, the fire agency reported.

Investigators were looking into the cause of the blaze.

It appears to have been a relatively uneventful (as least as far as major news is concerned) holiday weekend.

According to the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office, there were no deadly car crashes, homicides or drownings in the past three days.

Tacoma police report escorting a couple of people out of Freedom Fair on Saturday but that's about it.

At Tacoma General Hospital, four people were treated in the Emergency Room for fireworks-related injuries. There were three children treated for fireworks-related injuries at the ER for Mary Bridge Children's Hospital.

I am compiling statistics fireworks-related on fires, 911 calls, citations issued and injuries from Tacoma police, Lakewood police, LESA, Tacoma fire and Central Pierce Fire & Rescue. I'll let you know what I learn.

UPDATE: Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer reports the agency had a busy weekend but "nothing catastrophic."

"We were busy," he said. "We had lots of calls and fireworks complaints."

UPDATE No. 2: I have fireworks-related injury numbers for three hospitals within the Franciscan Health System.

At St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor, seven people were treated for non-life threatening fireworks-related injuries. One of those people was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for continued treatment for severe burns and eye injuries, Franciscan Health System spokesman Gale Robinette said.

At St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, six people were treated for non-life threatening fireworks-related injuries, Robinette said. One person suffered a hand injury that required surgery and hospitalization.

At Enumclaw Regional Hospital, one patient was treated for a bruised foot.

UPDATE No. 3: The Kent Fire Department reports a dramatic increase in calls for service on July 4.

In a normal 24-hour period, the department handles 42 emergency calls. Most are medical calls; the rest are fire, hazardous materials, service calls and others.

During the 24 hours of July 4, the fire department responded to 120 emergency calls, the department reports. Here's a breakdown of the calls:

Fires: 48. (This includes two structures fires. Kent firefighters also helped on two structure fires outside their jurisdiction. The other calls were for brush, tree, beauty bark and grass fires.)

Emergency Medical Services: 48

Ruptures/Explosions: 1 (The report was fireworks-related. There was no fire associated with the call.)

Other: 23

Citations: 3 (Two were in the City of Covington and one in Kent.) The department confiscated hundreds of illegal and homemade fireworks.

UPDATE No. 4: In King County, eight extra troopers patrolled the roads on Saturday, looking for drunken and aggressive drivers. They arrested 51 impaired drivers and responded to 26 collisions (including eight injury collisions). The number of reportable collisions was 45 percent fewer than last year's Fourth of July weekend, the State Patrol reported.

There were no serious injury or deadly crashes on King County highways during the holiday weekend.

The State Patrol's mobile impaired driving unit was set up Saturday night at the Roanoke Office. Between 11 p.m. and 2:30 a.m., troopers processed 10 suspected drunken drivers and completed one drug evaluation at the unit.

Two men were injured Sunday night when their Jeep crashed into a fire engine in Northeast Tacoma.

The men were taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. One was cited.

According to pull, Tacoma Fire Engine 3 was pulling out of the station in the 200 block of Browns Point Boulevard Northeast about 10:15 p.m. Sunday. A Jeep Cherokee crashed into the truck.

Local law enforcement officers have arrested a 23-year-old man suspected of shooting another man last month in University Place.

Andre Newkirk had multiple warrants out for his arrest. Prosecutors have charged him with first-degree assault in connection with the shooting. He also had unrelated warrants on charges of second-degree child assault, second-degree identity theft and second-degree theft.

Prosecutors have accused Newkirk of shooting a man in the hand and chest the night of June 24 after a fight outside an apartment in the 5600 block of Hannah Pierce Road in University Place.

According to court documents, the victim was at the apartment complex to visit his child. At some point, he got into an argument with the child's mother's boyfriend.

The argument turned physical outside. The victim is suspected of hitting a woman during the fight.

"The woman turned out to be of interest to a man later identified as Newkirk," court documents state. "Newkirk withdrew a handgun from his person and fired a gunshot at (the victim). (The victim) tried to
flee. Newkirk pursued and fired a second shot at (the victim)."

Newkirk fled on foot. Witnesses identified Newkirk as the shooter, court documents state.

