CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Police link West Seattle holdup to regional robbery rampage, after arresting 1 suspect

4:45 PM: Over the weekend, we published security-camera images from last Wednesday’s armed robbery at Bellevue Rare Coins in The Junction. The description of one robber as having a distinctive limp had some wondering if they were the same people suspected in a region-wide robbery and murder rampage, mostly targeting cannabis shops, with a store employee killed during a Tacoma holdup. Today, one of those suspects, 15-year-old Marshon D. Jones, was arrested, while another, 16-year-old Montrell D. Hatfield, remains at large. SPD has subsequently confirmed to WSB, “Robbery detectives have confirmed that they are the suspects in the Bellevue Rare Coins robbery, and are being investigated further. That investigation, and further attempts to locate the other suspects, continues.” After last week’s West Seattle robbery, the store closed for three months of security updates and remodeling work. If you have any information about the robbers who are still at large, call Seattle Police and refer to incident # 22-085753.

6:21 PM: King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Casey McNerthney tells WSB that Jones and Hatfield are only charged so far in a February robbery at a pawn shop in Federal Way. (Court documents note that Hatfield is the one with the prosthetic right leg.) The charging documents also show that, as with the West Seattle robbery, the robbers ordered employees to lie on the floor. In the Federal Way robbery, they also allegedly fired a warning shot. Police arrested the suspects shortly after the robbery, but as has been reported in regional media, despite prosecutors’ arguments that they should remain in juvenile detention, King County Superior Court Judge Averil Rothrock allowed them to be out on electronic home monitoring, from which they escaped. McNerthney says that’s the only case involving these two referred to the KCPAO so far.

ADDED: To clarify, Jones and Hatfield’s only King County charge so far is the Federal Way robbery, but they are also charged, in Pierce County, with the Tacoma murder.

Too Close To Home April 11, 2022 (4:57 pm)

Fantastic news and great job SPD! These punks clearly have zero regard for human life and would only be escalating their crimes. I hope a judge does not make the same mistake an earlier one did (sending this trio home with leg monitors for an earlier crime that they cut off, I believe) and instead tries this one and the others as adults. If he gets bail it would be itself a crime. We all deserve better.

Eileen April 11, 2022 (11:40 pm)

Don’t trust a judge that puts an ankle bracelet monitor on a guy with a prosthetic leg.

Rocket April 11, 2022 (5:02 pm)

It’s a matter of time before they catch these other fools. They have been so active their luck is bound to run out either trying to hold up the wrong store or just getting found out.

WsRes April 11, 2022 (5:04 pm)

Read that again – 15 and 16. The parents and society have failed these children and I shudder to think where we will be as a society in a few years if this is tolerated.

Say What? April 11, 2022 (6:06 pm)

I don’t think there is any reason to believe anything like this is tolerated.

Unfortunately there will always be criminals and juvenile offenders and there always has been.
- Admyrl Byrd April 11, 2022 (9:01 pm)
  
  It depends what you mean by “tolerated”. A lot of people are now resigned to the notion that this will go through “cops and robbers pageantry” where – eventually – the perp will not incur a penalty commensurate with the threat – age, socio-economic disadvantage, covid, speedy trial, jail capacity, prosecutor capacity, liberal judge. There’s a lot of reasons to go off easy, very few to pay a price commensurate with the crime.
  - Mike April 13, 2022 (1:31 pm)
    
    Looks like the judge failed all of Seattle and everywhere.

Mellow Kitty April 11, 2022 (5:05 pm)

Well done SPD!

Mj April 11, 2022 (5:13 pm)

Tar N Feather – I concur with your post regarding the Bellevue Rare Coins robbery. It’s time to highlight the judges that are far to lenient with criminal’s!

cjboffoli April 11, 2022 (5:37 pm)

Such great news! Kudos to SPD and the other law enforcement agencies involved.

StopCuttingDownTrees April 11, 2022 (6:16 pm)

There are voters, activists, elected officials, and judges who want to eliminate any jail time for violent juvenile criminals such as these. That kind of nonsensical mindset and the anti-police laws passed in 2021 are only emboldening these dangerous predators.

Westsidegurl April 11, 2022 (7:09 pm)

Yes! This judges name is Averil Rothrock!!
Enough April 11, 2022 (10:18 pm)

Stopcuttingdowntrees is absolutely right.
David April 11, 2022 (11:53 pm)

Unfortunately, not much can be done when the judges run unopposed. Ms. Rothrock was unopposed in 2019 and thus won by default along with 10 other King County superior court judges ( https://ballotpedia.org/Municipal_elections_in_King_County,_Washington_(2019)#Judicial )

Westsidegurl April 11, 2022 (7:08 pm)

Thank god. Hopefully Judge Averil Rothrock won’t send these two criminals home again with a ankle monitor. An innocent young man was killed by these two who should of been behind bars in the first place. They have been in multiple crime sprees. Remember this judges name during election time!!

TJ April 11, 2022 (8:17 pm)

I honestly have to question the mental faculties of people that think anyone, including juveniles of these ages, should be released after committing a armed robbery like this. If you believed or supported stupid blanket activist junk like “no jail for juveniles”, then look in the mirror and own up to this. These guys ended up killing someone after getting caught before, and continued their spree after that. Let the judge, activists, and politicians that were behind the policy of letting these punks go home explain their home life. Where are their parents in this? If they are being released, even with ankle monitoring, you would assume they have a good structure at home. Seattle and King county are a poster child of the ramifications of activists getting into politics.

