CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Car-prowl suspect Jared Barden released from jail

| Crime | West Seattle news

The car-prowl arrested at Lincoln Park after a helicopter-assisted police search on Tuesday just got out of jail tonight.

(Tuesday photo via Steve Shelton Images)

He’s at left in the photo above, 31-year-old Jared M. Barden. We are identifying him because he is already charged; while felony cases take a few days to get to that point, Barden was charged in this case with misdemeanors, and has already been arraigned in Seattle Municipal Court. Online files show he pleaded not guilty to vehicle prowling and property destruction. We don’t yet have the details of exactly what happened before he is reported to have bolted from the 7000 block of California Avenue SW yesterday to north Lincoln Park, but we know a Municipal Court judge allowed him to go free on personal recognizance, despite his record and the fact he has a new felony case pending in a different incident.

The King County Jail Register shows this is the third time Barden has been in jail in the past four weeks – one day each time. He was charged less than two weeks ago in connection with a case in Burien in which he is accused of breaking into a house and trying to steal a car. The charging documents in that case note that while prosecutors requested Barden’s bail be set at $25,000, the judge let him go free on his own recognizance. Those documents also listed his “last known address” as a house near Lincoln Park. It’s several blocks away from the scene of the crime involved in his most recent felony conviction, an August 2014 burglary in the 8600 block of 46th SW. In June of last year, he was sentenced to 22 months in prison, with credit for time served. Charging documents in that case said he had had 30 arrest warrants since 2003, and convictions on charges including robbery, stolen property, and drug crimes. At the time of the 2014 arrest, his last known address was in Bremerton.

Back to the case from yesterday – Barden is due back in Municipal Court on October 3rd.

Artsea August 24, 2016 (8:55 pm)

Wow! This guy is one piece of work. And….I don’t know what to say about our justice system. Other than…..it sure does seem to be broken. They just let anyone stay out of jail and keep putting the rest of us through hell.

Mark August 24, 2016 (8:58 pm)

And where is the punishment? Why not required work such as litter clean up. Restitution should also be required.

Brenda August 24, 2016 (9:02 pm)

Dirt bag.

Tim August 24, 2016 (9:07 pm)

No way. Come on your kidding.

Smokeycretin9 August 24, 2016 (9:17 pm)

Let that sink in for a moment. ………. 30……..arrest. …….warrants. ……..!

Gene August 24, 2016 (9:38 pm)

Hey folks- Judges are elected- find out who this Municipal Court Judge is- write the name down & vote accordingly.

Chris August 24, 2016 (9:45 pm)

I’m waiting for the punchline that this is a joke, that he’s in jail where he belongs.

Alki Resident August 24, 2016 (10:49 pm)

Welp, one can hope he hits the wrong car to steal in the very near future.

Hoku August 24, 2016 (11:02 pm)

Dumb question: what are the best options for those of us who weren’t victims (and don’t want to be in the future)? Is it letting elected officials know the laws need to be changed? Is it notifying SPD whenever an incident occurs (no matter how small)? Is it a combination? Are there particular decision makers (elected or hired) we should contact to make changes to practices that currently allow someone with such a history to continue to have opportunities to reoffend?

TheKing August 24, 2016 (11:16 pm)

This is why I maintain filling out the online reports to the police dept. is a waste of time. Unless you plan on using he minimum $1000 dollar loss as a write off on your taxes.

Roddy August 24, 2016 (11:59 pm)

SPD doing their job, SMC devaluing their hard work. Shameful….the system must change.

Gatewood August 25, 2016 (10:03 am)

I agree

ScubaFrog August 25, 2016 (12:43 am)

Huh. I’d have assumed he was being released on his own Personal Recognizance. But apparently he was charged. So no bail, or maybe he can afford bail. 30 arrest warrants in 12 years… 3rd time he’s been in jail in 4 weeks.

