White Center Now: The blog about White Center

(WCN photo from April 2015)
Six months after 55-year-old Rebecca Delgado died from injuries suffered when she was hit while crossing 16th SW at SW 104th, the driver who hit her is charged. 50-year-old Jamie Starr Larson of Burien got out of jail after a few days, while Ms. Delgado was still fighting for life in the hospital, a fight she lost eight days after she was hit. We’ve been checking on the case periodically for months, and this week, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Larson with vehicular homicide.

The charging documents begin starkly: “On March 31, 2015, the defendant, Jamie S. Larson, turned 50 years old. She celebrated by drinking alcohol for the next two days.” On April 2nd, she thought she was sober enough to drive – though she was unlicensed and uninsured. That’s the day she hit Rebecca Delgado in a marked crosswalk, with flashing beacons activated by Ms. Delgado’s husband, and with another driver stopped for her; the documents say Larson whipped around that driver, and that’s when she hit Ms. Delgado.

Larson is said to have told investigators at the scene that she had only had three beers, but she didn’t do well on the field-sobriety tests, and a blood test administered later led to an estimate that her blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash would have been .32, four times the legal drunkenness level. The charging papers say she also had taken an anti-depressant, that she admitted having a substance-abuse problem, and that she has one drunk-driving conviction on her record from 21 years ago.

11:09 AM: Thanks to the reader who tipped us to this: The Nimbin recreational-marijuana store at 10861 1st Avenue South in Top Hat is cleaning up after an early-morning break-in via vehicle. We are still working to get information from the King County Sheriff’s Office, but they confirmed that, as our tipster said, a vehicle drove into the shop, and that they would be open today even as repairs continue – they were not commenting on what if anything was stolen. This is one of three state-licensed marijuana stores that have opened this year in unincorporated North Highline. We’ll update when we get info from KCSO.

12:46 PM: KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West says a neighbor heard the crash around 2 am, then looked out to see that a “white truck” had backed into the shop. “The witness saw a man exit the truck and enter the business. The man was in the business for about a minute then returned to the truck and sped off. When deputies arrived they contacted the owner who responded to the scene. It appears as though some cash and an assortment of packaged marijuana was stolen.” No description of the driver other than “male.”

We know more today about the 36-year-old woman jailed for investigation of multiple White Center arsons – such as, she has “a flame on (her) right arm.” That’s from the section of the police report where suspects routinely are described. She appeared in the jailhouse courtroom this afternoon, where bail was set at $30,000, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Court documents describe the five fires she is accused of setting late Sunday night/early Monday morning. Two were at Samway Market; two others in dumpsters in a nearby alley; and the fifth was in a recycling bin outside the Mac’s Triangle Pub in South Delridge, across Roxbury from the south edge of White Center. Court documents say she was identified via surveillance video that shows her lighting multiple fires, and that she has been arrested for arson in the past; she allegedly told investigators that “voices in her head told her to (set) the fires because they were pretty,” the crime report says. Prosecutors will decide by week’s end on whether to file formal charges.

The new King County Sheriff’s Office Storefront Deputy for White Center, Bill Kennamer – introduced at this month’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting (WCN coverage here) – reports the arrest of an arson suspect. After what he describes as “several” arsons this past weekend, “today at about 11, Master Police Office Spence found and arrested the suspect in these arsons. The Arson Investigators responded and the suspect admitted to lighting the fires. She was booked into the King County Jail on 4 counts of Arson 2nd Degree.” Thanks to a reader tip, we know one of the fires was at the Samway Market on 15th SW late last night. We’re following up in search of more information.

Thanks to everybody who flagged us to this post from the Crawfish House‘s page on Facebook:

Last night at 11:45 pm…someone came into the back alley of Crawfish House and stole our truck. It’s a 2005 TOYOTA TUNDRA ACCESS CAB SR5. The license plate is B90959S. It’s a dark blue but a little lighter than navy blue truck. It’s our only transportation for the restaurant.

If you see it – call 911. While it’s a King County Sheriff’s Office case, anywhere it turns up, including north of the city line, they should have a record of the theft and be able to arrange to recover it.

Two felony charges are now filed against the driver found hiding after crashing his car on Ambaum just south of White Center early last Friday, killing his passenger. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged 24-year-old Thuan A. Phan of Kent with vehicular homicide and hit-and-run. Charging documents say Phan was driving the “recently purchased” 2013 BMW southbound on Ambaum at high speed when he lost control at the “S” curves around 119th and slammed into the jersey barrier. 26-year-old Benjamin J. Smith was wearing his seat belt in the front passenger seat but suffered deadly head injuries because of how the car hit the concrete barrier. Nearby residents told deputies that they saw a man climb out of the car after the crash and run away screaming; the Guardian One helicopter spotted him hiding under a pickup truck at a home a few blocks away, his only injuries described as scratches on his legs and neck abrasions. He claimed he had been in the passenger seat and also said he remembered leaving a club; a deputy noticed he smelled like “intoxicants.” Prosecutors asked that Phan’s bail remain at a quarter-million dollars because he had left the crash scene and was reportedly trying to get friends and family to come pick him up.

