White Center Now: The blog about White Center

The King County Sheriff’s Office looked up WC crime trends in response to questions raised by the overnight murder. This is the only homicide so far this year – and the May 2010 shooting nearby, mentioned here earlier, was the only one last year. But overall calls for assistance are way up – read on for the information from KCSO: Read the rest of this entry »

Photo and report from WCN/WSB contributor Deanie Schwarz:

The 23-year-old victim’s name was Sweetheart, according to her cousin, Faatamalii Savea, who mourned Sweetheart at the memorial set up at the sidewalk berm outside of Bartell Drugs at 15th/Roxbury.

She told me “Sweetie” lived in the West Seattle neighborhood of High Point. Sweetie’s mother died of alcoholism four years ago; her father died in a car accident last year in downtown Seattle. She is survived by one sibling, a brother and a large extended family.

She also said Sweetie had an alcohol problem, which the family tried to help her with as much as they were able and that aside from that, she was a good person who lost a lot in the past few years. Sweetie, according to her cousin, could usually be found hanging out at the transit centers in WC and Burien.

For the latest on the investigation, see our report from this morning.

(UPDATED 11:42 AM with official news release from KCSO; scroll down to read it)

ORIGINAL 2:14 AM REPORT: Two TV stations have tweeted that there’s been a deadly shooting near the Bartell Drugs store in White Center. Here’s a photo from our friends at KING 5, which shows numerous King County Sheriff’s Office units on the scene. We are on our way to find out more.

2:32 AM UPDATE: Added a photo from our crew on the scene. 15th is blocked off, right in front of the drug store – the victim’s body is in the middle of the street. Media crews, including ours, have been told that someone from King County Sheriff’s Office will be out to provide official information.

2:50 AM: Patrick Sand, at the scene for White Center Now/West Seattle Blog, says Roxbury traffic is not affected, but deputies are putting up even more “crime scene tape” around the Bartell store. 15th is blocked from Roxbury to the DSHS building.

3:05 AM: We and the other media crews at the scene have just been briefed. Information thus far: The victim is a 22-year-old woman, not identified publicly yet. The first call received by KCSO was about a fight; deputies responded, checked it out, talked with the people involved, who said everything was OK. But deputies stayed close by, then while walking about a block away, heard shots just after midnight – and found the body. They say they have not found a weapon so far and have not arrested anyone; they know some of the people involved in the original scuffling, so they’re scouring the streets for them. They also said the victim was “known to (KCSO)” but would not elaborate on how or why, except to say she and her friends often hung out in that area. We have the briefing on video and will add it here when our crew gets back. This, by the way, is not far from the scene of the deadly shooting in May 2010.

4:01 AM: We’re adding a few more photos from the scene; also, here’s the briefing by Deputy Travis DeFries. Our apology for the video quality – this is therefore more valuable for hearing what he has to say, than seeing it!

We’ll continue following this up and will add new information as it emerges through the morning.

11:41 AM: Here’s the official news release from Deputy DeFries. Note that the victim’s age has changed to 23; otherwise, the details are mostly the same. Deputy DeFries also notes he is gathering WC homicide/violence stats for release later.

A 23-year-old female is dead and detectives are working leads in a shooting incident that occurred overnight in the White Center area of King County.

This morning, at about 12:20 AM, deputies were called to the area of SW Roxbury St. and 15th Ave. SW by a passing witness for a fight disturbance. When deputies arrived they met with a small group of females, including the now deceased victim of the shooting. Deputies were told that the disturbance was minor and that the other group, which consisted of 3 black males, had left the area. The group of women declined to speak further about the incident.

Deputies stayed in the general area and began to walk on foot to increase their visibility and to try to prevent further violence from erupting. Just before 1:00 AM these deputies heard several gun shots coming from the area of the original disturbance. When the returned they found the victim laying in the middle of 15th Ave. SW with at least one gunshot wound. Witnesses said that at least 2 of the original 3 black males had returned and one then fired on the victim. The suspects then fled the scene on foot.