I’m not involved in the criminal justice system, so I don’t know if Seattle has a lax approach to crime. I also don’t know if mandatory minimum sentences are federal.

It feels like a lot of these people (habitual criminals) get off with no punishment. Which contradicts the fact that we have the largest prison population in the world.

Perhaps the failed ‘war on drugs’ accounts for the prison population? 3-strikes didn’t help either, when a guy steals a candy bar – and ends up in prison for life.

Regardless, we’re doing something wrong. MASSIVELY wrong. And our… (I hate to call it this) “justice system” needs to be entirely overhauled. At every level.

ScubaFrog August 25, 2016 (12:46 am)

Oh we can’t edit our posts anymore. But yeah, I just got the part about him being released with no bail.

Steve August 25, 2016 (1:36 am)

Yes, please post the names of the judges that are releasing him! Should be public record?

WSB August 25, 2016 (6:31 am)

The judge on the form from Wednesday was listed as M. Lynch. (Municipal Court). In the case earlier this month, Laurel Gibson.

(added) Judge Gibson is a relatively recent appointee to this region’s District Court. She will be on the November ballot.

As for the Municipal Court judge – there is no regular judge with that name; online references no more recent than March refer to a fill-in judge named Mary Lynch but again, the paperwork says only “M. Lynch.”

If you have not spent time in court … bail hearings are usually multiple-defendant events, with one judge tasked with going through them relatively quickly. We also don’t know how much information was presented to the judge, nor whether the prosecution representative (which would have been an assistant city attorney in the newest case) argued against release. The original after-arrest bail was $1,000 for the misdemeanor “vehicle prowling” citation.

But there is no question in the earlier August (burglary in Burien) case that prosecutors (King County, since that was a felony) tried to make a case for higher bail. From those charging documents:

At first appearance, the State requested Probable Cause be found for Residential Burglary and that bail be set at $25,000.00, given the violent crime being committed, the defendant’s threatening stance with the claw end of a hammer with the officers, and the defendant’s warrant history of 27 King County warrants since 2003, according to court services. The Honorable Judge Laurel Gibson found Probable Cause for Criminal Trespass 1st Degree and Vehicle Prowl 2nd Degree, and released the defendant on his own recognizance.

The State renews its request for bail in the amount of $25,000.00.

As of August 12, 2016, a diligent search of the defendant’s criminal history has revealed the following prior criminal convictions in Washington State: Malicious Mischief 2nd Degree (2014); Vehicle Prowl 2nd Degree (2014, 2000-JUV); Possession Stolen Property 3rd degree (2014); Robbery 2nd Degree (2008); Elude (2006); VUCSA (2006, 2004); Possession Stolen Property 2nd degree (2004); Assault 2nd degree (2004); Taking Vehicle W/O Permission (2004); Theft 3rd Degree (2000×2 –JUV, 1999-JUV); Malicious Mischief 3rd Degree (1998-JUV); Criminal Trespass 1st Degree (1998-JUV).

(My note, for precision’s sake – the “27 warrants” in this document was a change from the 30 warrants mentioned in the 2014 charging documents. P.S. “VUCSA” means drugs.)
- Steve August 25, 2016 (5:10 pm)
  
  Thank you so much for the detailed background on the court proceedings!

Double Dub Resident August 25, 2016 (3:50 am)

Prosecutors recommend 25,000 dollar ball, judge let him go even with his warrant history. You got to be bleeping kidding me!!

anonyme August 25, 2016 (6:22 am)

What is the court’s definition of a career criminal, one likely to re-offend? If this guy ain’t it, I don’t know what is.

Marty August 25, 2016 (7:37 am)

Scumafrog: The three strikes law is for select felony crimes and I am pretty sure stealing a candy bar is not on the list.

More needs to be done to keep criminals like Jared Barden off the street. The current laws for repeat offenders are obviously failing. The rights of victims should not be secondary to the rights of a criminal.

hisf55 August 25, 2016 (7:51 am)

The City of Seattle people voted these yahoos into Officewho are letting these criminals out and for the ones who didn’t vote you have no say in any of this.

