West Seattle Crime Watch: Updates on 3 repeat offenders, including a plea bargain

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Three updates today on repeat offenders whose cases we have been checking on:

(July surveillance photo, provided by burglary victim)

PLEA BARGAIN FOR JESSICA DETRICK: She is the repeat offender most memorable for surveillance video/photos showing her with her dog in tow at crime scenes. We reported in August that she was charged in two burglaries, June in Highland Park and July in Upper Fauntleroy. Now, checking back on her case, we discovered that Detrick, 36, has struck a plea bargain and pleaded guilty to three counts – residential burglary in the July case, criminal trespass and third-degree theft in the June case. Charging documents noted that Detrick had 38 warrants in King County since 2000, as well as arrest and/or conviction records in Illinois and Arizona; her first conviction was at age 15. Her sentencing is set for October 14th before King County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ramsdell, but she is not being recommended for prison time; instead, prosecutors write that she appears to be eligible for the residential version of the Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative (DOSA), and recommend 24 months of community custody (probation) provided she spends three to six months in residential drug-dependency treatment. If she doesn’t comply, she would face jail time beyond what she will have served at the time of her sentencing.

SEAN JEARDOE: The serial burglar with whom Detrick was arrested twice in 2013 (as summarized in this WSB followup last June) – though she was never charged in either case – is back in jail, we noticed while checking the roster today. Jeardoe (Department of Corrections photo at right) was released from prison earlier this year after serving a DOSA sentence that included mandatory treatment (here’s our report on the 2014 sentencing); then in June, he was arrested and charged in with drug possession. In July, a failure-to-appear warrant was issued, and as of this morning, he’s in jail in connection with that warrant and for investigation of possessing a stolen vehicle. We don’t yet know where the new arrest happened but we’re checking.

ALAN POLEVIA: We’ve reported on this 35-year-old serial burglar multiple times over the past several years. Polevia (Department of Corrections photo at right, from 2013 WSB story) has been in the King County Jail four times this year alone, according to the roster records, most recently getting out on September 1st after two and a half weeks. While checking the court files’ “new charges” list recently, we found a new case filed against him, unlawful gun possession, in connection with an April incident in West Seattle. According to the charging documents, Polevia was found unconscious in the 8600 block of 29th SW the morning of April 26th, face up, with a loaded .22 caliber handgun next to him and a box of 100 rounds of ammunition in a backpack next to him. When revived, he told police he had swallowed a half-ounce of heroin and that the gun wasn’t his; police checked, but it hadn’t been reported as stolen. He wasn’t booked into jail at the time, but instead taken to Harborview. The charges filed September 16th have resulted in a $25,000 warrant for his arrest.

P.S. One more reminder, a King County prosecutor who works on repeat-offender cases will be the guest at tonight’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting, 6:30 pm at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster) – as previewed on the WSBWCN website.

W. Brewer September 27, 2016 (2:20 pm)

Why can’t these female and male scumbags serve some real jail time? Obviously, the “penalties” (and I use that term loosely) have not done any good in the past, so why does the judge think they’ll do any good now?

Kimbee2 September 27, 2016 (2:47 pm)

3 for 3 here with drug addiction driving these criminals.

Delridge Jason September 27, 2016 (3:05 pm)

Are citizens allowed to go to these meetings?

My house has been robbed twice and it took months of my life away trying to get back to my regular life. It seems like I’ve spent more time trying to put my household back together after they destroyed my house than they have in jail. I am sure they have caused many people plenty of time and suffering. When someone is habitual, not a one time mistake, they need to face some consequences.

What is jail for?

ScubaFrog September 27, 2016 (3:49 pm)

I like that the 6 months of treatment in Ms. Detrick’s case is mandatory. Some prison time would have been appropriate as well, in my humble opinion. Sadly it looks like that mandatory treatment didn’t work for Sean, and he needs real prison time (I hope the prosecutors will seek years in prison for him). And Mr. Polevia looks like death warmed over – again, I hope prosecutors demand years in prison from him as well – it might save his life. Or it might save our lives, these people will end up killing someone.

Sadly these people end up harming so many others, in their pursuit of drugs. They’re zombies when they’re in active addiction, with no regard for human life or the law.