At this point, no suspects are in custody and no weapon has been recovered. Detectives from the Major Crimes Unit are investigating. We have not been able to rule out if this was gang-related or not. Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office Gang Unit will be assisting, as needed.

News release just in from the King County Sheriff’s Office:

Deputies found evidence of illegal dog fighting, including four pit bulls in unincorporated King County last weekend. One man was arrested in conjunction with the investigation.

The incident began on July 23rd about 3:00 AM. Deputies were called to a complex of duplex apartments in the 10600 block of Aqua Way South. Some of the units are empty and some occupied. A resident in one of the units heard footsteps in a unit that was supposed to be empty and called 9-1-1.

When deputies arrived they saw a man run from the supposedly empty apartment towards the rear of the complex. As deputies searched for the man, they went into a vacant apartment and found large quantities of both fresh and dried blood on the floor and walls. They also found two “bite sticks” typically used to pry open the mouths of fighting dogs to release the bite.

While searching for the man who ran, deputies came across two pit pulls secured to railings in a walkway. One appeared to be injured and was quite lethargic.

Deputies found an occupied apartment near the chained dogs and learned their suspect was in a back bedroom and possibly armed. When he refused to come out, the Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team was called. After more negotiation, the man surrendered.

Two additional pitbulls were found in the apartment. All four were turned over to King County Animal Control.

The 26 year-old suspect was booked into the King County Jail on a felony arrest warrant for Escape from Community Custody. He is a convicted felon, including convictions for promoting prostitution, robbery, and felon in possession of a handgun. At this time he is still in jail.

Detectives believe the apartment unit was used for illegal dog fighting, and based on evidence recovered, prostitution activity as well.

The investigation of this incident is continuing, and charges are likely.

The monthly meeting of the White Center/South Delridge Community Safety Coalition is set for tonight, 6 pm, White Center DSHS building (upstairs) – your chance to hear about the latest trends, voice your current concerns, and join with other community members to make a difference.

12:35 PM: Thanks to Gill for the photos of law-enforcement officers at Asian Bubble Tea, 9835 16th SW. The officers in the photo are city of Seattle and state officers, but according to our friends at KING 5, this is all part of a string of raids around the region today, targeting alleged crimes including illegal cigarette sales. (UPDATE: Alleged food-stamp fraud is also being targeted here by federal investigators, according to KING’s update.) The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is leading the operation, which it describes as “a multiagency law enforcement operation conducted today involving the execution of multiple search warrants pertaining to the illegal trafficking of contraband cigarettes in Seattle and areas of Western Washington.”

ATF plans a media briefing shortly, and we expect to have more information after that.

ADDED 1:24 PM: Click ahead for the full text of the ATF news release: Read the rest of this entry »

Just in from Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff’s Office:

A Sheriff’s deputy suffered a severely broken wrist while chasing and trying to arrest a suspected drunk driver. The deputy went to the hospital and the driver escaped.

The incident occurred about 12:30 AM this morning (June 15th) in the White Center neighborhood of unincorporated King County.

The patrol deputy tried to stop a 1993 Cadillac DeVille for possible drunk driving. The car, with four people on-board, took off and refused to stop for lights and siren from the police car.

The chase lasted only a couple of minutes before the car suddenly pulled over and the driver took off running. However the deputy was hot-on-his-heels and managed to grab hold of his jacket. The man turned suddenly and the deputy went to the ground, fracturing his wrist. The suspect kept running. The other occupants of the vehicle were interviewed and released.

The deputy has been with the Sheriff’s Office for three years and is 52 years old. He was treated at Valley Medical Center and released.

The suspect is as a black male in his 30’s about 5’ 10” and 130 lbs. If anyone has information they are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 or 9-1-1.

Our partners at the Seattle Times report that Vernon Walker, charged in the 2003 White Center murder of Darreion Roche (backstory here), is now in custody in Seattle, after years behind bars in Canada, fighting extradition. Walker was 18 years old when he allegedly shot and killed Roche following an argument that may have been related to drugs.

