West Seattle, Washington
09 Friday
Followups on two recent West Seattle Crime Watch cases involving burglary suspects arrested with weapons:
PUGET RIDGE SUSPECT CHARGED: Prosecutors have filed two felony charges against 36-year-old Jeremiah N. Fry, arrested Monday morning with a loaded shotgun. They also succeeded in having a judge raise his bail to $225,000, pointing to a 20-year criminal history. Fry is charged with one count of first-degree burglary and one count of unlawful gun possession. The charging documents say “the victim woke up to a nightmare in the form of this defendant standing outside her open window in the darkness of the night. The victim acted quickly, slamming the window shut and then instinctively ran to her daughter’s room to seal off the other access point to the residence. To the victim’s horror, when she went into her sleeping daughter’s bedroom, she became face-to-face with the defendant again as he had moved … to her daughter’s open window.” Police arrested him less than two blocks away and said he dropped the loaded 12-gauge shotgun as they approached. Most of his prior convictions were for property crimes, although as noted in our Monday report, he also has an assault conviction for violence involving his girlfriend and their baby. In that case he got a year-plus sentence under the Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative.
BEACH DRIVE SUSPECT OUT: 39-year-old Gabriel C. Putnam, the suspected would-be burglar arrested after being caught on video trying a Beach Drive door with one hand and holding a large knife with the other, is out of jail. As we reported June 19th, he was charged with attempted residential burglary and has no prior criminal record. At his arraignment a week ago, a judge granted the defense motion to release him into the CCAP program, which requires daily check-ins. Documents say he told the court he would be living at a downtown shelter. He’s due back in court next week.
Toplines from the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s board meeting last night at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse:
POLICE UPDATE, INCLUDING THE 4TH: Southwest Precinct operations commander Lt. Steve Strand started with an overall West Seattle update. He said summer emphasis patrols have included speeding vehicles (2- and 4-wheels) leaving the Fauntleroy ferry terminal early in the morning (5:30-ish). One board member said people leaving 4:50 am boat are the biggest offenders. (A later question asked about traffic problems related to ferry lines. Lt. Strand mentioned the state paying off-duty officers to direct traffic at the dock.) The 4th of July included more officers at Lincoln Park including a Gator utility vehicle with lights and a loudspeaker.
(WSB photo from past Summer Fest Eve – when you can wander in the streets, enjoy music, and more)
By this time Thursday night, the Junction streets where you’ll find West Seattle Summer Fest Friday-Sunday will be closed to vehicles and open for fun. What’s become known as Summer Fest Eve is a reason all its own to come hang out in, and wander around, The Junction as festival setup begins. You’ll find:
*Sidewalk cafés for dinner, drinks, snacks starting around 6:30
*Entertainment:
Bubbleman, 6:30 pm
Pop-up fashion show “flash mob” with VAIN (WSB sponsor) and Lika Love, 7 pm
Dance “flash mob” with Dance Powered at California/Alaska, 7 pm
Yada Yada Blues Band (outside West 5), 7 pm
*West Seattle Art Walk: First summer-quarter art walk! Here’s the map and venue list:
As always, note that Art Walk venues include food/drink specials as well as art! Preview some of them on the Art Walk website. See you in the street starting tomorrow night!
The banner over the mini-farm at 32nd SW and SW Juneau (map) welcomes you to the first day of this year’s High Point Market Garden Farm Stand. Every Wednesday, 4-7 pm, through early October, you can visit the stand (on the east side of the garden) and buy organic produce and flowers, where they’re grown.
That’s some of what we saw when we visited a little while ago – lots of greens along with root vegetables and more. This is one of only two Market Gardens in the city!
Story, photos, video by Tracy Record and Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
“It’s not every day we get to break ground on a half-billion-dollar project!”
So enthused Port of Seattle Commission president Stephanie Bowman during today’s ceremonial groundbreaking event for the megaproject that will modernize West Seattle’s Terminal 5.
No ground was broken during the event, which featured a half-hour of speeches under a tent on the dock followed by participants signing one of the concrete piles that will soon be driven as part of the project to make T-5 “big ship ready.”
Here’s video of everything that preceded the signing:
The Seattle/Tacoma partnership Northwest Seaport Alliance is the entity under whose auspices the T-5 project is happening, so NWSA CEO John Wolfe emceed the by-invitation event.
(WSB photo, Tuesday night)
2:08 PM: Last night, we reported on a warrant operation in the 9200 block of 9th SW. Today, Seattle Police announced the results:
Detectives seized 13 pounds of meth and large quantities of heroin and oxycodone on Tuesday following a narcotics operation targeting a south-end drug dealer.
After purchasing narcotics from a 39-year-old South Seattle man over the last month, police arrested the dealer in Georgetown early Tuesday.
(Seattle Police photo)
Investigators searched his vehicle and recovered 334 grams of meth and 76 grams of heroin. They then served a warrant at a West Seattle home, in the 9200 block of 9th Avenue SW, in connection with the case, and seized a duffel bag containing over 13 pounds of methamphetamine, 53 grams of heroin, and 74 oxycodone pills from a trailer in the backyard. Police also arrested a 41-year-old man at the home in connection with the case. Both men were booked into the King County Jail for narcotics violations.
