Crime | The B-Town (Burien) Blog TEST http://btb.nwlens.com Burien News, Events, Politics, Arts & more Wed, 12 Dec 2018 18:58:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 http://btb.nwlens.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/cropped-BTBExtraLogo1-32x32.png Crime | The B-Town (Burien) Blog TEST http://btb.nwlens.com 32 32 Felon with gun runs into pole, hides on roof of Burien house Tuesday night http://btb.nwlens.com/felon-runs-into-power-pole-ends-up-hiding-on-roof-of-burien-house-tuesday-night/ Wed, 12 Dec 2018 18:58:43 +0000 http://b-townblog.com/?p=135117 A felon had a hit and run collision with a power pole near S. 124th Street and 5th Ave S. (map below) in Burien Tuesday night, Dec. 11.
When police arrived, power lines were still hot and on top of the car.
Once a power truck was able to get on scene and turn off the power, police were able to determine that the driver had escaped on foot.
Police say that a handgun was found on the dashboard of the car.
A short time later, Deputies heard someone calling for help from a roof of a nearby house (KOMO’s helicopter caught the action – see below). The person was a 28-year old male who admitted that he was the driver and that the gun was his. He was arrested.
The suspect was a convicted felon, so he’s not allowed to be in possession of a gun.
“After a trip to the hospital for precautionary measures, he was booked into jail,” Sgt. Ryan Abbott told The B-Town Blog.
The road was closed so City Light crews could restore power, and was re-opened around 5:40 a.m. Wednesday morning, Dec. 12.




]]> VIDEO: Two Latino officers look to make inroads in Burien http://btb.nwlens.com/video-two-latino-officers-look-to-make-inroads-in-burien/ Thu, 15 Nov 2018 17:07:54 +0000 http://b-townblog.com/?p=134073 Courtesy Q13 comes this great video profile of two Latino Burien Police/King County Sheriff’s Officers, who are working to prevent gangs by reaching out to the city’s ~25 percent hispanic community.
“King County Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Marquez and Burien Police Officer Detective Ricardo Cueva are the definition of community policing,” Q13 said.
Q13 adds:

Out of the 43 officers in Burien, only two of them – less than five percent – are Latino and Spanish-speaking. That means the department doesn’t match the city’s growing population of being about 25% Latino.
King County Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Marquez and Burien Police Officer Detective Ricardo Cueva are the definition of community policing. But in Burien, Cueva and Marquez reach out to residents in the Spanish language spoken in many stores and homes, especially off Ambaum Boulevard.

]]> Gang unit, housing, homeless services & transportation part of new county budget http://btb.nwlens.com/gang-unit-housing-homeless-services-transportation-part-of-new-county-budget/ Tue, 13 Nov 2018 23:52:54 +0000 http://b-townblog.com/?p=134011
Burien will see an increased focus on reducing gang violence and creating greater access to community services as part of the $11.7 billion 2019-2020 County Budget unanimously adopted by the King County Council on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018.
“Public safety is a responsibility I take seriously. The steps taken in the budget will increase our ability to prevent and respond to crime in our South County cities through innovative and effective programing,” said Councilmember Dave Upthegrove, who represents Burien on the County Council and is chair of the council’s Budget Committee.
Burien is still mourning the murder of Gabriela Reyes Dominguez, tragically killed in an apparent gang shooting on Sept. 19. The adopted budget provides $842,280 to the King County Sheriff’s office for additional positions to staff the new gang task force. As part of this task force, the Sheriff’s office will conduct community engagement efforts to help prevent/reduce gang violence.
The budget also implements programming that helps create equitable access to our courts system.
The budget expands the nationally recognized Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program to the City of Burien to facilitate treatment and community services. LEAD allows law enforcement officers to redirect low-level offenders engaged in drug or prostitution activity to community-based services, instead of jail and prosecution. Getting people the help they need allows them to become productive members of society.
The budget also expands community court, an alternative to traditional district court that focuses on identifying and addressing the challenges facing some defendants to help reduce the possibility of them reoffending. Started in Redmond, the 2019-2020 Budget will allow community court to also expand to the City of Burien.
The adopted budget also increases the county’s commitment to increasing the affordability and accessibility of housing for working families in Burien. The budget includes $100 million invested in housing projects, including $3 million dedicated to projects close to transit in Burien.