Joe lives in White Center and uses the Myers Way Park-and-Ride, which is in Seattle city limits. Earlier this week, his car was stolen from the P/R, and he asked if we would send out an alert to be on the lookout for it. Before we got a chance to publish it, he found out that his car had been recovered – on Delridge Way SW, across the street from the vacant Boren Middle School building. He said it’s “in pretty good shape … the stereo and car battery are gone but the windows and tires are still intact.”

Just in from WCN contributor Deanie Schwarz – More than 20 law-enforcement vehicles rushed to help a King County transit deputy after an attack attempt around 9:45 pm in White Center. A KC Sheriff’s Office supervisor told Deanie that the deputy tried to make a routine traffic stop, pulling over the vehicle in a business parking lot at 106th/16th. As the deputy approached the vehicle, the driver threw it into reverse, gunned it, and tried to run over the deputy, according to the KCSO supervisor. Deanie says the call for backup brought cars from Seattle, Burien, and Sound Transit as well as the Sheriff’s Office. The deputy wasn’t hurt; one arrest is reported, and three more people were detained for questioning.

Received a notice indicating the monthly meeting is on tonight as usual – 6 pm, White Center DSHS building between 14th and 15th SW just south of Roxbury, second floor. No agenda mentioned so far (we’re checking).

We have the court documents this morning in a case first reported last night by seattlepi.com – two suspects charged with drug violations in connection with what authorities call a “drug house” in the 10400 block of 8th SW. The charges are filed against 51-year-old Charles Whitney Nelson and his 54-year-old brother Vance Mclay (aka Martin Nelson).

According to court documents, the King County Sheriff’s Office first got a complaint about the house in August 2008; the suspected drugs were heroin and meth. They checked on the area and “contacted” people from time to time, including surveillance and two arrests in December 2008; after that, the court documents say, activity “declined” – till early 2010. June 30th of last year was a pivotal date, according to the charging papers; a deputy and detectives parked nearby, watched comings and goings, and started stopping and arresting people. Then they discovered a three-year-old boy was in the house, grandson of Charles Nelson. Checking inside, the KCSO team found what they summarized as “overwhelming filth, dangerous drugs and paraphernalia” and took the child into protective custody. They talked to Nelson and Mclay, who acknowledged the drug activity and promised to clean things up. They didn’t, according to numerous subsequent visits by law enforcement that are detailed in the court papers, and a raid last December netted 13 arrests.

Each brother faces two charges resulting from the court documents summarizing countless KCSO visits. King County Jail records show that Charles Nelson was in jail for a little more than one day after the mid-December raid; he has been jailed twice since then, once for about a day for a public-nuisance charge, once for half a day for criminal trespass. Mclay (Martin Nelson) also spent one day in jail after the mid-December raid, and half a day since then for criminal trespass. Both are reported to have criminal records going back into the ’80s.

From the King County Sheriff’s Office – a long-awaited program has launched:

The Sheriff’s Office has launched online reporting for a variety of crimes, suspicious circumstances, and traffic complaints.

The service is available to citizens living in unincorporated King County, as well as the 12 communities that contract for police services from the Sheriff’s Office. That’s over 500,000 people.

However, citizens who still want “human contact” can do so by telephoning the Sheriff’s Office Communications Center at (206) 296-3311. A deputy will come to the door if preferred.

➢ All emergencies must still be reported to 9-1-1!

“This new reporting system was developed for the convenience of folks who may not want to call in or wait for a deputy”, said Sheriff Sue Rahr. “It just gives citizens another option”, she added. Due to budget cutbacks, wait times for deputies in unincorporated King County have increased for incidents that are not emergent, Rahr said.

In addition, the new program allows crime victims to print a copy of their report which can be sent to their insurance company, if needed.

Some of the many crimes that can be reported through the Sheriff’s Office web site include vandalism, car prowls, thefts from vehicles or yards, identity theft, nuisance phone calls, as well as thefts of mail and bicycles. Burglaries and car thefts still require a visit from a deputy, but follow-up information after the initial report can be sent via the new system.

Reports of abandoned vehicles, suspicious activity, narcotic activity, and chronic traffic problems such as neighborhood speeding can be reported using the on-line system.