The victim is expected to survive his injuries.

Newkirk turned himself into police. He was booked into Pierce County Jail shortly after midnight early Saturday.

Newkirk is scheduled to make his first court appearance today.

South Sound fire crews have been busy Sunday afternoon fighting brush fires, but so far, none have been major.

Tacoma Fire spokeswoman Jolene Davis said city crews have responded to a few calls in the city, but no structures have been damaged.

Most of the calls have been small fires breaking out in dry patches of empty lots.

But activity might pick up as night falls and people use up any remaining fireworks. Tacoma Police are out cruising for people lighting off fireworks in the city. Call (253) 798-4722 to report any activity.

Sunday night, a home was gutted in the 20200 block of 91st Street East in Bonney Lake. In King County, fireworks started a fire that damaged four homes in the 25400 block of 163rd Ave, Southeast in Covington, according to the Kent Fire Department.

No injuries were reported in either of the fires.

Today marks Teekah Lewis' 13th birthday.

The little girl from Tacoma disappeared from a bowling alley more than 10 years ago. There's been no sign of her since.

To mark her daughter's birthday, Theresa Lewis says she's going to go down to the site of the bowling alley today. (The bowling alley was razed years ago and now a fast-food restaurant stands in its place.) She'll put up signs and leave 13 balloons for her daughter.

"It's going to be hard," Lewis said earlier this week. "This is her 11th birthday that I am not going to be there. She's not going to be home."

Find my most recent story about Teekah's disappearance below.

=> Read more!

Tacoma police have arrested a man wanted in connection with a 2004 gang-motivated slaying on Tacoma's East Side.

A warrant had been issued in December 2006 for the arrest of Danny Cherm, 25. At that time, prosecutors had charged him with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 19-year-old Saron Tith.

Tacoma police found him Thursday. Detectives had received information that Cherm was in the area, department spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

"They went out looking for him, located him and he was taken into custody without incident," Fulghum said.

Cherm was booked into Pierce County Jail on the murder warrant and unlawful possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver.

Cherm was one of the longest tenured faces on the Tacoma Police Department's Most Wanted list.

He is one of three men charged with shooting Tith. Cherm had previously charged in the slaying but prosecutors dismissed the case against him for lack of evidence, retaining the option to refile. The charges were refiled in 2006 when new evidence came forward.

Tith was killed on May 23, 2004, on the East Side in a gang-on-gang shooting. On the night of his death, Tith rode in a car with other gangsters.

The car passed a group of rival gang members who were loitering near a storefront, court documents say. The riders flung hand gestures toward the gangsters on the sidewalk.

The court documents say that was all the motive the Pirus needed. A witness heard Cherm say, "Let's go get 'em," and saw the other two defendants pull guns as they got into Cherm's car and gave chase, the documents say.

About 10 minutes later, the car with Tith in it reached the intersection of East 39th Street and Roosevelt Avenue. A group of young men concealed in bushes emerged and started shooting at it. One bullet hit Tith in the head and killed him. Police recovered 15 shell casings from three guns at the scene.

Miquel Diaz Elrod pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Tith's death last year. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison. The other defendant, Bunnan Orn, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in March 2008. He was sentenced to nine months in custody.

A Pierce County Superior Court judge has extended the time prosecutors have to decide whether to seek the death penalty against the man charged with fatally shooting a Loomis armored-car guard during a robbery last month.

Judge Susan Serko signed an order Wednesday extending the deadline for the decision until July 31 at the request of Calvin Finley (seen here). Wednesday was the original deadline.

Finley, 34, is charged with aggravated first-degree murder in the June 2 death of Kurt Husted. Husted, 38, died after being shot in the head inside the Lakewood Wal-Mart. Detectives believe Finley was the gunman.

Aggravated first-degree murder is the only charge in Washington punishable by death. Prosecutors put Finley and three of his codefendants on notice last month that the death penalty was a consideration.

In a written motion filed Wednesday, one of Finley's attorneys, Mary Kay High, said his defense team needs more time to prepare a mitigation package to submit to prosecutors.

The package of documents will present evidence and arguments why prosecutors shouldn't seek death for Finley if he is convicted as charged.