The Truth September 27, 2016 (3:57 pm)

Until we get serious about committing and true helping those with mental illness and drug addition this will be a thing. Sending a drug addict to jail cleans them up but it doesn’t treat the addiction. We as a society need to have a serious talk about how we deal with these people and fund there rehabilitation, not in a jail setting but a secured treatment facility. I won’t want to pay for it but I also don’t want my stuff to keep getting broken into and stolen. My younger self would punch my older self for saying this but once drugs are the driving force, traditional jail is not the answer. Forced, detained drug rehabilitation is the only successful course but we don’t have the guts to make it happen.

Heinz Gehlhaar September 27, 2016 (11:33 pm)

We need to look at our laws, and at our lawmakers. Right now we seem to make laws to make us feel good. What we really need to do, is have laws which address the basic problems. For example:
1) Drug mis-users do that on their own choice. Must the general public be responsible to cure them?
2) We don’t have money or space for prisons. Again: Must the general public be responsible for all the cost of prisoner food and upkeep? Why don’t we figure a way to make them for for it?
3) Homelessness: Yes, we should help those who get there by accident. But why must the public be responsible for all the cost of of making the majority of then “feel good”? One option would be to put them to work on a government farm; let then help to raise their food. I could also envision a tax-supported group managing those folks to build their housing.

Most likely there are more such ideas. Basically our goal ought to be NOT to punish the good citizen of our country because of the actions of the bad.

Double Dub Resident September 27, 2016 (4:12 pm)

This is an absolute joke!! I guarantee, guarantee, guarantee you that this POS woman is going to fail her “treatment program”. She’ll either fake her way through, which having interned at a couple of treatment facilities when I went to school who dealt with court mandated “patients” was a common occurrence, or she won’t even make it that far, which is what happened to quite a few of the people who tried to fake it.

Bob Groeschell, who headed the drug/alcohol program at Seattle Central when I went to school there, told us in the first day of addiction treatment class that at least 87% of the people who stop using drugs/alcohol, do so on their own. My friend who is much more liberal than I am who was in the same class told me it was 93%, but I am not sure. This means that 7 to 13% do so through professional intervention. That’s not very good odds, so this idea that treatment is going to be the save all to these problems is not as promising as the people promoting it want you to believe.

This Sean POS is just another example of it not working. These people cycle in and out of treatment much like they do through our so called criminal system.

It is absolutely unacceptable that someone who has had 38 warrants (averaging over 2 a year for 16 years) is being given a “2nd” chance. She is a career criminal and she is taking this plea bargain not to get treatment, but to attempt to escape any real jail time.

Then you have another career criminal, who I believe last time (I didn’t get a chance to read the link before I started typing) was caught not only with a stolen truck, but stolen gun(s). They give this POS the same “sentence” to him that they are giving his cohort now and now he is charged again with drug possession and investigation of yet another stolen vehicle.

Then we have the infamous West Seattle career criminal, Alan. I have actually spoken with police officers who have had to deal with this guy time and again and this guy is definitely a POS. Yet, after his 4th time in jail this year alone, he spent only 2.5 weeks in jail. This is absolutely asinine. This guy obviously cannot be rehabilitated and yet he is let out time and again only to do the same crimes over and over and yet over again.

Our “criminal system” is a joke. Criminals operate off of simple risk vs. reward and they have found out through our impotent system that the risk is low to none, while the reward is potentially high. These POS are way beyond getting a second chance. They don’t deserve any more chances.

I’m going to try and get a baby sitter tonight because I want to hear the asinine reasoning why these career criminals keep getting out.

They are doing far more than merely inconveniencing people with what they are doing. The victims are the ones that have to pay for the damage they do, pay for what was taken from them, and/or use their insurance which will most likely raise their rates. All the while our impotent system doesn’t enforce the restitution that they may impose on the criminal or it ends up being something so small monthly that it becomes insignificant.

flimflam September 27, 2016 (4:47 pm)

hey, this woman only has had 36 warrants against her since 2000 – she just needs another chance. and another. and maybe one more. and then another. give me a break.

Gmom September 27, 2016 (5:59 pm)

I think the judges that sentence these individuals for rehab or these short jail stays, should have them live with them upon their release for 90 days, to see just how this successful these programs are. (Afterall, we are forced to live with them.) I have a feeling these “plea bargains” for repeaters would no longer be offered.