PUBLIC SAFETY
The public safety portion of the new budget includes:

  • Proposed new Gang Unit funding along with a proviso requiring the Sheriff to conduct community engagement efforts to prevent and reduce gang violence.
  • Adds a Background Check Detective to help the Sheriff fill vacancies more quickly.
  • Also provides resources to comply with HB 1022, as well as requiring responses to Office of Law Enforcement Oversight reports from 2018, and requires safety gear for traffic enforcement officers.
  • Establishes a South King County Pretrial Services program with $1.3M in funding, including support from King County’s Mental Illness and Drug Dependency fund for behavioral health services.
  • Requires the Executive to provide a plan for how the Zero Youth Detention Initiative will address the school-to-prison pipeline and incorporate successful anti-gang youth programs, principles and strategies.

A budget summary can be downloaded here
(PDF file).

]]> Burien City Council asks for help for evicted residents of Fox Cove Apartments http://btb.nwlens.com/burien-city-council-asks-for-help-for-evicted-residents-of-fox-cove-apartments/ Tue, 02 Oct 2018 23:47:09 +0000 http://b-townblog.com/?p=132457

The Fox Cove Apartments are located at 149 SW 160th Street in Burien.


By Jack Mayne
Residents and supporters of residents of a dilapidated apartment building in Burien told the City Council meeting on Monday (Oct. 1) of new owners ordering residents evicted so the facility can be upgraded.
Fox Cove Apartments took up the majority of the meeting and the public comment period. Tenants of the apartments, located at 149 SW 160th Street in Burien, are upset about recent eviction notices, which gives several an Oct. 31 deadline to vacate their homes.
Residents got a letter on Sept. 14. City Manager Brian Wilson said Monday night, adding that the property ownership had changed hands to SUHRCO Residential Properties in Bellevue.
According to several reports, many residents get by on low incomes, and worry that the evictions – while legal – may push them into homelessness within weeks (read our previous coverage here).
Wilson said the Bellevue property owner wants to upgrade and rehabilitate the structure, but if it reopens it will “likely be at a higher rent rate” adding the city is “working to make contact with those property owners” and they “have told the city it wants to work with Burien” and that “those efforts are ongoing. We will work on plans to address these issues and to ensure that all legal requirements are being followed,” the city manager said.

