A Red Cross spokeswoman said one adult and three children were displaced Thursday night by a house fire in Parkland.

One adult and three children were affected by the fire, on the 14000 block of Yakima Avenue South, Red Cross spokeswoman Karen Kim said.

UPDATE: 9:39 p.m. There was no fire, but the residents of the house came home to see it full of smoke and called crews out at about 8:20 p.m.

The cause was not available Thursday night.

Emergency crews are on the way to the scene of a plane crash near County Park in Eatonville.

According to radio traffic, two passengers were able to get out of the plane and are trying to signal authorities with an emergency beacon.

The plane's pilot is on the phone with dispatchers and using a GPS device to direct crews to the scene.

UPDATE: 9:03Pierce County Sheriff spokesman Ed Troyer said the pilot ran out of gas. There are no injuries.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.