We’re checking now on the suspects’ status.
2:34 PM: Both remain in the King County Jail.
This year’s West Seattle Summer Fest is just two days away, Friday through Sunday in the heart of The Junction! And this year’s festival has three stages, as the map above shows – the big one at the north end (CA), the Community Stage at Junction Plaza Park (CS), and another stage at the south end (SS), focused on wooden-instrument music. Here’s the list of what performances/presentations are happening where/when:
Events include more than music – on Sunday at noon, for one, we’ll be moderating one of your last looks at the District 1 City Council candidates before primary voting begins next week. Meantime. our Summer Fest previews continue later today and you’ll find lots of info right now on the festival-presenting West Seattle Junction Association‘s website. Festival hours are 10 am-8 pm Friday and Saturday (with music running later) and 10 am-5 pm Sunday. Remember the streets close tomorrow (Thursday) night around 6 for setup – and that means it’s Summer Fest Eve, with lots of reasons to come down and wander, so watch for that preview this afternoon too!
When Sesame Street announced back in April that its 50th-anniversary tour would include a Seattle stop, the exact location was TBA. Leaders of two West Seattle neighborhood organizations have been notified that the event will be held at Lincoln Park. The Fauntleroy and Morgan Junction Community Associations have both been notified by organizers that the event is set for 9 am-3 pm on Saturday, July 27th, with setup the day before. The notification shows that it’ll be at the open field area near the north parking lot. The organizers expect 4,000 people to attend, but not all at once; the notice explains, “Please note that this is a free, ticketed event whereby guests are required to reserve a time slot in advance.” The event will include a 30-to-40-minute stage show presented multiple times as part of a “family fun festival,” according to the official announcement of Sesame Street’s visit, which also will include filming around Seattle. This is the second-to-last stop on the tour. The RSVP link from here doesn’t seem to go anywhere so we’re checking on whether that means it’s sold out.
(Pamela photographed The Turkey on Monday, “south of West Seattle high School”)
If you regularly check our daily highlight lists, you know we feature bird photos most days. Today, our guest spotlight bird is The West Seattle Turkey, since several more reader photos have landed in the WSB inbox in recent days. It’s still hanging out in southeast Admiral, although some sightings have placed it a little further south – we’re hoping it doesn’t wander too close to West Seattle Summer Fest this weekend! Meantime, highlights for today/tonight, interspersed with turkey pics:
PROFESSIONAL & TECHNICAL CAREER TRAINING: Explore what’s available at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) by attending today’s informational session, 10 am-noon – details here. (6000 16th SW)
HIGH POINT MARKET GARDEN FARM STAND: First of this year’s weekly farm-stand sessions, selling fresh produce and flowers grown steps away. 4 pm-7 pm. (32nd SW/SW Juneau)
COUNCIL CANDIDATES IN SOUTH PARK: Conversation and casual dinner with all three candidates for City Council District 1, 6 pm at South Park Community Center. (8319 8th Ave. S.)
(Hannah sent that turkey photo last weekend)
WRITING CIRCLE: Seattle Writes with Hugo House at West Seattle (Admiral) Library, 6-7:30 pm: “Drop by this writing circle, hosted by author Jeanine Walker, for writing exercises and motivation.” (2306 42nd SW)
POETRYBRIDGE: Monthly reading event at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7 pm, with featured readers Elizabeth Cooperman and Thomas Walton – details here. Free. (5621 California SW)
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: 7 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy. This month’s agenda, including a 2020 Census presentation, is here. (9131 California SW)
(Scott photographed The Turkey on Monday, “a couple blocks south of Hiawatha”)
YADA YADA BLUES BAND: 9 pm at Parliament Tavern, “featuring Milky Burgess and friends.” No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
SEE WHAT ELSE IS UP … via our complete calendar!
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
6:55 AM: Good morning. We start with a crash blocking one lane EB and one WB from the Fauntleroy end of the bridge, around Nucor. Apparently no major injuries and a tow already has been ordered.
Two notes for later this week:
SUMMER FEST ROAD CLOSURES/BUS REROUTES: Tomorrow night (6-ish) through Sunday night, streets in the heart of The Junction will close so setup can start for West Seattle Summer Fest – SW Alaska between 42nd and 44th, California SW between SW Genesee and SW Edmunds (with SW Oregon remaining open for west-east traffic). Bus reroutes are now linked here.
HIGHWAY 99 WEEKEND WORK: If you will be using Highway 99 north of downtown this weekend, be aware of work on the Aurora Bridge.
7:26 AM: Per scanner, there’s a crash at 3rd SW/Olson.
7:30 AM: Per scanner, police are reopening all West Seattle Bridge lanes.
7:33 AM: Traffic camera confirms it.
7:35 AM: But now police have radioed that they’re checking out a “stalled vehicle” by the Delridge onramp.
7:48 AM: Updates – tows are on the way to the Olson scene; the vehicle having trouble will be escorted off the bridge by police so it can await a tow/assistance on 1st Ave. S.
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