West Seattle, Washington
05 Wednesday
Thanks to everybody who asked about a police response at 40th/Edmunds around 4:30 am. Here’s what we’ve been able to find out: It involved a cell phone stolen in the West Precinct area earlier in the morning. Police say the suspect, a 28-year-old woman, tried to flee, but was taken into custody. Another 28-year-old woman was also arrested in connection with the case. The jail register shows both are being held for investigation of assault; one has arrest warrants for failure to appear in other cases including DUI, property destruction, and reckless driving.
4:26 PM: Two West Seattle Crime Watch cases to report:
PROWLING SUSPECTS ARRESTED: Thanks to everybody who texted about a police/fire response in an alley near 46th and Edmunds this afternoon. We went over to check it out; police told us they responded to a report of two people prowling back yards, and after they found both suspects, learned they both had arrest warrants. No further details available yet, and we’re still trying to find out about the SFD component of the call; a neighbor said someone was taken away by private ambulance.
ANOTHER DRUG RAID: Posted on SPD Blotter this afternoon:
SPD investigators seized a handgun and large amounts of cash, meth, cocaine, pills, and heroin after serving a warrant at a West Seattle home on Saturday.
Around 5:30 PM on Saturday, members of the West Precinct Anti-Crime Team and SPD Narcotics Unit, with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration, served a warrant at the apartment of a 52-year-old man in the 900 block of SW Holden Street.
There, police found 1,455 grams of methamphetamine, 53 grams of cocaine, 41 grams of oxycodone pills and 229 grams of black tar heroin, which was in the suspect’s freezer.
Police also found a 9mm handgun and $39,000 in cash in the home.
Officers seized the gun, cash, and narcotics, and provided food and water for a cat in the apartment before securing the unit and leaving the scene.
The 52-year-old suspect — who was arrested for domestic violence the day before police served a warrant at his apartment and is also on federal probation — is currently being held at the King County Jail.
We’re checking on the suspect’s status.
4:45 PM UPDATE: The suspect, 52-year-old Donald C. Scholoff, remains in jail and is already charged in the domestic-violence case. Charging documents say that last Friday, he tried to strangle his girlfriend, and then she tried to flee on a bicycle, he drove a car after her and smashed it into her bike; she leaped off it just in time. The documents say the “federal probation” is for a drug-dealing conviction in 2016 and also note that he has a record including robbery, theft, and drug convictions.
An unusual note from the court documents: Prosecutors wrote in the charging papers that they disagreed with District Court Judge Pro Tem Catherine McDowell‘s original decision to set bail at $50,000; they wanted it three times higher. No indication if that happened, but the jail register now shows Scholoff is being held without bail.
Three notes tonight in West Seattle Crime Watch:
GUNFIRE REPORT INVESTIGATED: We just went over to South Delridge to investigate a report of police investigating possible drive-by gunfire. We found officers near 16th and Cambridge; they told us they had not found any evidence of gunfire so far – no shell casings, property damage, and/or victim(s). ADDED: A texter, however, reported three casings. We’ll check for the report in the morning.
DRUG SUSPECT OUT: Thanks to the tipster who spotted this even before we made our nightly jail-register check. One day after being charged, High Point drug suspect Richard S. Schaan is out of jail. He posted bond tonight on $50,000 bail.
WEEKEND MYSTERY SOLVED: On Saturday night, we got a few tips about police searching parts of Gatewood and Sunrise Heights with a K9 team. We spotted them on SW Thistle but despite driving several blocks in areas where the tipsters had seen police, we never found the original scene.
No related call turned up on Tweets by Beat, either. But an emailed question on Sunday finally revealed the original scene, and we were able to find out from SPD today that it was a case of domestic violence – those are usually kept off the public logs. The suspect they were seeking was finally found and arrested in White Center and booked into jail.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The meeting room at the Southwest Precinct was full almost to overflowing this morning as more than 50 people, accompanied by their very patient dogs, showed up for the Paws on Patrol launch.
The precinct’s Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner observed that she hadn’t seen the room that full in a long time. Assisted by her North Precinct counterpart Mary Amberg, Danner revealed to attendees what Paws on Patrol is all about.
It’s essentially a riff on Block Watch … Bark Watch, if you will. It’s based on a national program called Dog Walker Watch. The premise is simple: If you have a dog, you’re out walking it daily, no matter what the weather. So you might be first to spot neighborhood crime in progress. Pay attention while you’re out with your pup – don’t be head-down staring on your phone: “When you are walking, we really want you to be aware.”
Much of the presentation – which was accompanied by an outdoor resource fair involving local pet-related providers – involved training on how to deduce what’s suspicious (“you know your neighborhood best (and know) “what’s not normal”), and when to call 911.