Canton April 11, 2022 (9:53 pm)

Spot on. 💯
bill April 11, 2022 (10:03 pm)

Who else gets into politics besides activists? Who else has the commitment and thick skin to take the abuse dished out by critics with no constructive ideas? As for criticizing the judge in this case, this is probably the only time any of us have heard of him: the time he got it wrong out of hundreds or thousands of bail hearings he has presided over.
- WSB April 12, 2022 (12:06 am)
  
  Judge Rothrock is female.
- Peter S. April 12, 2022 (9:44 am)
  
  What WSB said, And no, this is NOT the first time this judge has been in the spotlight for similar reasons.
1994 April 11, 2022 (10:34 pm)

TJ – well written. The ‘no new juvenile jail’ group who protested the construction (even chained themselves to the fence around the construction site) of the new juvenile detention facility in Seattle should be questioning their vision for what to do with violent juvenile offenders. They are children yes, but they are violent children killing people.

James April 11, 2022 (9:45 pm)

It is unfortunate that we do not have a more robust juvenile system. Many juveniles will commit violent crimes and serve very little time or no time at all. Any violent crime committedby a juvenile needs to be considered for adult courts and if the juvenile has a second violent crime then they need to be placed in the adult system. JPK

Gman April 11, 2022 (9:57 pm)

Jeez 15 and 16 years old? Shouldn’t they be in school? not out robbing jewelry and weed shops, how did they get the guns?

Canton April 11, 2022 (10:04 pm)

Thank you WSB, for posting the additional details, and boldening Judge Averil Rothrock’s name. She released these teens after the first robbery, which they discharged a firearm into the air. The decision allowed them to rob again in Tacoma and kill the pot shop employee. Now they rob BRC, and shut down the business for months. If these teens were held as recommended, a good man would still be alive, and a good business wouldn’t be shut down for months.

WestSeattleLiberal April 12, 2022 (8:41 am)

These kids should be in jail. FWIW, we should also be charging and prosecuting the adults who gave or sold them guns.

Lola April 12, 2022 (8:44 am)

They killed one person. I can’t believe that the Judge decided to put ankle bracelets on them? What is she thinking. I am just glad they did not shoot or kill anybody in the BRC incident. Others may not be so lucky if they decided to strike again. Please keep these killers behind bars.

WSB April 12, 2022 (10:00 am)

Just to be clear, the murder happened in March, after they “escaped,” not before, so the judge was not “deciding to put ankle bracelets” on murder suspects. The armed robbery for which they were arrested in February, as described in court documents, however, was violent.
- Michael April 12, 2022 (12:17 pm)
  
  Quoting from a KOMO News article:
  
  It was not clear if bond would be set for Jones, who along with Montrell D. Hatfield, 16, are facing murder charges in the death of Jordan Brown … who was shot and killed on March 19 while working at the World of Weed
  
  and
  
  Each was ordered in late March to wear ankle bracelets after the pawn shop robbery, but they apparently cut those devices off before going on the lam.
  
  I imagine that the article wouldn’t say “late March” if that happened before the March 19th murder. In other words, it seems the ankle bracelets were ordered after their murder of Jordan Brown.
  - WSB April 12, 2022 (12:30 pm)
    
    That is inaccurate. The suspects have not appeared in court since February. Direct quote from my exchange from the KCPAO:
    
    At the first appearance on Feb. 24, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office argued that the respondents should remain in juvenile detention. They were released on electronic home monitoring by the first appearance judge. (Those are the detention hearing minutes from 2-24).
    
    At their arraignment on Feb. 28, a second judge continued their release on electronic home detention consistent with the other judge’s prior order at first appearance. However, under local rules the arraignment judge did not have the authority to change the first appearance judge’s ruling about electronic home detention.
    
    The Tacoma News-Tribune notes that the deadly shooting happened three days after they cut off the bracelets ordered by the King County judge in February.
  - Neigbor April 12, 2022 (5:58 pm)
    
    You’re quoting KOMO, which post-Sinclair is about as trustworthy as quoting the family dog.

T Rex April 12, 2022 (8:51 am)

I have followed this story and this judge needs to be removed as an acting judge. The new laws of the catch and release do not work, it NEVER HAS. In fact I believe it encourages criminals to do even more crime as shown in this story. Ankle Bracelets ? Really? I wonder what this judge would have to say to the family of the man that was killed. And now to a business that has to lose money because of three punks who thought they were above the law. And they are not children, the are criminals, I never even thought of committing a crime when I was their age. First, because I was raised to know the difference between right and wrong, taught to me by my responsible parents, and second it was known that if you do something bad, you go to jail. Period.

Weezie April 12, 2022 (11:01 am)

I agree with you 100%.

Joel April 12, 2022 (9:39 am)

https://kingcounty.gov/courts/superior-court/directory/judges/rothrock.aspx
her phone number and email –

Sue L. April 13, 2022 (4:49 pm)

Targeting the judge is irresponsible and dangerous. Vote out people who aren’t doing what they were elected to do!

Gini April 12, 2022 (10:48 am)

I think they are the same 3 that robbed the pot shop. I’m sure I’m not alone on this. Same unusual limp by one of them that has a Prosthetic limb.

JM April 12, 2022 (12:21 pm)

My question why aren’t the parents or whom ever was supposed to monitor these murderous criminals immediately taken into custody themselves? Aren’t they just as complicit? In order for these criminals to be released for monitoring I assume their “guardians” were required to follow certain guidelines which obviously were not followed.

RT April 12, 2022 (1:27 pm)

Charge and hold them in jail as adults. Childhood is over for them.

Curtis April 13, 2022 (7:40 am)

I am sad it took so long, but happy to see that even the West Seattle blog comments have finally come around to supporting basic law & order principles of civilization. In 2020 there would have been a chorus of support here for kids like these.

Sorry, comment time is over.