Marx says ‘city emergency’
Councilmember Krystal Marx said she was glad the city manager made contact and was having conversations with the property owner, but “conversations don’t keep people housed.” She moved to “direct staff to declare the displacement of these citizens to be a … city emergency” and “to prepare a draft temporary ordinance that requires residential landlords to provide 90 days written notice prior to terminating a tenancy for reasons that would otherwise not be cause for an eviction .…”
She also wants the Council to review “options for expanding tenant rates in Burien” to go the city human services commission for review and make recommendation to the Council by its Nov. 5 meeting.
“I remain hopeful that, through a combination of community engagement, Staff effort, Council support and communication with the new owners, we can come to a resolution that will not leave these tenants out in the cold,” Marx said in a Facebook post.
Olguin says ’disingenuous’
Councilmember Pedro Olguin said he thought it was “disingenuous … to just fix one right when there is a slew of rights than need to be encompassed and I would rather take up a total fight that is going to make sure than everyone is protected.” He suggested relocation cost assistance “because there really isn’t anything on the books that is going to protect them.”
Marx agreed with Olguin, but said her proposal would sunset after 90 days and she wanted something to help the people in Fox Cove Apartments now and not wait for a longer term solution. She said she had seen videos of people at Fox Cove having water from an upstairs apartment “pouring down through an overhead ceiling light,” hearing about people with a stove that has not worked for over a year, and a refrigerator for over three years.
While the new owner will “rectify these issues” it still means that low income people will be displaced “and may be facing homelessness,” Marx said. “If we want to talk about addressing the root causes of children being attracted to gangs, maybe not standing idly by while they are displaced from homes is a good point to start from.” There was sporadic applause from the audience.
Still, her proposal died for lack of a second.
The people speak
As the mayor prepared to call for comments from the 35 citizens who have signed up to comment, Councilmember Nancy Tosta said that too often the Council does not get to the matters before it, while time is used to hear comments from citizens.
“We have issues we have prioritized, but we never get them on our schedule,” she said. I’d like to stick to the 20 minutes” normally allotted to public comments or have a town hall meeting to allow full comments on subjects the people want to tall the Council about.
“Our job is govern, it’s to pass policies and laws,” Tosta said. “If meetings don’t allow us time to do that, then we aren’t governing. It doesn’t do any good to hear from everybody if we don’t have time to address the issues that they are asking us to deal with.”
Councilmember Lucy Krakowiak said all 35 people should get two minutes, and Tosta agreed and moved to give two minutes each to commenters.
Several of the residents and some others speaking for them were given time at the meeting.
‘Severely incapacitated’
One woman told of being a caregiver for a severely incapacitated resident of the Fox Cove Apartments, and said the woman she worked with had suffered from “black mold everywhere” in her apartment that she;s rented for many years. The owners would “never do anything about it.” She asked for time to find another place or assistance for the woman to find a new place in which to live, “in peace.” “There is no other place to go but on the streets,” she said.
Heather Pierce of the Rental Housing Association of Washington – which represents small rental owners – said the new owners of the Fox Cove units, which needs renovation, need to give time for tenants find other places to live. She said the association wants to consider how they can partner with the city to find a solution “including pooling of resources” for the evicted residents to find new places to live.
Stephen Whitney said he and his finace have lived in the apartments for three years and co-parent two nine-year-old girls and recently adopted a 15-year-old boy with disabilities, and also have a disability abled baby in their care. The previous owner “neglected any warnings of any of these tenants here tonight” which left “us continuing …to live in unlivable conditions.” No one answers resident’s calls because “the new owner is on vacation.” More stress comes from waiting to be “booted out,” Whitney said.
“We in the community are desperately asking somebody for help and none of us deserve this.”
Many of the other community comment presenters were advocating or supporting other causes not associated with the Fox Cove Apartment situation.

A GoFundMe page has been created to help those in need – donate online here:

https://www.gofundme.com/6735880?member=852032 

Here’s a video courtesy KING5:

Also, some info about tenant’s rights is available here:

https://tenantsunion.org/en/rights/low-income-housing-eviction



Public safety
City Manager Brian Wilson told the Council he has carried out a Council directive made at the Sept. 24 meeting to enhance a plan to “enhance public safety” and the “effort is underway and we gave a multiple prong approach” that includes community feedback, have increased policing and “talking about increased social services for our youth and our community.”

]]> Third suspect arrested in connection with drive-by shooting; gang unit to be formed http://btb.nwlens.com/third-suspect-arrested-in-connection-with-drive-by-shooting-gang-unit-to-be-formed/ Mon, 24 Sep 2018 22:23:11 +0000 http://b-townblog.com/?p=132101 King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht announced that a third suspect has been arrested in connection with the fatal, tragic drive-by shooting that killed Gabriela Reyes-Dominguez on Sept. 19, and also announced the formation of a regional gang unit at a press conference held on Monday afternoon, Sept. 24.
The suspect – who was arrested on Saturday – was a juvenile male who was believed to be in the suspect vehicle; no other details have been released.
Here’s part of what the Sheriff said:

