CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Greenbelt stolen-car suspect charged, and accused of ‘rapid recidivism’
When we reported last week on the arrest of 26-year-old Joseph Depaco after a police search in the West Duwamish Greenbelt, we noted that court records revealed he had just been sentenced in another case. Tonight we have word of a charge filed in last week’s incident, plus an explanation of why he hadn’t begun serving the alternative sentence he got for the other case. (At left is a photo of Depaco we obtained from the state Corrections Department.)
The new charge filed by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is possession of a stolen vehicle, a felony. The vehicle in which police say they found Depaco in the greenbelt was a stolen Toyota Tacoma pickup. A passerby reported it as suspicious, and responding officers say that after they found Depaco asleep in the vehicle, he woke up and bolted, which led to a ground and air search that resulted in his arrest. (He is not charged in connection with the under-construction gun found in the vehicle.)
We had asked the KCPAO for more background on why Depaco wasn’t already in the residential drug-treatment program to which he was sentenced as part of a three-case plea bargain February 4th. He was supposed to enter the program within a few days, they explain, but after the sentencing, the treatment provider canceled the original date and said it would not have a bed available until today. Depaco had been out of jail since January 7th, which the KCPAO says was his original sentencing date, and that’s why the new charge was filed today with an “aggravating factor” of “rapid recidivism.” That could lengthen the sentence if he’s convicted. Tonight Depaco – who already has seven felony convictions – remains in jail in lieu of $50,000 bail and is due next for arraignment on the new charge February 28th.
2022 WESTSIDE AWARDS: Nomination time!
Businesses and community champions are honored every year with the Westside Awards, which start with nominations that can be made by anyone. Just announced, the four-week nomination period is on:
Annually the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce presents the Westside Awards, and the nomination portal is now live for you to submit your selections for:
1) Business of the Year
2) Not for Profit of the Year
3) Emerging Business of the Year
4) Westsider of the Year.
You can submit your nominations online here . Deadline to submit nominations is Monday, March 14, 2022 at 5 pm.
Each year at the Annual Westside Awards Breakfast, we celebrate the successful business environment and community involvement found in West Seattle. At this event, we honor three local businesses and one individual who demonstrate results-oriented leadership, a cornerstone of a thriving economic region.
“It’s so nice to get to recognize our local businesses and individuals for their contribution to our community,” said Dawn Leverett, 2022 West Seattle Chamber Board Chair. “We look forward to hearing the stories of triumph from the past year.”
Save the date for the Annual Westside Awards Breakfast to be held in-person on Tuesday, May 17th, 2022 from 7:30 am to 8:30 am. Event details to follow at www.wschamber.com. Take a look back at the previous Westside Award winners in each category here wschamber.com/westside-awards.
Questions? Ask Chamber executive director Whitney Moore at whitney@wschamber.com.
About the police response across from Southwest Library
Thanks for the tips/questions. We went over to check on a reported sizable police response on 35th SW across from Southwest Library, south of SW Henderson. Officers say it was a “person in crisis” situation at an apartment building, and they were arranging for the person in question to be transported to a hospital for mental-health help – that’s why, as shown in our photo, an ambulance responded too.
UTILITY WORK ALERT: 8th SW project starting soon
Thanks to Margaret for the tip. She got a postal-mail flyer from Seattle Public Utilities about work coming up on 8th SW just north of SW Roxbury and thought you should know, given the increased traffic through that area because of bridge detouring. We asked SPU about it, and they sent the flyer, which says the work will repair a sewer line on 8th between Roxbury and Cambridge. Work could start as soon as next Monday (February 21st) and could last up to three weeks. Lane closures and parking restrictions are part of the plan, which says general work hours will be 7 am-4 pm weekdays.
WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Restaurant burglary
Thanks to the reader who tipped us that Toshi’s Teriyaki in Westwood Village had been broken into on Saturday morning. We obtained the report narrative from police today. According to the report, an alarm at the restaurant led to a police dispatch at 5:43 am. They found the glass shattered in the left entry door. When the store manager arrived, they looked at security video, which showed two people approaching the door just after 4:30 am, and one throwing a large rock through it. They left in a vehicle, and moments later another vehicle returned; two people got out of it and entered the restaurant, but weren’t inside for long before turning and leaving without taking anything. The report has only clothing descriptions for the people involved; the rock-thrower was described as “wearing a gray beanie, black jacket, gray sweats, and white sneakers”; the two who went into the restaurant are described as one “wearing a black jacket, dark-colored cap, dark pants, and black shoes or boots, carrying a black plastic bag in his right hand” and the other “wearing all-dark clothing with black and white tennis shoes.” If you have any information, the case number is 22-036584.
UPDATE: Spillover backups, bus reroutes after Harbor Island collision
12:54 PM: A collision earlier this morning on Harbor Island, at 16th/Klickitat, hasn’t been cleared yet, and now the resulting blockage is affecting the westbound low bridge and westbound Spokane Street Viaduct, according to an SDOT alert and a texter.
1 PM: Metro just sent an alert that it’s routing westbound buses off the low bridge as a result.
1:32 PM: Metro says it’s resumed regular bus routing. As for the rest of the backup, though, cameras show westbound traffic sluggish all the way to the east end of the Spokane Street Viaduct.
1:46 PM: Per scanner, all involved lanes are open but it’ll take a while for the backup to clear.
What’s up for the rest of your West Seattle Monday
(Photo by Rick Rasmussen – thank you!)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and inbox:
LAST-MINUTE VALENTINE SHOPPING: If you still need to get a gift for your Valentine, two West Seattle shops that are usually closed on Mondays are open today just for you. Wyatt’s Jewelers (Westwood Village; WSB sponsor) is open until 6 pm; Alair (3270 California SW) is open until 3 pm.
CITY COUNCIL’S WEEKLY BRIEFING: 2 pm, councilmembers brief each other and the public on what they’re up to and what’s coming up this week. Staffers will also give the weekly update on how the city’s State Legislature priorities are doing. Watch live at seattlechannel.org.
DISCOVER SEATTLE COLLEGES: 5:30-6:30 pm tonight, online, learn about health and medical studies at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) and its sibling Seattle Colleges. Go here to get the link.
TRIVIA X 3: Here are tonight’s three options – 7 pm at Best of Hands (35th/Webster), 7 pm at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7:30 pm at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)
Something for our calendar? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
OUTAGE: Comcast/Xfinity service reported out for thousands
9:44 AM: Thanks to the multiple readers in Highland Park who have sent word of this – an Xfinity/Comcast service outage that the company says is affecting more than 2,500 customers. Let us know if it’s affecting you in other areas; we’re checking with the company.
ADDED MONDAY EVENING: We dead-ended while looking for a Comcast contact earlier but a regional spokesperson emailed us tonight to say: “We experienced an interruption today at 8:03 a.m. with our internet service in Highland Park. Our engineers began working to address the issue immediately and as of 8:44 a.m., service was restored. We apologize to those who were affected.”
TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Monday morning notes
6:00 AM Good morning! It’s Monday, and it’s Valentine’s Day.
WEATHER
Rainy, breezy forecast for today.
BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES
Metro is on its regular weekday schedule. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of reroutes/cancellations.
West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxi routes are on regular schedules.
Ferries: WSF continues the two-boat schedule for Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth. Check here for alerts/updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
692nd morning without the West Seattle Bridge.
Low Bridge: Automated enforcement cameras remain in use; restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily – except weekends; the bridge is open to all until 8 am Saturday and Sunday mornings. (Access applications are available here for some categories of drivers.)
The 1st Avenue South Bridge:
South Park Bridge:
West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:
Highland Park Way/Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
Are movable bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed; 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings are also tweeted on @wsdot_traffic.
See all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also on this WSB page
Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
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