George Spady Jr, a 31-year-old little league coach in Arlington is accused of using some of his players, including his son and nephew to burglarize an Arlington shop. George admits he had a lapse in judgment, but his family claims the police have it all wrong – according to police, George encouraged the boys to steal things from the shop. The full story from King5.
Should George, who has two prior misdemeanor convictions, be allowed to coach little league ball? Little league players look up to their coach as a role model and an inspiration, and should not have a man of George’s criminal past as their coach. Misdemeanors are minor, but statistically I’m sure many people who go on to commit more serious crimes start with a few minor crimes.
Washington prison officials have a penny-pinching idea: deport inmates who are illegal immigrants back to their home countries instead of supporting them in state prisons. Though originally brought up in front of the state legislature, the assembly adjourned and the topic was shelved. Now, the Department of Corrections is asking the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorney and the Supreme Court Judges Association to approve the deportations.
While my pragmatic half applauds the move, the more suspicious half wonders if this strategy will be used to further other agendas. Also, whatever happened to the concept of serving American justice on American soil? Aren’t we the ones who are always looking for the extradition of prisoners hiding in other countries? Read more on the topic on the Seattle Times site.
A Bellevue businessman has been sentenced to 30 days of jail and fined $160,000 for purposely mislabeling fish bought from china and resold in the United States. The imported fish was Turbot, but sold as Halibut, which garners a much higher price. Continue Reading…
According to police, 24-year-old Shawn Skelton posted an ad on Craigslist looking for a woman to have sexual relations with and then murder her. Needless to say, an undercover police officer responded to the ad and continued negotiations with Skelton. Last Monday, detectives finalized the undercover negotiations and caught Skelton in a sting at the Aero Motel in South Seattle. More info from King5.
On Saturday, Seattle Police took 30 suspects into custody as a result of a massive organized crackdown (literally) on Belltown drug dealers. More than 70 officers were involved in the bust, which was meant to seriously disrupt the operations of what appears to be a Honduran drug network. According to the Seattle Police, organized Honduran drug dealers are relatively new to Seattle, and were first noticed last year selling crack at Kinnear park. The Seattle Times article has more information.
Mason County Commissioner Tim Sheldon suggests that residents help fight crime to combat $400k in cuts from the Sheriff’s Department budget. “There is no bag limit on criminals who try a home invasion in our communities” says Sheldon. According to the Seattle Times, “The commissioner suggests that if more people in his county armed themselves and got the proper training, it could help offset cuts to law enforcement.” Needless to say, Sheldon’s statements have caused a small amount of controversy.
Friday night I called up my friend Johnny because I needed some Seattle time and Johnny knows the best places to hang. So we went around to a couple bars having a good old time. As we were walking back to his place later in the evening however, we stumbled upon a sight I’ve never seen.
Across the street from him in the Asian convenient store it appeared there was a robbery in progress. Two sets of males were violently fighting, and shit was strewn all over the floor. I grabbed my cell phone and quickly dialed 911. I gave the phone to Johnny since he knows the neighborhood more comprehensively than I do and we watched as two suspects escaped in a vehicle and sped away. We stayed on the streets til the police arrived which was rather quickly, then headed up to his window to watch the drama unfold from there. I’ll admit I was a little in shock, never having witnessed anything like this before. Continue Reading…
BZP, a new type of illegal drug is hitting the streets in an amusing form – the heads of popular cartoon characters. BZP, also uncreatively named Benny, Frenzy or Nemesis, is a clone of Ecstasy, and induces the same kind of effects. According to Wikipedia, BZP stands for Benzylpiperazine and produces “alertness, euphoria and a general feeling of well being.” Seattle news television leader KING5 says authorities were puzzled because it looked more like candy than a drug. In fact, very similar to the special edition sweet tarts produced for big films or holidays, and even Flintstones vitamins. Did the big media conglomerates find another way to license their intellectual property?
 Photo Credit: West Sound Narcotics Enforcement Team |
 Deliciously healthy Flintstones vitamins.
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Fall City resident James Garrett was pulled over by the State Patrol Monday for doing 110 MPH while in the express lanes headed eastbound toward Mercer Island. When questioned by the trooper, Garrett said he was running late to place a bid on an eBay auction. The auction’s contents were not specified, but the officer said Garrett’s car “was filled with Star Wars stuff.” Unfortunately Garrett was likely unable to bid on his prized merchandise, as he was booked on suspicion of reckless driving.
Another stab in Canadian-US relations happened this past Monday, when a Canadian man crossing into the US at the Blaine border crossing was pepper sprayed in the face for requesting the officer say please. Desiderio Fortunato was ordered to turn off his vehicle by border patrol guards – he requested the officer say please first. This exchange was repeated two more times, with Fortunato still awaiting the requested pleasantry. The officer then pepper sprayed him and dragged him out of his vehicle by his neck. When will these overly polite Canadians learn that we’re a different breed south of the 49th parallel. Authorities are currently reviewing video footage of the incident.
The 2008 Cashmere Queen has been stripped of her crown after police found marijuana and drug paraphernalia in her car. Coming just a week after Michael Phelps’ Bong-Gate, this story proves even elitist beauty pageant winners from podunk towns can be pot users. Continue Reading…
While it may not be to the magnitude of Bernie Madoff’s 50 billion dollar pyramid scheme, Bellevue proves that ridiculous greed can exist even here in the Northwest. Twenty-three counts of financial fraud have been issued against Robert Miracle by federal prosecutors; they alleged he and two other Malaysian men misled investors in what is essentially a pyramid scheme. Continue Reading…
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