M September 27, 2016 (6:10 pm)

Maybe we need to get a lot stricter about stopping the supply of heroin in our community. Wasn’t isn’t the heroin epidemic the #1 priority of the mayor, and city council.

Daniel Newsome September 27, 2016 (6:31 pm)

Maybe the Mayor’s new slogan ought to be “Dump ’em off in Delridge!”, that seems to be what happens.

Chris Cowman September 27, 2016 (6:39 pm)

Not to worry. Things will be much better once we have a safe shoot up site for these fine citizens….

Double Dub Resident September 27, 2016 (6:43 pm)

@M, It is. That’s why the idea of having “safe houses” for Heroin addicts to do their drug is being tossed around by our great leaders

BrassyMomma September 27, 2016 (7:26 pm)

What really bothers me is that there’s differences between heroin and meth addiction. Here we are “focusing” on a heroin and painkiller issue when the creepers on the (usually stolen) bikes, backpacks, and garbage-filled cars and vans are dealing with meth. It’s two different animals being lumped under one “better publicized” drug because it is easier to get safe shooting gallery for.

I deal with personal relationships on both sides of recovery who do AA and NA. I am a sober alcoholic and am fortunate I didn’t go down the drug path but I have just under a decade and have watched, sponsored, and buried enough people to know that meth is the primary issue and heroin/opiates …while huge as well…are usually a more contained community. Far less filthy and not as often seen trolling the streets the way the meth addicts do.

But, we hire suits, not former addicts, to try and pit a bandaid on a situation that has been growingbsince the 80’s and has left tons of people for dead UNTIL our city finally became a hotbed for tourism and brogrammer transplants and we needed to start cleaning up our streets for show.

I am disgusted how all of this is being handled. We have children living in f’n tents with parents who can’t afford this city bit we are going to build a safe shooting gallery for the addicts who are not willing nor ready to get well and try sobriety or something to start life over. I am so disappointed only reason any addict might get help into look good and liberal when really…no one truly gave a f*** when the Jungle and heroin and meth and oxy began. It’s over 30 years old.

And now we are paying for the clean-up by getting robbed, mugged, harassed, guns on buses, up to 15 people a night sleeping, urinating, shoooting up, making a scene, intimidating anyone who wants to wait for a bus in the Junction and Westwood, let alone White Center.

I empathize greatly with the illness of addiction, because I do not sympathize with those bargain with it. Rehabs need better funding and caretakers. Health care facilities need to own up to the responsibility of over-distribution of highly addictive substances, and the mentally ill need access to non-shame-based care so turning to drugs is not an option.

I don’t have answers, just ideas and a few directions from someone who helped me.

But, enough is enough. The system isn’t working and is rewarding those who, at this point, are so far down the well, I would say it would take years to recover.

But, the thing is, I’ve seen people far worse of can. And do.

Mike September 27, 2016 (9:34 pm)

You should really write a letter to Sawant. Honestly, do it. She’s the biggest failure yet in our city’s government. She’s destroyed any chance people had at getting care, getting affordable housing, getting more officers out on the streets (who are typically the first to actually help those addicted and getting them to the right resources). She is the problem. She needs to leave, she needs to just resign. Please write her, please!

KT September 27, 2016 (9:16 pm)

Oh jeez, I was in tears from laughing after reading your hysterical fictional portrayal of the criminal justice system and the county prosecutor’s office, before I realized that these were real case reports.

Highland Park Res. September 28, 2016 (10:47 am)

Robbed twice by this person last spring, both times reported to the SPD, sent them photo’s the second time. No follow up from them even after they caught her. In 6 months, she will be doing the same thing all over again.

Rachel September 28, 2016 (11:11 am)

This is absurd! It’s so frustrating! Dealing with property crime is much more than an inconvenience. Aside from the emotional side, it has a financial impact regardless of how “good” Your insurance is. My burglary cost me thousands when you factor in lost property, insurance increases etc.

WSB September 28, 2016 (11:21 am)

The prosecutor who spoke to the Block Watch Captains Network brought more information about the cases in this story (we hadn’t contacted the prosecutor’s office directly, so it was a result of this being published) and our report will be up later today. – TR

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