Bail has been set at $250,000 for the 24-year-old Kent man arrested in connection with the deadly crash at SW 119th and Ambaum early last Friday. Probable-cause documents say he was driving “at three times the posted speed” and “admitted (he had been) drinking.” The passenger in his car, 26-year-old Benjamin J. Smith, was dead at the scene from what the documents describe as a severe head injury. The suspect, who could be charged with vehicular homicide, ran from the scene and was found – with the help of Guardian One, as shown in our Friday coverage – hiding under a vehicle in a nearby driveway. He’s scheduled to return to court tomorrow afternoon, unless prosecutors file charges by then, in which case his next appearance would be for arraignment.

(King County Sheriff’s Office photo)

3:56 AM: A 51-year-old man was shot and killed early this morning near 14th SW/SW 106th, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office. “It appears he tried to help another person being robbed and was shot,” KCSO’s media-relations Deputy Stan Seo tweeted. The only description so far: Black male, ski mask, dark hoodie and shorts. Deputies have been searching with K-9 assistance but haven’t found anyone so far. If you have any information, please call 911.

9:08 AM: KCSO now says the victim was 51 years old, so we’ve corrected his age above.

If you saw Seattle Police in the area Thursday, might have been related to this case that just appeared on their SPD Blotter website:

Southwest Precinct officers arrested a prolific auto thief and recovered a bag full of suspected stolen credit cards Thursday after staking out a stolen car in White Center.

Police had been scouring the neighborhood for the man, who was wanted on warrants for theft and auto theft, when they found one of his stolen cars parked near SW 104th St and 1st Ave SW.

Officers staked out the stolen Honda and waited for the suspect, who soon pulled up in a white Mitsubishi, driven by a female accomplice.

The pair of suspects seemed to take notice of an officer working the stakeout, who drove away from the scene.

The suspects sped up to catch up to the officer’s car, but quickly circled back to the stolen car.

When the male suspect climbed into the stolen Honda, he quickly discovered officers had already disabled the vehicle.

Police moved in and arrested the suspect and the woman driving the Mitsubishi, and found a purse filled with suspected stolen credit and gift cards, drug paraphernalia and tools frequently used by burglars inside the car.

Officers booked the man into the King County Jail for auto theft and booked the woman for reckless driving and possession of stolen property.

(WCN photo from last Thursday)
We’ve learned from the family of the woman hit by a suspected drunk driver last week that she has died. 55-year-old Rebecca Delgado, a White Center resident, was hit while crossing 16th SW last Thursday and was taken to Harborview with injuries that included skull fractures, according to the police report. She died at the hospital, her son, who lives out of state, told us via e-mail early today.

As reported here earlier this week, bail was set at $30,000 for the driver, a 50-year-old Burien woman; she posted bond and got out on Easter Sunday. She had not been charged as of our last check; we’ll be checking again today with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

The 50-year-old driver arrested after hitting a pedestrian in White Center last Thursday is out of jail. We’re not identifying the suspect yet, as she is not yet charged. But the jail register shows that her bail was set at $30,000 and that she got out of jail over the weekend. Court documents say she told a King County Sheriff’s Deputy that she had had three beers before driving; the deputy wrote that her speech was slurred and that she “had difficulty walking.” She also is reported to have said she was sorry for hitting the pedestrian, who was reported to have suffered “severe skull fractures.”

No further details but if you recognize either or both of these suspects … King County Sheriff’s Office just put out this alert via Twitter:

And this addition:

P.S. For this month’s update on North Highline crime trends, don’t miss Thursday night’s NHUAC meeting – more info here.

(December 2012 gathering honoring murder victim Margaret Ryan)

By Tracy Record
White Center Now editor

268 months in prison – 22 years and four months – is the sentence that King County Superior Court Judge Laura Inveen has given Brodie Lamb, the 44-year-old man who stabbed his mother Margaret Ryan to death at her White Center apartment in November of 2012. That’s the top end of the standard range for his crime, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney Office‘s sentencing report.

As we first reported two months ago, Lamb pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder. The sentence represents 20 years for that, plus two extra years for use of a deadly weapon, and is what the prosecution recommended.

According to documents from the Friday afternoon sentencing hearing, Lamb will get credit for the two years and four months he has already spent behind bars since his arrest the night of Ms. Ryan’s murder, and when he gets out, he will be on probation (technically, community custody) for three years.

The sentence also directs him to participate in mental-health treatment; the case dragged out longer than many because of issues of whether he was competent to stand trial, and he spent time along the way at Western State Hospital. He had been on Mental Health Court probation until a few months before the murder, and had stopped taking anti-psychotic medication, according to the prosecution’s report. His criminal record included a 2008 assault against his mother, who was 69 years old when he killed her, as well as an attack that broke the ribs of his 75-year-old landlady.

