CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUPS: Van-theft suspect charged; gunfire-related arrest

| Crime | West Seattle news

Two followups in West Seattle Crime Watch today:

VAN-THEFT SUSPECT CHARGED: Last week, we published Stefan‘s report about a stolen work van, and updated it with news that it had been found. What we didn’t know at the time was that police arrested a suspect when they found the van. And today, we have word that the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed a felony charge, possession of a stolen vehicle, against the 27-year-old suspect, Lee D. Watkins, who was already awaiting trial in three other auto-theft-related cases. According to the charging documents, officers found the van in the parking lot of the West Seattle Health Club at 10:45 pm last Tuesday, just under 17 hours after it was stolen in The Junction. As officers approached the van, the documents say they “observed a male get out of the driver seat of the vehicle. (Police) immediately recognized the male as Lee Watkins from previous contacts. (Police are) familiar with Watkins and know him as a prolific auto thief who has been arrested multiple times by SPD and KCSO.” Watkins, the documents say, claimed he had been loaned the van by an acquaintance who just “showed up at his apartment” with it and told him to drop it off at the health-club lot. Asked how he had started it, Watkins showed officers a screwdriver. They found it inside the van, and found “over 20 shaved keys” in his backpack. The van’s catalytic converter had been stolen, as discovered when the owner came to pick it up. Watkins was arrested and booked into jail, where he remains, with bail set at $10,000 – though prosecutors had requested $25,000.

GUNFIRE-RELATED ARREST: An arrest made by police Monday is linked to one of the three West Seattle gunfire incidents they confirmed last weekend. Around 9 am Monday, officers noticed a car at 18th/Barton believed to have been involved in the 9th SW gunfire incident early Sunday. According to archived police-radio audio, people were asleep in the car; they woke them up and ordered them out. According to a police-report summary, they claimed “they were shot at (Sunday) during the shooting.” The person “in possession of the vehicle” was a convicted felon, and police found ammunition in the car, so he was arrested for a firearms-law violation.

Stop Auto Theft May 31, 2022 (1:41 pm)

Excellent job, SPD! Just wish we could slam the revolving door to these repeat (expletive) criminals.

Lola May 31, 2022 (2:14 pm)

Does this mean he has 3 strikes and you are out with the other 3 stolen vehicles under his belt? Of course they would lower his bail why not?

WSB May 31, 2022 (5:12 pm)

Car theft is not a strike offense.
- bolo May 31, 2022 (8:01 pm)
  
  Could he be categorized as an “excessive resource user” or whatever their terminology was?
  - WSB May 31, 2022 (8:21 pm)
    
    I don’t have a name yet on the ammunition-arrest person so I don’t know about him. For the guy arrested in the stolen van, his warrant history was “only” in the single digits, and I don’t think that qualifies.

Scubafrog May 31, 2022 (3:03 pm)

“Police are familiar with Watkins, and know him as a profile auto thief..” “Who was already awaiting trial in three other auto-related-thefts.”… The Suspect will no doubt get out on bail, and steal another car. Seattle’s judges hold their own courts, and the law in contempt. Perhaps warehousing career criminals is the only way prevent the emergence of new victims everyday. Sadly, Seattle’s pity for the criminal outweighs empathy and compassion for the hordes of victims in all facets of crime.

Lagartija Nick May 31, 2022 (6:37 pm)

First, he is charged with a felony so “Seattle” judges have nothing to do with this case, it would be a King County judge. Second, judges (city, county, state) have to follow bail and sentencing guidelines set by the State Legislature so no, they don’t “hold their own courts, and the law in contempt.” Third, there is no pity for the criminal, it’s called following the law as set forth in the U.S. Constitution, Washington State Constitution, U.S. Supreme Court, and the Washington State Supreme Court. I really wish you people would learn some civics before you go on your half-cocked rants about things you clearly know nothing about.
- Scubafrog June 2, 2022 (7:52 am)
  
  Superior Court judges (in Seattle) would see the unending plethora of felony cases regarding said habitual auto thief. Sadly, you appear to have taken an entire a whole paragraph literally. It’s almost as if one believes the “justice system” is functional, and the constitution still adequate for modernity. Thus, our fellow “civic-minded” juror: “There is no pity for the criminal”, with today’s ultra-low sentencing guidelines.

DRW May 31, 2022 (3:18 pm)

Another case where the judge lowered bail. The judge dropped this felons bail by $15,000.00. Do we know who this judge is? The felon was awaiting trial for three other car thefts! Why lower his bail?

WSB May 31, 2022 (3:25 pm)

They didn’t “lower” the bail. The prosecutor has the right to request whatever amount, the judge sets the amount. I don’t have the judge’s name; would have been whoever was hearing the first-appearance calendar that day.
HiawathaNeighbor June 1, 2022 (11:57 am)

King County court records for case 2022-006262-KNJKINPFKCX indicate that it’s judge Hirakawa. By the way, it’s the same judge who let go on his own recognizance of Mr. Echols, who last December slashed a bartender in the face with a homemade scythe. You can create a free account at https://kcdc-efiling.kingcounty.gov/ecourt/ to look up court documents.

Lock 'Em Up May 31, 2022 (3:52 pm)

Another slap on the wrist will surely curb this serial criminal’s bad behaviour.

