The News Tribune's Lights & Sirens blog provides breaking news, updates on on-going investigations and insights into other news from the Tacoma, Pierce County and South Puget Sound criminal justice community. It also gives The News Tribune an avenue to interact with readers, answer “What was that?” questions and provides a venue for readers to ask about on-going criminal justice issues and problems in their neighborhoods. The blog aims to inform, educate and, at times, entertain with weird or wacky crime news.
Stacey Mulick covers Pierce County crime and safety issues for The News Tribune. She’s worked at The News Tribune since May 1998. Contact her at stacey.mulick@thenewstribune.com.
Adam Lynn covers courts as part of the Crime and Breaking News Team at The News Tribune, where he’s worked since 2003. Lynn has spent nearly half of his 21-year career chronicling criminal justice matters in Washington and won reporting awards for his coverage of serial killer Robert Yates. “The Corpse Had a Familiar Face” by renowned Miami Herald reporter Edna Buchanan is among his favorite books. You can contact him at adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com.
Brian Everstine is a night breaking news and general assignment reporter for The News Tribune. The Spokane native arrived in Tacoma in the summer of 2008 and still is adjusting to life on this side of the mountains. He has written for papers in the Tri-Cities and his hometown. Contact him at brian.everstine@thenewstribune.com.
Occasional contributers:
Database reporter Ian Demsky, ian.demsky@thenewstribune.com.
General assignment reporter Mike Archbold, mike.archbold@thenewstribune.com.
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Puyallup police investigators have found two girls who they were looking for over the weekend after pictures of the two were found among child pornography images seized from a man arrested last month.
The girls were found “safely living in a foster home,” Puyallup police spokeswoman Lorri Ericson said. Their identities were still being confirmed.
Tips led investigators to the girls.
Investigators also believe they have identified a woman in a partial picture released Sunday night.
Over the weekend, Puyallup police sought the public’s help in finding the girls and five women whose pictures were among the pornographic photos on a computer and camera that belonged to Andrew Kowalczyk.

Kowalczyk (left) was arrested Dec. 28. He’s been charged in Pierce County Superior Court with three counts of second-degree identity theft, four counts of forgery, two counts of unlawful possession of fictitious identification, one count of unlawful possession of a personal identification device and one count of being a fugitive from justice.
Among Kowalczyk’s belongings, investigators found the child pornography. Investigators are still trying to identify two of the women.
“These children are safe but Puyallup police believe there are more who may still be at risk and continue to accept tips and information about Andrew Kowalczyk and the two women who remain unidentified,” Ericson wrote in a press release.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 253-841-5421.
UPDATE: Kowalczyk is scheduled to be in court this afternoon to face new child pornography charges. Adam is there to cover the proceedings.

We have a story this morning on progress being made by the Puyallup Police Department's in its child porn investigation of Andrew Kowalczyk. He was arrested last month at a motel and was found with child pornography.
Investigators are trying to find the children and women who appear on the images. They've identified two women in the photos.
Late Sunday, they released another photo of a woman (see below). Anyone with information is asked to call detective Jason Visnaw at 253-841-5421.
Some of you may have seen my story Friday about the Washington Supreme Court ruling that defense attorneys are entitled to copies of child pornography that prosecutors intend to use as evidence against their clients.
Here are links to the majority ruling and the dissent, should you care to read them in their entirety.