Documents submitted by prosecutors before yesterday’s sentencing included the 911 call in which Lamb told dispatchers he had killed his mother because “she wanted to lock me out [of her apartment], homeless,” and then repeatedly begged for emergency responders to “come save her life.” He was not allowed to be at her apartment, but kicked the door down that night and stabbed her more than a dozen times.

This morning we happened onto an online discussion of early morning gunshot/explosion-type noises just east of White Center. Following up to see what we could find out, King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. BJ Myers, who is currently serving as its media-relations officer, told us it was a Seattle Police raid, not KCSO. We then took our inquiry to SPD, which has just published details to its online “blotter”:

A cello taken in a Seattle break-in was just one of the hundreds of suspected stolen items found by Seattle police Thursday morning inside a Burien home.

SPD’s Major Crimes Task Force has been on the trail of a ring of burglars, suspected of targeting homes in North Seattle, Queen Anne and Magnolia. This morning, around 7 AM, SPD SWAT served a warrant at the home in the 12000 block of 1st Avenue S., where police found “a ton of stolen stuff,” according to Major Crimes Task Force Captain Eric Sano.

Police arrested two people inside the home for warrants, and are now investigating and sorting through evidence. Police believe some items found inside the homes may have been taken in unreported break-ins.

We’ll have more updates as the case develops.

P.S. If you’re interested in general crime/safety news from the unincorporated area, don’t miss the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting tonight at 7 pm, at the NH Fire District HQ, 1243 SW 112th.

11:53 PM: Still trying to unravel exactly what happened, but Seattle Police tracked a suspect into White Center tonight and have just taken him into custody near Marv’s Broiler in downtown White Center. The call apparently started with a report of a man with a knife in South Delridge; SPD was searching, and then found their suspect, who was reported to have been on a bicycle. King County Sheriff’s Deputies were on the case too. We’ll add anything more that we find out.

12 MIDNIGHT: Photo tweeted by Katt:

Today was the originally scheduled sentencing date for 44-year-old Brodie Lamb, who pleaded guilty last month to murdering his mother, 69-year-old Margaret Ryan, in 2012. But it’s been postponed a month because members of Ms. Ryan’s family were unable to come to court today. The hearing is rescheduled for 1:30 pm Friday, March 20th. As first reported here on January 23rd, Lamb pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder for stabbing his mother to death, and prosecutors are recommending a 22-year sentence.

(December 2012 gathering honoring murder victim Margaret Ryan)
3:30 PM: More than two years after the murder of 69-year-old Margaret Ryan in her White Center apartment, her son has pleaded guilty to stabbing her to death. The case against 44-year-old Brodie Lamb has dragged on for so long because of issues including whether he was mentally competent to stand trial; we have been checking in on the court files periodically over these many months and have noted that he spent time at Western State Hospital as well as jail. Lamb pleaded guilty this morning to the reduced charge of second-degree murder as the result of a plea bargain. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will recommend 20 years for Lamb, plus two years’ enhancement for use of a deadly weapon. He had a prior record including assault convictions; in one case, his mother was the victim. According to charging documents filed in November 2012, she wouldn’t allow him into her apartment, so he broke the door down and killed her. We are checking with prosecutors to find out when he will be sentenced.

4:28 PM UPDATE: The sentencing is scheduled for 1 pm February 20th at the County Courthouse downtown.

This day started a lot earlier than it should have had to for Zippy’s Giant Burgers. And it’s including jobs it shouldn’t have had to include – cleaning up broken glass and buying a new cash register. Zippy’s proprietor Blaine Cook was planning one last full day of business before an early closure Tuesday for the staff party, followed by a holiday break. Instead, he got an early call about one or more burglar(s) breaking a side door to get in, discovered by a family member arriving around 4 am to clean.

The cash register and safe were taken, Cook writes on Facebook). The King County Sheriff’s Office is investigating; deputies were just leaving as we arrived. Zippy’s is at 9614 14th SW; you’ll recall the Greenbridge area, several blocks east, had a series of business burglaries last month.

If you, like the tipster who shared that photo, wondered what was going on around 2:30 am in the heart of Greenbridge – King County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Houck has replied to our inquiry. He says it involved a stolen car: “At around 2 am or so a Deputy turned around to stop a vehicle that had been driving toward him, for an equipment violation. As he was doing this, 4 unknown race/ sex / age people jumped out and ran in all directions.” The ensuing search, including a K-9 team, didn’t find any of the suspects.

(WCN photo by Patrick Sand)
6:36 PM: Westbound Roxbury is closed between 15th and 16th SW (map) while Seattle Police investigate a hit-run crash that sent a woman to the hospital. Police told us at the scene that she was in the crosswalk when hit by what witnesses described as a blue SUV. We don’t yet know her condition. The road will be closed for a while; SPD’s Traffic Collision Investigation Squad has been called in. If you have any information about this crash, please call 911.

MONDAY MORNING, 10:48 AM: No word yet from Seattle Police on whether they have found the hit-run driver. We asked Seattle Fire for more information on the victim; they say she is 35 years old and was in stable condition when taken to the hospital, where she was expected to be checked for possible internal injuries.