"We need more time to gather, evaluate and present the information, so the prosecutor may engage in careful deliberation," High wrote.

Mark Lindquist, the county's chief criminal deputy prosecutor, said he did not oppose the extension. Such extensions are commonplace in death-penalty cases.

A brush fire is blocking both directions of State Route 164 at Southeast 380th Place near Enumclaw, the state DOT reports.

Detours are in place for drivers through the area. The DOT offers this detour:

For eastbound drivers: take 380th Place to 160th Place SE to 172nd Avenue SE to SE 392nd Street and back to SR 164.

For westbound drivers: take SE 392nd Street to 172nd Avenue SE to 160th Place SE to SE 380th Place and back to SR 164.

The fire began shortly before 12:30 p.m. Firefighters, troopers and transportation crews are on the scene.

UPDATE: The fire is out and the highway is back open.

King County firefighters have doused a brush fire on a hillside below Green River Community College.

The quick-moving fire was reported before 10 a.m. today, the Valley Regional Fire Authority said. The initial reports estimated the fire was 20 feet in diameter. By the time fire crews arrived, the fire was 50 feet by 200 feet.

Valley Regional firefighters, campus forestry personnel and a brush fire crew from King County Fire District No. 44 dug a line around the fire and stopped its progress, the agency reported.

Investigators were looking into what sparked the fire.

Federal, state and local law enforcement officials say they've busted another drug trafficking organization that was bringing methamphetamine and cocaine into Washington from Mexico.

The results of the 14-month investigation into the vast drug trafficking network were announced this morning at a press conference.

Officials say they have arrested 31 people, including eight from Pierce County, as part of "Operation Arctic Chill," the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency reported today. Federal drug charges have been filed against 20 of the people arrested. Another three will be charged and arraigned this afternoon.

Investigators say those arrested are part of the Oseguera-Chavez Drug Trafficking Organization.

According to an ICE press release, the leader of the organization is Martin Oseguera-Chavez of Roy. He's believed to be responsible for buying meth and cocaine from dealers in California and Mexico. The drugs were then distributed through other members of the drug trafficking organization.

The drugs were transported along the Interstate 5 corridor in the hidden compartments of vehicles, federal authorities report.

"Members of the DTO sought to conceal their actions, speaking with each other in coded language to describe the drugs, calling crystal methamphetamine 'clothes' or 'blind man' and referring to poor quality drugs as 'stretched' or 'bruised,'" the press release states.

Law enforcement officials have executed more than 35 search warrants over the past two weeks. In Washington, the warrants were served in Carnation, Federal Way, Lynnwood, Olympia, Puyallup, Rainier, Roy, Tacoma, Vancouver and Yelm. Another warrant was executed in Oakdale, Calif., where investigators found an idle meth lab and a pound of meth.

Law enforcement officials also seized more than 19 pounds of meth, a quarter pound of cocaine, $60,000 in cash, 22 vehicles and 23 firearms.

"The success of this joint operation is measured by the fact that we successfully dismantled a criminal drug trafficking organization from the top down," Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of ICE's Office of Investigations, said in a press release. "ICE will continue to partner with DEA and others to more effectively investigate these organizations - from smuggler to distributor - and bring to bear the complete complement of law enforcement’s authorities on this threat to our communities."

Here's a list of who has been charged, their age and their residence when they there arrested. ICE officials are not commenting on the immigration status of any of the defendants because of the criminal investigation, spokeswoman Lorie Dankers said.

Arrested Tuesday:
Martin Oseguera Chavez, 50, Roy
Maria Oseguera Lopez, 50, Roy
Maria Del Socorro Oseguera Oseguera, 33, Lynnwood
Baldemar Huerta Galvan, 28, Lynnwood
Alberto Rosales Torres, 39, Tacoma
Erika Oseguera Oseguera, 26, Yelm
Rosalinda Oseguera Lopez, 44, Roy
Doug Alfonso, 48, Olympia
Rigoberto Farias Contreras, 46, Carnation
Daniel Camarena, 30, Tacoma,
Miguel Mora Esquivel, 36, Federal Way
Harold Wesley Moreland, 59, Olympia
Gabriela Ludmila Safr, 28, Tacoma
Crescenciano Yanez Bucio, 30, Yelm
Bernardo Salazar Ponce, 28, Roy