“First I want to express my condolences to the family of Gabriela Reyes-Dominguez. Her senseless death is a tragedy; my heart breaks for her loved ones. This innocent women thru no fault of her own, found herself in the crosshairs of an escalating war between rival gangs. This violence needs to stop. People should be able to go to work, or to school, or to the grocery store and expect they can return home safely to their families and friends. I will do everything I can do in my power to make sure that they can. But this is a mission that’s much larger than me right now.
As you know, the quick work of our detectives lead to the arrest of two suspects not long after the shooting. On Saturday we arrested a third, and we believe that person was in the vehicle. Right now our detectives in the Prosecutor’s Office are working nearly around the clock to sort out which role which person had or may have played in this extreme act of violence. That’s what we’re doing right now…but what can we do going forward?
Today Executive Dow Constantine forwarded his proposed budget to the King County Council. I am grateful that he included funds that will help us form a regional gang unit in King County to focus on the continuing and growing gang problem and escalating war between the two factions in the south end of King County. As King County Sheriff I am stepping up to take the lead on this regional task force and approach to gang violence. I am reaching out to other chief law enforcement officers, other police chiefs and other cities to help join us at the table and to continue the work I started as the precinct Major in Burien, to work together and improve investigations of crimes of violence and to do some other outreach work there. With the Executive’s backing and the council’s, we hope to add a sergeant and a detective to the gang unit, and again as I said to work with those other agencies to contribute personnel. Their focus will be fighting crime, but also our gang unit will provide support to schools, to help educate them on what gang behaviors are and what recruitments efforts are being made in the schools and to help work together with them and to work with parents to help them know what and how to combat it if they see it. Kids need better choices than gangs, we all know this – this isn’t a surprise it’s been going on for years. A regional gang task force is a first good step towards accomplishing a mission in reducing crime, extreme violence and unwanted drive-by shootings and bad behavior…that has taken an innocent life in King County. Through these efforts we hope to restore safety and security in our neighborhoods.”

Here’s more from KCSO on the gang unit:

Working with King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht and her staff, Executive Constantine proposed funding for two additional positions to be assigned to the newly formed Sheriff’s Office Youth & Family Investigative Unit. The $842,280 investment for a detective and sergeant is part of the $398,170,000 proposed budget for the Sheriff’s Office.
Executive Constantine will transmit his 2019-2020 budget proposal to the King County Council on Sept. 24.
“My proposed budget makes significant investments in families and communities so that young people get a strong start in life. We must use every tool at our disposal to turn adolescents away from a life of violence, and ensure that our neighborhoods are safe,” said Executive Constantine.
“With these additional resources, the Sheriff’s Office will be better able to partner with other King County programs and community organizations to offer youth a better path, and a more secure future.”
The positions will allow the Sheriff’s Office to take a leadership role in forming a Regional Gang Unit to address gang violence in our communities. “I am incredibly grateful for Executive Constantine’s vision and support as we work to combat gang violence and guide our youth toward better alternatives and brighter futures,” said Sheriff Johanknecht.
The Sergeant and Detective will work in tandem with other members of the KCSO Youth and Family Investigative Unit to address trends in youth crime by educating families, school faculty, and affected communities on juvenile gangs and their recruitment efforts. The detective and sergeant will act as a liaison between families and juvenile justice intervention programs, and assist school resource officers in addressing gang activity on their campuses.
These positions align with the Equity and Social Justice Initiative by investing in both community relationships and child development, with the goal of diverting youth away from gang involvement by immunizing them against gang recruitment efforts.
The budget transmittal on Sept. 24 is the first step in a two-month public review process leading to final adoption by the King County Council in November.

Here’s raw video from the Sheriff’s press conference:

]]> VIDEO: Vigil held for drive-by shooting victim Gabriela Reyes-Dominguez http://btb.nwlens.com/video-vigil-held-for-drive-by-shooting-victim-gabriela-reyes-dominguez/ Fri, 21 Sep 2018 19:42:10 +0000 http://b-townblog.com/?p=131979 The parking lot next to Burien’s One Source Chiropractic was packed with friends, family and community members Thursday night (Sept. 20), all together to grieve the senseless killing of Gabriela Reyes-Dominguez, 51, whose life ended when a stray bullet from a drive-by shooting across the street killed her.
‘Gaby’ worked as a receptionist in the chiropractic office located at 15217 1st Ave South, and was fatally struck by a stray bullet from a drive-by shooting on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 19. Two suspects were arrested on Thursday.
A makeshift memorial full of flowers, balloons, candles and notes was growing, and sadly, the bullet hole from the gunshot that killed her was still visible, a sad reminder of the recent tragedy.

NOTE: Due to a prior commitment, we arrived a little late to the vigil, but here is what Scott Schaefer was able to capture, including an interview with Burien Mayor Jimmy Matta (running time 4:07):

A GoFundMe page has been created to help the family – donate online here.