StopCuttingDownTrees May 31, 2022 (5:05 pm)

Felons caught with firearms or ammunition need to be sent back to prison to repeat their sentences.

Jethro Marx May 31, 2022 (6:14 pm)

Don’t we have indisputable proof that for that felon, prison did not help us? Yet we ought to try the same thing again?
- Dummy May 31, 2022 (7:10 pm)
  
  Prison isn’t just to reform criminals. When some individuals can’t conform to society, to ensure the safety of those who follow the laws, some people must be confined to prison cells. We can’t live in a society that allows people to hurt others. Even as kids, when a bully picks on others, they’re removed from the playground.
- Harpo Engels May 31, 2022 (8:25 pm)
  
  What’s your suggestion then, Jethro? Or are you just here to flog your anti-prison rhetoric again without anything better to offer?
  - Jethro Marx June 1, 2022 (8:14 am)
    
    I’m always here to suggest we not spend money on things that are proven to have no effect or the opposite of the intended effect. If that’s flogging my rhetoric I guess that’s what I’m doing. I do not support housing someone in jail to make the “omg they stole a car (or fifty), lock them up and throw away the keys forevaaaa…..” types feel better about how “justice” is served. I care a lot more about human people (yes even them, whoever you’re thinking of) than our inanimate stuff. But there I go flogging again. At least I’m consistent, what?
    - Scubafrog June 1, 2022 (6:45 pm)
      
      Multi-decade prison sentences for career felons is imperative. The car thief is an example of someone who can’t function in society without victimising others. There’s no way to rehabilitate a career felon, other than a lifelong prison sentence. Nothing’s reached him. I’ve seen it time, after time. Warehousing the multiple-felony offender is the only way to spare society. Their time in prison helps us, by sparing us their presence. Surely you get that. Their time in prison = 0 law-abiding victims. In 50 years, perhaps they may be ready to rejoin society. Washington state has GOT to start passing serious legislation for lower level felons with mass-convictions. No more free-time. Labor in prisons for a State-Owned entity could help repay us for their stay, and offer commissary items to the convicts.
    - James June 1, 2022 (9:33 pm)
      
      Multi decades for car theft? Jeeze you guys love putting humans in cages over property crime? This does nothing to curb behavior and yeah punish them but not this way. Have any of you ever heard of restorative justice or do you care more about a big hunk of metal than a repaired society?
- Walker June 1, 2022 (5:13 am)
  
  For the time he was in prison it did help us.
  - Jethro Marx June 1, 2022 (1:43 pm)
    
    No, you are perilously misunderstanding. Their time in prison did not help us or them. We paid a lot of money to rehabilitate them and have nothing to show for that money. We cannot legally or logistically lock people up forever just because they are likely to commit more crimes. It would be cheaper and approximately as effective to just buy people replacements when their stuff is stolen. It may well be cheaper and definitely more effective to pay criminals to stop committing crime. But that feels weird. It is pretty effective in keeping some drug users sober.
    - Auntie June 1, 2022 (7:40 pm)
      
      And what about the things that are irreplaceable to the victim, but mean bupkis to the criminal. No amount of money can replace some things. That’s like buying off the victim so the criminal can go and offend again. Unacceptable.
T June 1, 2022 (12:50 pm)

I so agree. At least with having to serve any early release time they were given. And no plea deals to people that are involved with gun crime.sitting in a courtroom and hearing that the death of missy (west Seattle girl), involved young men/teens who had also been accomplishes in a shooting on the west Seattle bridge about 12 months before was a shook. Hearing they were glad it was her and not a fellow gang members sister who was next to missy despite being friends with her was sickening. They then went with her shooter to go get a gun, drove back to Ballard highschool, where the gun was fired onto the campus at a group of students. They then hid the shooter and the gun. I can’t help but wonder about their records since.

Findlay May 31, 2022 (5:46 pm)

The compassionate thing would be to force incarceration, with release based on getting a HS diploma and a technical certificate along with mental health and drug help. I would imagine that would be cheaper to find in the long run rather than multiple cycles thru the judicial system,

bolo May 31, 2022 (8:07 pm)

[…“over 20 shaved keys” in his backpack.]
That could prove my earlier hypothesis that the car thiefs were using shaved keys, where no damaged/jimmyed doorlocks or broken windows were found. (No evidence of forced entry).
But that doesn’t totally explain this case, where presumably the ignition was strongarmed (hence the screwdriver needed for starting).

Leo May 31, 2022 (8:18 pm)

With the recent number of car thefts in West Seattle, the WSB should feature a column entitled: “Stolen Car deJour”

Zipda May 31, 2022 (8:25 pm)

Prolific thief, yet frequently captured.

1994 May 31, 2022 (10:45 pm)

Ha! good observation. The wheels go round and round…..with a steady supply of new ones to be stolen.

Lola June 1, 2022 (7:58 am)

You would think that our Court System would now lump all of his Stolen Car Crimes into one and hold one trial. That is if he even shows up for it. It looks like he is a perpetual thief and whatever they are doing now for him is clearly not working.

Audifans June 1, 2022 (2:11 pm)

Prison works to keep them from stealing more cars. BTW, starting cars with a ‘screwdriver’, while creative is viewed with some suspicion among the rightful owners. Do carry on , West Seattle and leave my vehicles alone.

Sorry, comment time is over.