The WSBeat: From Queen Anne to West Seattle; plus, 2 dog cases

By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog

From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:

*Last Thursday evening, officers noticed a suspicion-evoking car in the 8000 block of Fauntleroy Way. A license check revealed that it had been used in an armed robbery on Queen Anne, and that people associated with it should be considered “armed and dangerous.” The vehicle was stopped in the 4600 block of SW Monroe. The driver was eventually released, but two passengers wound up in the King County Jail. Police say both were carrying drugs and that the woman, an Admiral resident, had an outstanding felony drug warrant.

Five more summaries after the jump, including, “What would your mothers say?” and two cases involving dogs:

*An officer caught three guys dumping a truckload of trash at the dead end of a street in South Park. She shook her finger at them and asked what their mothers would say if they knew. She states, “They scuffed their shoes and told me, ‘Sorry Ma’am.’ She then gave each one a ticket for $104.

*In the Westwood area, a mail carrier asked a resident to please put his dog away; the owner refused. The carrier threatened to spray the dog if the owner didn’t comply; the owner said, “If you spray my dog, I’ll kick your a*s.” Officers paid a visit to the homeowner who remained uncooperative. When told he could be arrested for threatening people, the report states, “he became very excited and animated, flailing his arms in the air.” The man even went so far as to raise his right hand and wave it in the officer’s face. The officer deflected this move and with a firm, “Don’t touch me,” advised the man to curtail the threats.

*Just before three a.m. last Friday, with the temperature below 25 degrees, citizens in the 7300 block of 30th SW reported that a dog had been left tied up outside and had been barking for several hours. Getting no response from knocking on the door, the officer rescued the anxious, but friendly Staffordshire Terrier, transporting it to an animal hospital for the night since Animal Control was closed. The officer left a note on the front door explaining why and where the dog had been taken.

*Around 3 a.m. last Thursday, a resident of the 6500 block of Beach Drive called 911 to report that a naked stranger was standing in his hallway, requesting an ambulance. Officers thought the man — who was cold and wet — seemed mentally ill and intoxicated. He claimed that he had fallen into the water at the beach. After a medical evaluation he was transported to Harborview for treatment. Another resident reported finding the man’s clothes in an unsecured shed on the property.

*Around 11:30 on Friday morning, officers had no luck finding a man reported wandering in traffic at Delridge and Holden. But around four that afternoon, they were sent to the psychiatric hospital regarding a man who had received a voluntary release by the court system but who was still “hanging around.” The description fit that of the man who had been wandering in traffic. Officers immediately realized that he was unable to care for himself — and the nurse in charge agreed: He was rambling unintelligibly, kept trying to pick up trash in the waiting room, and couldn’t follow directions. His condition was so blatant that everyone agreed that there must have been a paperwork — or some other mistake—downtown. Instead of being left to fend for himself in the frigid weather, everyone concerned decided the 36-year-old should be transported to Harborview for a mental health evaluation.
==============
WSB Editor’s Note: The WSBeat has an archive category of its own, though we’re still linking the weekly reports on the WSB Crime Watch page, so you can catch it there if you miss it in the main news stream. We also continue to publish crime reports the rest of the week, when we get tips or hear noteworthy incidents via the scanner, so don’t be shy about letting us know when you see/hear something happening.

15 Replies to "The WSBeat: From Queen Anne to West Seattle; plus, 2 dog cases"

  • onceachef March 3, 2011 (2:02 pm)

    Sometimes the stories, as interesting as they are, don’t have conclusions which is frustrating. For instance, I’d like to know about the dog that was taken to the animal shelter…was he/she returned to the “POS” owners? I hope not…they should be at the very least ashamed and also FINED for their treatment of the dog. When are people going to realize they can’t do that to animals? You don’t deserve to own a pet if you can’t care for it properly…someone should tie you up with your underwear on and leave you outside in 25-degree weather…see how it feels!

    • WSB March 3, 2011 (2:06 pm)

      OAC, I wish we could do that, but that would require pretty much a staff of three just to flesh out one story … Just to follow up on one particular crime case requires going through jail, prosecutor, etc. … animal cases are almost impossible without exact addresses … As much as I wish we could tell the complete story of absolutely everything, we figure at least some info is better than none. Most of this is meant to at least shine a little light on incidents that we are frequently questioned about and cannot get to the bottom of same-day – “Why were there three cop cars outside my neighbor’s house?” (the lead item here, in fact, led to a note from a WSB’er, and this is more information than we were able to procure through multiple inquiries) … TR

  • Leslie March 3, 2011 (2:15 pm)

    I was thinking the same thing about the dog story but my mind ran in the opposite direction. I was wondering why the owner hadn’t come home. If this was a common occurance I agree the owner should be banned from owning a pet and left outside with their underwear on.

  • kg March 3, 2011 (3:37 pm)

    I was under the impression that if a dog was being aggressive then the letter carrier had no duty to deliver and the home owner would then have to pick up their mail at the post office. Maybe that’s what Mr Armflailer needs to have happen.

  • onceachef March 3, 2011 (4:23 pm)

    WSB- My “frustration” is in no way a criticism against you…I know you’re busy…seems like you guys never sleep! It’s just frustrating, that’s all!

  • chrisma March 3, 2011 (4:57 pm)

    Most (if not all) of this information is a matter of public record, right TR? How about some WSB iReporters take it on to do some follow up on the stories that interest them and report back in the comments. Citizen journalism, people. If you have time to complain about it here, you have time to make a phone call or two, right?

  • marty March 3, 2011 (7:05 pm)

    Only $104 for illegal dumping? Ten over speeding is more than that!

  • Dennise March 3, 2011 (9:00 pm)

    I’m sorry, but if the mail carrier didn’t like that the guy wouldn’t put his dog away, he should have just left. If somebody threatens my dog, I will threaten them as well. Screw the mail carrier AND the stupid officer that responded to the call. NOBODY has the right to threaten somebody or their pet on THEIR property.

  • dsa March 3, 2011 (10:24 pm)

    We don’t know if the lettercarrier was on private property or not.

  • dsa March 3, 2011 (10:28 pm)

    At least each one got a ticket for $104, but I too think it is too small a fine. They are probably repeat offenders and every time I go to the dump with a pickup size load it runs around $50. So I think they are money ahead.

  • furor scribendi March 4, 2011 (12:25 pm)

    Dennise – private property rights in no way trump regular civil procedure, as set forth in Seattle law and the Revised Code of Washington. Tons of case law to back it up, too. So, there are limits to the “love me, love my dog” philosophy you espouse.

  • TB March 4, 2011 (3:23 pm)

    Whoa, what about the psych patient. If he was released with a “voluntary release” then he was at some point involuntarily committed, and the hospital staff or even the judge on the case deemed him no longer detainable when he was released, which clearly was not the case. Seems like a system failure that needs to be looked into further. Or did the patient escape, or did the hospital just dump him instead of find a placement for him.

  • Karen March 4, 2011 (5:21 pm)

    So, maybe the dog owner was the 3:00 am naked stranger on Thursday, that left the cold dog out barking until 3:00 am Friday…. and then was re-committed on Friday at 4:00 pm. When in doubt, just let your imagination tie up the loose ends of the story.

  • Adam Richter March 5, 2011 (1:37 pm)

    I particularly liked the officer’s approach to the trash dumpers in the second item.

  • bigjimbob March 6, 2011 (1:08 pm)

    your to funny Karen

Sorry, comment time is over.