Here’s another video courtesy KING5:

Everyone at South King Media sends their deepest sympathies to all who knew and loved Gaby, as well as to the entire Burien community we love.

Gaby’s funeral was held Friday at Holy Family Church in White Center:


UPDATE: TEENS WERE STUDENTS AT HIGHLINE HIGH SCHOOL:

]]> Expansion of LEAD Program will begin in Burien next year, Constantine announces http://btb.nwlens.com/expansion-of-lead-program-will-begin-in-burien-next-year-constantine-announces/ Tue, 11 Sep 2018 22:43:22 +0000 http://b-townblog.com/?p=131448 King County Executive Dow Constantine announced in Burien Tuesday (Sept. 11) that his 2019-2020 budget proposal includes $3.1 million to expand Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) to three King County cities, beginning with Burien.
Also present at a press conference in front of the Burien Police Precinct were Mayor Jimmy Matta, King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove, Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, Councilmember Krystal Marx and others:

Here’s more info from the County:

Under a budget proposal from Constantine, about 100 people involved in low-level drug crimes in Burien will be referred to LEAD and receive community-based care next year.
Two other South County cities are expected to join LEAD in the next two years, providing police and others with alternatives to traditional arrest and court appearances.
“For most people seeking treatment, we have essentially reached treatment on demand for opiate use disorder. Those who want help can immediately get into detox, or receive outpatient, residential, and medication-assisted care,” said Executive Constantine. “Our next great challenge is to reach people who are not currently seeking services. With LEAD, we have more opportunities to meet people where they are struggling, and offer the chance of a better life.”
“The answer to drug addiction isn’t found in a courtroom or jail cell but instead through a system of community-based care. The LEAD program has convinced me that our tax dollars are better spent helping people with addiction rather than punishing them,” said King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg.
“Expanding the LEAD program to Burien will give our Deputies more options when patrolling our streets,” said King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht. “Many of the low level drug users our Deputies encounter are homeless and simply need help. Hauling them to jail for a low level drug crime only helps to keep them in the cycle of despair….referring them to LEAD gives them hope. In turn, the program allows us to reduce crime related to the drug trade.”
The funding, $3.1 million, will come from the Mental Illness and Drug Dependency fund, a countywide 0.1 percent sales tax generating about $134 million per biennium.
Approximately $430,000 will be directed to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for additional staffing. The balance of the funds will be contracted to the Public Defender Association and their behavioral health subcontractors to provide outreach and case management.
This fall, the Burien City Council will be presented with information about LEAD services, and how they can be tailored to Burien’s specific needs. Council will have the opportunity to discuss and potentially take action to authorize the program. LEAD is one of the many programs being explored as part of Burien’s new Framework for Strengthening Families.
“We appreciate MIDD funds being directed to the city of Burien. We know there has been staff work to design a program specific to Burien,” said Burien Councilmember Krystal Marx. “I look forward to having a council discussion and potential approval for this program in Burien.”
The LEAD budget also includes $4 million for Seattle in 2019-2020. The City of Seattle’s 2018 budget included $1.75 million in LEAD in Seattle, which currently provides wrap-around case management for about 250 new referrals each year, as well as continuing services for past referrals.
“Most leaders in our region see clearly that we can’t jail and punish our way out of the issues caused by addiction, the drug economy, mental illness and extreme poverty,” said Lisa Daugaard, director of the Public Defender Association.
“We can’t afford that approach and it doesn’t work. However, it’s not enough to understand what we should stop doing,” she said. “We must also commit as a region to a new paradigm that does have the potential to meaningfully address the real public order and public health issues posed when unmet human needs result in law violations. The proposed expansion of LEAD is a down payment on taking the new paradigm to scale, which is what our communities deserve.”
LEAD was developed with the community to address low-level drug crimes. It was launched in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood in October 2011. It is operational in the West, East, and North precincts. In addition, King County Sheriff’s Deputies assigned to Metro routes across Seattle also refer people to LEAD.
LEAD diverts low-level drug offenders into community-based treatment and support services – including housing, healthcare, job training, treatment and mental health support – instead of processing them through the traditional criminal justice system.
Referrals can come from law enforcement or concerned individuals.
An evaluation by researchers at the University of Washington in 2015 showed that LEAD significantly reduced recidivism. People in LEAD were 58 percent less likely than people in the control group to be arrested.
Collaborators include the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, the Seattle Police Department, the King County Sheriff’s Office, the King County Executive, the Mayor’s Office, The Washington State Department of Corrections, The Defender Association, the ACLU of Washington, and community members.