Arrested Monday
Juan Pablo Rincon-Lopez, 30, Tacoma

Arrested June 13
Juan Antonio Trejo-Lopez, 30, Elma
Juan Trejo-Lopez, 37, Elma
Gregorio Gomez-Lopez, 34, Mossyrock
Eduardo Martinez, 27, Elma

In addition to ICE and DEA, the following agencies were part of the investigation: Auburn Police Department, Bonney Lake Police Department, Centralia Police Department, Federal Way Police Department, Gray’s Harbor Task Force, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, Puyallup Police Department, South Snohomish Drug Task Force, Tacoma Police Department, Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement Team, Washington Department of Corrections and Washington State Patrol.

Photo courtesy of the AP

Last year, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies busted another sizable drug cartel that was bringing meth into the state from Mexico. Find my story about that bust below.

=> Read more!

Emergency crews responding to a McChord Air Force base gate this morning for a "major accident."

A pickup truck crashed into the gate leading into the base's housing area off Gravelly Lake Drive, an Air Force spokeswoman said.

Lakewood, McChord and Madigan emergency personnel were on the scene.

UPDATE: News Tribune photographer Joe Barrentine checked out the scene. He reports the driver was taken to Tacoma General Hospital for treatment of his injuries. There is no word on how serious those injuries are.

Also, there were no signs of braking outside the gate.

The truck apparently smashed into a 5,000-pound concrete barrier and moved it 20 to 25 feet.

UPDATE: The housing gate off Gravelly Lake Drive at McChord Air Base will not reopen this afternoon, according to a base spokesman. Base residents can use the Main Gate at Bridgeport Avenue.
The housing gate will reopen at 6 a.m. Monday as normal. The spokesman said crews have to install a new concrete barrier at the gate.
The gate is normally open in the morning and afternoon to accommodate commuters. It would have been closed over the holiday weekend.
The gate was closed when the pickup truck hit the barrier, the spokesman said, adding that the investigation into the reason for the assault on the gate is still underway.

Pierce County prosecutors have filed charges against a man accused of robbing a Fife bank on Tuesday, then halting the heist and eventually surrendering to police.

Kenneth Dell Haley, 41, was charged Wednesday with first-degree robbery and threatening to bomb or injure property. He's been ordered held in Pierce County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bail.

Haley told investigators that he had a severe gambling problem.

"If I get locked up, I can't gamble," he told detectives, according to court documents.

Charging documents provide the following information:

Prosecutors allege Haley went to the Bank of America, 5003 Pacific Highway East, on Tuesday morning and handed the teller a note. The note indicated he had a bomb and wanted cash. Haley toted a bag with him.

The teller put an undisclosed amount of cash in a plastic bag and handed it to Haley.

"Haley told bank employees that there was no bomb and he was not going to leave; instead he would wait for police," court documents state.

Haley didn't leave and made several movements inside the bank. The police were called and the employees evacuated the bank.

After police arrived, Haley was directed outside. He surrendered without incident. Police removed Haley's bag from the bank and disrupted it. They discovered the bag contained Haley's personal belongings.

The stolen cash was also recovered.

Two people were killed early today when their vehicle crashed into a tree in the Orting area, the Pierce County Sheriff's Department reports.

The driver was talking to first responders right after the crash in the early morning hours. On the way to the hospital, he reported a second person had been in the car, Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said. The man later died of his injuries.

Deputies and firefighters searched the crash scene but initially didn't find a second person. When daylight came, a police dog scoured the area. A woman was found dead in the woods a short distance away, Troyer said.

It appears the woman died on impact, Troyer said.

Investigators initially reported neither the man nor the woman were wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

The investigation was continuing. No other details - including the time and location of the crash as well as the ages of the two killed - were immediately available.

Photo is courtesy KIRO TV's Web site.

Tacoma police were investigating two separate stabbing incidents Wednesday night in the city.

The first incident occurred just after 10:30 p.m. in the 6700 block of 29th Street Northeast. The victim told officers he tried to stop the theft of a friend's purse when a suspect stabbed him, police reported.