The link to view the complete list of what can be reported and other criteria is at www.ReportToSheriff.org.

On-line reporting and resource information is also available in Cambodian, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. By calling the Sheriff’s Communication Center, callers can be linked with a live translator for other languages.

Today the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged “Green River Killer” Gary Ridgway in the murder almost 30 years ago of Becky Marrero. She grew up in White Center, as noted here last Christmas. Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg writes in “The Prosecutor’s Post”:

Today, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (PAO) charged Gary Ridgway with Aggravated First Degree Murder for the death of 20-year-old Becky Marrero, whose remains were found in December of 2010 by three teenagers exploring a steep ravine near Auburn.

Marrero’s remains were discovered within 100 feet of an area that had been thoroughly searched by members of the King County Sheriff’s Office’s Green River Task Force in 2003. Ridgway had directed the Task Force to that area, among many others, during the five months he was interviewed by the Task Force. An exhaustive search of the area was conducted, but only the remains of another victim, Maria Malvar, were found at that time.

Ultimately, Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 counts of Aggravated First Degree Murder in 2003. The plea agreement required Ridgway to plead guilty to the original seven charged counts and any and all future cases where his confession could be corroborated by reliable facts revealed by the investigation.

Ridgway confessed to killing Becky Marrero in 2003, but was unable to provide details of the crime. The PAO determined that there were not sufficient supporting facts to warrant a charge at that time. Prosecutors expect Ridgway to plead guilty to Marrero’s murder under the plea agreement.

This is not a death penalty case because it falls squarely within the agreement made in 2003. Seeking the death penalty would not only be difficult, it would be impossible under the agreement. When Norm Maleng made the difficult decision in 2003 to trade the death penalty for the truth about unsolved cases, he had cases like this one and families like the Marrero’s in mind.

Becky Marrero’s family was finally able to bury her after a church service this past weekend. They finally have answers. They have provided a proper burial, and with these charges and anticipated guilty plea, they will have achieved some level of justice for Becky.

(Note: While our West Seattle site is down – its server-management company says they’re under denial-of-service attack – we’re posting stories here, since this site is unaffected, using a different server-management company. When the outage is over, we’ll move them to WSB and delete them here unless they’re of White Center relevance too.)

New development tonight in the wake of yesterday’s Lincoln Park attack and arrest. Tonight police have gone public with that sketch they say was made because of an attack in the park last December. They want to hear from anyone and everyone who not only might have had a suspicious encounter in the park, but anyone who might have been subject to “unwanted touching” elsewhere in West Seattle. As we reported earlier today, the man arrested yesterday, 46-year-old Duane Starkenburg, is currently charged only in one incident – and police are working hard to see if there are others he might be responsible for. Here’s their full update.

An update this morning from King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart, with the cause of the weekend fire and the scope of what KCSO calls a grow operation:

An early morning fire in a single family residence did more than burn up the house. It sent a good-size, illegal marijuana grow operation up in smoke as well.

The fire was reported about 1:00 AM on Sunday morning, January 23rd, in the 10400 block of 10th Ave SW (White Center neighborhood of unincorporated King County).

Responding firefighters called the Sheriff’s Office after they found the marijuana grow operation in the basement of the residence as they were knocking down the fire. There were about 55 medium size plants, lights, timers, ventilation equipment, and other growing supplies in the house.

No one was home at the time of the fire and there were no arrests.

A fire investigator from the Sheriff’s Office believes an electrical malfunction was the likely cause of the fire.

4:15 PM: According to KING5.com, a fire on 10th Avenue SW early this morning has sparked a King County Sheriff’s Office investigation – because of an alleged marijuana-growing operation. Here’s their story. We’ve got messages out to find out more.

6:07 PM UPDATE: A little more information from King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart – The fire was in the 10400 block of 10th Ave SW. A county fire investigator has been to the scene but the investigator’s report isn’t filed yet, so details will have to wait until at least tomorrow, including the size of the “grow op” he says they found. The house was fully involved when fire crews arrived, according to Sgt. Urquhart, who says fire crews called for KCSO around 1:12 am.