BURIEN COUNCILMEMBER RESPONDS
Burien City Councilmember Krystal Marx said in a Facebook post:

“…it is important to note that the Burien City Council has not yet discussed Staff’s recommendations and research on what that program would look like in Burien. While a tailored approach would fit in the Framework for Healthy Families proposed/adopted by Council on August 6th, we understand the importance of public input and Council discussion.
“Today’s press conference is for Executive Constantine to lay out the MIDD funding that is available in his proposed budget (that the King County Council will be voting to approve/reject on the 24th) for Burien – money we desperately need in order to provide holistic solutions to our city’s unhoused and/or mentally ill.
“Please let me know what questions you have – here, or via email at krystalm@burienwa.gov, or reach out to City Human Services Manager, Colleen Brandt-Schluter (colleenb@burienwa.gov).
“Any other information, at this point, is conjecture, assumption or anecdotal, and you deserve the facts.”

RELEVANT TWEETS:



LINKS:

]]> VIDEO: Recognize this thief? He stole some coins from LJR Coins in Burien http://btb.nwlens.com/video-recognize-this-thief-he-stole-some-coins-from-ljr-coins-in-burien/ Tue, 11 Sep 2018 20:28:27 +0000 http://b-townblog.com/?p=131427 LJR Coins and Burien Police/King County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help identifying this man, who stole some coins on Aug. 7., 2018 (NOTE: there is no audio in the security cam video below):

  • This happened around 7 p.m. on Aug. 7 at LJR Coins, located at 635 SW 150th Street in Burien.
  • The suspect is a white male in his early 30s, who entered the store, looked around, grabbed two coins off a public ‘Bid Board’ on the north wall, then walked out of the store.
  • He was described as 6’2, skinny, wearing a black baseball hat with a “K” on it, faded black shirt and black shorts.
  • The coins were valued at $50.00 each.
  • The store clerk did not chase the suspect.

If you recognize the suspect, please contact Burien Police at (206) 296-3311, and reference case #C18035012.

]]> VIDEO: Family of man who stole & crashed Horizon Q400 press conference http://btb.nwlens.com/video-family-of-man-who-stole-crashed-horizon-air-q400-holds-press-conference/ Sun, 12 Aug 2018 02:08:57 +0000 http://b-townblog.com/?p=130400 On Saturday, Aug. 11, the family of Richard ‘Beebo’ Russell held a press conference about their son, who was tragically killed when the Horizon Air Q400 airplane he stole from Sea-Tac Airport crashed on Friday, Aug. 10.
Russell was a ground service agent at Sea–Tac Airport, and he presumably died on impact as the airplane crashed into Ketron Island.

Also, here are raw audio recordings from Russell’s tragic incident:

And this is apparently a video Russell produced about himself and posted on his blog:

]]> VIDEO: Recognize these guys? They vandalized a Burien home early Sunday http://btb.nwlens.com/video-recognize-these-guys-they-vandalized-a-burien-home-early-sunday/ Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:03:36 +0000 http://b-townblog.com/?p=130005 Recognize these young men?

At 1:18 a.m. Sunday morning (July 29), they threw large rocks and weights through a home on Maplewild Ave SW.
They shattered three windows upstairs and downstairs, then drove away north on Maplewild in a small black SUV.
Sgt. Ryan Abbott of the King County Sheriff’s Office confirmed this incident, and added that they also egged this residence heavily.
“Looks to be 4 juvenile males, 1 driver of a car … so 5 total juveniles,” Abbott told The B-Town Blog.
“This is the third time this home has been attacked and we have a small child,” the homeowner said.
The photo below was is a screen grab from the video above, and shows young, white males:

If anyone recognizes the people in this photo or knows anything about this incident, please inform the Burien Police at (206) 296-3311 and reference case number C18033527.

]]>