Federal Way police were initially called to the scene but then determined the incident occurred in the City of Tacoma. Tacoma police were notified and launched an investigation.

The victim and witnesses were on the way to Harborview Medical Center. Tacoma police contacted them at the Seattle hospital, police reported.

The victim was undergoing treatment for non-life threatening injuries.

The second stabbing occurred nearly an hour later on the East Side.

The victim reported he'd arrived home in the 9100 block of East G Street just before 11:30 p.m. He found the suspect at the residence. The victim tried to force the suspect to leave and was stabbed, police reported.

As officers arrived, the suspect fled on foot. Officers chased the suspect and eventually took that person into custody.

The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

In the follow-up file ...

There's been some speculation/request for the state Auditor's Office to investigate the Tacoma Police Department's decision to pay some officers to play in a charity basketball game hosted by the Hilltop Action Coalition.

Mindy Chambers, communications director for the agency, said the Auditor's Office does not plan to do a special investigation of the issue.

"Since they caught it and they are in the process of fixing it, that's what we are basing our decision on," Chambers said.

The City of Tacoma is up for its regular, annual audit in November. Chambers said the Auditor's Office will take a look at what the city found and did regarding the basketball game then.

Two people were injured this morning when a vehicle struck a pedestrian and then plowed into a building in Auburn.

An 18-year-old man and a man in his 60s were taken to Auburn Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

Meanwhile, the building that was hit has been evacuated until inspectors can determine that it's safe to enter, the Valley Regional Fire Authority reports.

The incident occurred in the 400 block of East Main Street. The 18-year-old man was walking when he was hit by the car.

The vehicle then hit a nearby barbershop. A passenger in the car - the man described as being in his 60s - was injured.

Auburn police were investigating.

Fireworks are legal to buy and set off in the unincorporated parts of Pierce County during the Fourth of July.

Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said the department does not have any special fireworks emphasis enforcement during the holiday. Members of the department's bomb squad who are on duty will respond to fireworks-related complaints.

"If they are needed they will be there," Troyer said.

The rest of the deputies will be working to keep up with the 911 calls. The Fourth of July - especially at night - is one of the busiest - if not the busiest - days of the year.

"It will take everything we have to keep up with 911 calls," Troyer said. "We keep up with them as they can."

The department expects to receive several calls for fights, domestic violence and alcohol-related incidents.

"That stuff will bury our whole entire department," Troyer said.

In the cities of Tacoma and Federal Way, all fireworks are banned.

The Tacoma Police Department has launched fireworks enforcement teams to respond to 911 calls related to fireworks complaints. Read about the police department's enforcement plan here.

The Lakewood Police Department will have extra officers out Friday, Saturday and Sunday. While fireworks are legal to ignite in the city, they often go off outside of the designated hours. People also tend to set off fireworks that are not of the safe and sane variety.

Police Lt. Heidi Hoffman said the extra officers will be on overtime and be dedicated to patrolling for and responding to fireworks complaints.

"Their only mission is to handle fireworks," Hoffman said. "We are concerned (this year) because we haven't had any rain."

In Federal Way, the police department will have dedicated teams of officers and firefighters working and responding to fireworks-related complaints and park enforcement on Saturday. There will be 23 officers working that day. Six will working citywide on fireworks enforcement, while four will be at Steel Lake Park and 13 will be at Celebration Park.

About half of the officers will be on overtime; the remaining officers have be reassigned from their regular duties.

Last year, police officers issued 43 criminal citations and 30 warnings.

Pierce County prosecutors have charged a 31-year-old man in connection with a serious-injury crash Saturday evening in Tacoma.

Ryan M. Bobier was charged with failure to remain at the scene of an injury accident, hit and run and unlawful possession of a controlled substance. The charges could be amended based on test results and medical reports, prosecutors wrote.

Court documents filed Tuesday provide the following information.

Tacoma, University Place and Fircrest police were called to the crash at the intersection of South Jackson Avenue and South 12th Street just after 5:10 p.m. Saturday. Dispatchers reported that citizens were detaining the suspected causing driver after he tried to flee.