Just in from Sgt. John Urquhart with the King County Sheriff’s Office:

A party at a house in White Center “went bad” early Sunday morning (January 16th). Numerous shots were fired about 3:10 AM by one suspect and one man was hit. He is at Harborview Medical Center after undergoing emergency surgery.

The house is in the 600 block of SW 107th St (map). A number of people were at the party and a fight broke out when one of the party-goers apparently grabbed the butt of one of the female guests. Her boy-friend took exception and there was a fistfight. The grabber was summarily ejected from the house.

About an hour later several men came back to the house, pounded on the front door, and then fired several rounds from a handgun into the house. A 20 year-old Seattle man was hit in the torso. The suspects fled.

The Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the shooting by neighbors.

Friends of the victim drove him to Harborview where he remains in critical condition. The friends remained and were interviewed by detectives.

There have been no arrests and the case is under investigation today.

We heard this pursuit on the scanner last night but didn’t realize it had begun in White Center. Just in from King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart:

The New Year is starting with a bang as one car chased another car while firing several shots at the fleeing vehicle. Apparently no one was hit.

Then it got interesting. A Sheriff’s deputies found the suspect car twice, and the chase(s) was on!

It all started about 10:50 PM last night (January 2nd). The Sheriff’s Office received a 9-1-1 call about a black Acura chasing a red SUV in the White Center area at speeds up to 80 mph. The driver of the Acura was leaning out the window shooting a handgun at the SUV.

Ten minutes later a deputy found the Acura, now in the Top Hat neighborhood and a short pursuit ensued. But the suspect vehicle got away.

A few minutes later a 2nd deputy found the car again, this time on SR 599. Another pursuit ending up on southbound I-5. The chase was ended when the deputy lost sight of the car at about the Kent-Des Moines Road.

At 12:15 AM a White Center woman called to report her 1997 Acura Integra stolen. Deputies believe this was the vehicle involved in the shooting and the chase. The license number is 403ZJG (Washington). The car is distinctive because it is black but with red and silver wheel rims.

So far there are no reported injures. No one is in custody. Neither the stolen vehicle nor the red SUV, possibly a 4Runner, have been found.

Anyone with information is asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours) or 9-1-1.

10:32 AM UPDATE: According to the scanner, police have found the stolen car. No word if they found a suspect with it. It wasn’t in West Seattle or White Center – someplace else in Seattle city limits, couldn’t quite pick that up from the radio transmissions.

Following up on the King County Sheriff’s Office announcement that remains of another likely Green River Killer victim had been identified, seattlepi.com tells more of her story tonight, in an interview with her sister. The photo of Becky Marrero , who disappeared in December 1982, is courtesy of KCSO. In case you missed the earlier coverage, here’s their official announcement:

A skull found in an Auburn ravine on Tuesday (December 21st) was positively identified as Rebecca “Becky” Marrero. The remains were identified by Dr. Gary Bell, who performs forensic odontology for Medical Examiner’s Office and the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab.

Detectives believe Marrero very likely a victim of serial killer Gary Ridgway, the so-called Green River Killer.

Marrero was last seen on December 3, 1982 when she left a motel room at S. 168th and Pacific Highway South. She was 20 years old at the time.

Marrero was reported missing to the Sheriff’s Office by her mother on July 20, 1984. Her disappearance was investigated by the Green River Task Force, and she was believed to be a Green River victim.

Ridgway was arrested on November 30, 2001. Two years later he pleaded guilty to the murder of 48 women and was sentenced to 48 consecutive live terms. He was not charged in the Marrero case.

The remains of Marie Malvar on September 28, 2003 in the same general area where Marrero was found. Malvar was last seen in 1983 at S. 216th and Pacific Highway South. Ridgway was convicted in the Malvar homicide.

Ridgway was questioned extensively in 2003 about Becky Marrero’s disappearance. However by policy, the Sheriff’s Office does not discuss what suspects say or don’t say during the investigation of open cases.