I’m going back to watching Ozzy and Jack’s World Detour, more interesting…you know, Ozzy really is a pretty good Dad!

Gene August 25, 2016 (7:52 am)

Ok folks

– write em down- M Lynch & – on Nov ballot- Laurel Gibson.

VOTE

Kimbee2 August 25, 2016 (8:24 am)

@ Gene – exactly. thank you. we need to stop complaining about “the system” and move to change it.

Here’s the contact info for Laurel Gibson :http://www.34dems.org/sites/34dems/files/Q-JKCD-Laurel-Gibson.pdf

I can’t locate M Lynch at the Municipal Court, but maybe someone else can: http://www.seattle.gov/courts/house.htm

Involved Party August 25, 2016 (8:56 am)

Thanks Judge, now my life and my neighbors are in danger.

Involved Party August 25, 2016 (9:18 am)

p.s. 911 and SPD were AMAZING!

Lola August 25, 2016 (9:49 am)

Keep patting them on the hand and just tell them not to do it anymore. That is our justice system for you.

I am with the guy above going back to watching Ozzy & Jack. Love that show.

Carole August 25, 2016 (10:32 am)

M. Lynch was likely sitting in as a pro tem judge, and is not elected to a permanent position. For election information re judges, a good site is votingforjudges.org. they have ratings by all the various bar organizations as well as links to the candidates’ web pages, which list their endorsements.

JeffK August 25, 2016 (11:14 am)

These career criminals have nothing of real consequences to lose – house, car, job… maybe kids but if they really cared about their kids they wouldn’t be criminals. Anyway, I’d like to see an option for career criminals to do hard labor making gravel or something equally unappealing. As it is prison doesn’t seem to be much of a deterrent.

Mandy August 25, 2016 (12:43 pm)

My friend’s car was broken into at Lincoln park this morning. Everything taken (purse, laptop). $300 spent around admiral and 35th before she could cancel her cards. Wonder if it was this guy???

WSB August 25, 2016 (12:52 pm)

Mandy – Sorry to hear it. If your friend is interested in reporting this via WSB Crime Watch, please ask her to e-mail us the info – we don’t get crime specifics without hearing directly from people, since online logs don’t have detailed reports and many things don’t go out over the scanner any more – they are texted directly to officers’ screens. And please let us know which lot and what time – I happened to be in the main central lot around 9:30 am, nothing going on at that time. The only car-prowl report in queue for CW so far today otherwise was at 37th/Alaska.

PLEASE, everyone, remind your friends, family, visitors, whomever, don’t leave anything in a vehicle anywhere … and especially not in park parking lots, Lincoln or elsewhere. – TR

M August 25, 2016 (1:09 pm)

He definitely doesn’t look 31. He looks more like 50 or 60. The city needs to focus and get harder on this heroin problem. That’s what is causing this increase in property crimes and city wide homelessness.

West Seattle Hipster August 25, 2016 (4:54 pm)

Can the judge be charged with aiding and abetting a known criminal? Just a thought…..

Mark August 25, 2016 (10:46 pm)

It’s time to bring back punishment, chain gang for these criminals. Catch and release is not effective deterent.

I had my bike stolen a few weeks bike, for a City claiming to be bike friendly it is time for the City to get tough with the thiefs with some real punishment. Litter pick up crews, crews to clear invasive plants are some thoughts.

Charles August 27, 2016 (2:33 pm)

Just be on the lookout. Everyone knows not to keep valuables in their car at Lincoln. Glad he isn’t in jail but seems as though the arrainment should be sooner…

WSB August 27, 2016 (2:40 pm)

He already was arraigned. This would be the next appearance – depending on whether he decides to go to trial or not – Municipal Court moves a little differently from Superior Court.

Sorry, comment time is over.