When officers arrived, paramedics were removing two women from a car. Both suffered serious injuries and complained of head, neck and back pain. They were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Witnesses told officers Bobier was going south on Jackson Avenue and approaching the light at 12th Street. The women were eastbound on 12th and stopped at the light.

When the light turned green, the women's car moved into the intersection. Bobier broadsided the car.

The impact sent the women's car into a spin. The car struck another vehicle, which had been heading north on Jackson Avenue.

"Witnesses estimated the defendant was at a high rate of speed before the collision," court documents state. "One witness told officers the defendant was traveling 'easily 70 miles per hour' and then qualified it as '70 miles per hour is a low-end guess.'"

One of the witnesses used to work as a paramedic. He went over to Bobier's car and asked if he was OK. Bobier said he was but said he needed to get out of there because he was in "so much trouble," court documents state.

The witness went to check on the women and noticed Bobier climbing out of the T-top of his car. Bobier was seen jogging away.

"Several citizens in a nearby yard chased after the defendant and detained him until officers arrived," court documents state.

Officers smelled intoxicants on Bobier. Bobier admitted he'd been drinking at the Taste of Tacoma four hours earlier. Officers arrested Bobier on suspicion of vehicular assault and took him to Allenmore Hospital for a blood draw. The test results were not yet available.

Bobier's car was towed from the crash scene. An employee of the tow company found baggies of suspected marijuana in the center consol and called police. Officers took the 11.5 grams of marijuana as evidence.

Bobier has a previous conviction for DUI and was charged in early May in Pierce County with DUI.

Downtown Puyallup residents are invited to a meeting tonight with Puyallup police officers.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the Puyallup Library's south meeting room.

The neighborhood meeting is for residents who live between Third Street Southeast to Fifth Street Southeast and from East Pioneer to Fourth Avenue Southeast.

Some neighbors requested the meeting. Members of the Puyallup Police Department's Problem Oriented Policing unit and the city's code compliance officer will be at the meeting to talk about issues and answer questions.

A year ago today, the state's hands-free law took effect.

Under the law, drivers talking on cell phones must use a hands free device or face a fine if caught. (Another state law prohibits drivers from text messaging while driving down the road.)

It's a secondary violation in Washington, which means troopers have to spot another traffic violation (speeding, busted taillight, expired tabs, etc.) in order to stop a car. If the driver also has on a cell phone next to his ear, he could be fined for violating the hands free law.

From July 1, 2008 through Tuesday, Washington State Patrol troopers contacted 4,939 drivers who were driving with a cellphone to their ear, the agency reported. Of those, 1,659 drivers received the $124 ticket for violating the hands free law.

The other 3,280 drivers received a warning and were instructed to obey the state law.

UPDATE: Here's some more stats from the Washington State Patrol ...

Troopers contacted 577 drivers for texting while driving. Of those, 221 received tickets and 356 were issued warnings.

It appears the number of collisions where "driver operating handheld telecommunication device" was a contributing factor has dropped.

In 2008, the State Patrol noted 827 collisions where "driver operating handheld telecommunication device" was a contributing factor. That's down from 1,118 in 2007 and 1,246 in 2006.

But just because some drivers are hands free doesn't mean they are crash free.

In 2008, there were 71 crashes where "driver operating hands-free wireless telecommunication device" was listed as a contributing factor. That's about the same as 2007 (when 72 such crashes were logged) and up from 2006, when there were 62 crashes where "driver operating handheld telecommunication device" was a contributing factor.

"The message here is talking on a cell phone contributes to collisions," the State Patrol reports. "Even though the law states you can use a hand-free device it is still distracting to talk on a cell phone. When you are driving, you should be driving. Talking on a cell phone or any other internal or external distraction slows down your perception and reaction time which can make the difference between avoiding a collision or being involved in a collision."

The governor has directed the flags at all state agency buildings to be lowered to half-staff today in honor of a Steilacoom soldier who was killed in Afghanistan.

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Brian N. Bradshaw, 24, was killed June 25 when an improvised explosive device detonated.

Gov. Chris Gregoire ordered flags to be lowered until the close of business today or first thing Thursday morning.