“95 percent of all police arrests are the direct result of a citizen 911 call,” Danner noted. As has been repeated over and over and over at community meetings we’ve covered in the past 12 years, if it’s happening now, CALL 911. Don’t call the non-emergency number. You’re not “bothering” police. If the calltaker answering 911 determines what you’re calling about is not an emergency, they’ll transfer you. And if what you’re calling out turns out not to be a crime, “it’s OK to be wrong.”
Not only can you be a crime spotter, you can be a crime preventer, Danner said – the program is intended to let criminals know, “dog walkers DO REPORT suspicious activity.”
As the dogs continued patiently keeping watch, their people heard other advice and reminders, such as judging people by their behavior, not their appearance – and go with your “gut feelings”; if you think something is wrong, it may well be. Keep watch for suspicious situations involving vehicles as well as people – parked in an unusual location, full of what might be stolen property, etc.
If you feel safe doing it, you can speak to suspicious-seeming people, attendees were advised – say hello. And if they’re at your door and you don’t want them there, added Community Police Team Officer Nic Plemel. tell them to leave your property; if they don’t, call police, because then they’re trespassing.
A few more 911 tips – be succinct, calm, and clear; let the operator ask the questions; if you want to talk to the officer, tell them proactively you want contact. (That’s not required; you can also be anonymous.) If you are out and don’t know the exact address of something/somewhere you’re calling about, just look for the nearest street number as a reference. And don’t hang up until they tell you it’s OK too – they are dispatching officers even as they speak with callers, and might need to ask you more questions.
(Side note – 911 is the topic at the precinct next Tuesday, at the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting – 6:30 pm September 24th.)
Those in attendance today got special SPD-logo tags for their dogs.
If you couldn’t be there, Danner tells us, you’ll have another chance; another meeting will be scheduled at a TBA date. Questions? jennifer.danner@seattle.gov is how to reach her.
(Added: Reader photo from early this morning)
We got a few questions today about what appeared to be a warrant service in High Point early this morning. Tonight this SPD post confirms that’s indeed what it was:
Major Crimes Task Force Detectives are making our neighborhoods safer by seizing heroin, methampheatmine, and fentanyl from a suspected drug dealer.
During the course of an ongoing criminal investigation, and with the assistance of SWAT officers, Major Crimes Task Force detectives served a search warrant this morning in the 6300 block of 34th Avenue SW.
Officers arrested their target, a 47-year-old man, and booked him into King County Jail.
In addition to securing a bottle of liquid fentanyl, detectives collected 64.7 grams of heroin and 5.7 grams of methamphetamine.
This remains an active and ongoing criminal investigation.
The suspect remains in jail. We’re looking into his record.
Thanks for the tip. Police are on upper Fauntleroy Way across from the ferry dock, awaiting the Medical Examiner, after a man was found dead on a bench in what’s known as “Captain’s Park.” A neighbor told us it first looked like he was taking a nap – and then a passerby realized otherwise, so 911 was called. SFD verified the death and tells us the man was “about 60.” Police did find ID on him but the officer at the scene had no further comment. We don’t have any other details except that it’s not being treated as a crime scene.
Thanks for the tips/questions about that big police response at 44th/Edmunds in The Junction. We went over to see what it was about. Person in crisis trying to block traffic, including a Metro bus, police say. The person is in custody and an ambulance was called to take him to the hospital for evaluation.
For the second time in a week, Mayor Jenny Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best were in West Seattle this afternoon. They chose Delridge Community Center as the location for a wide-ranging budget announcement involving everything from police retention to human services. Above, our video; the event was followed by two news releases published on the city website. This one is about plans to improve police retention/hiring (based on recommendations in this report), this one is about money to be spent on “new investments in community safety and building opportunity for young people (to) focus on alternatives to arrest and incarceration at every step of the system, from interactions with law enforcement, to diversion programs before a court filing, to reentry assistance after involvement in the criminal legal system.”
So why make these announcements in West Seattle (as you can hear in our video, we asked the chief what’s in the plans for the Southwest Precinct, and the reply was not ultra-specific)? Some community members were invited to be there in support, including Lora Radford from the West Seattle Junction Association, which has launched the city’s first Business Block Watch.
Meantime, the chief and mayor are continuing their budget-announcement tour tomorrow, when they’ll be joined by Fire Chief Harold Scoggins at Fire Station 2 downtown.
Police have found at least one shell casing, according to radio communication, while investigating reports of gunfire heard on Puget Ridge. They briefly closed SW Dawson at/near 18th for the investigation but just announced it’s reopening. One person near 19th/Brandon tells us they “heard what sounded like 5 rapid gunshots.” No reports of anyone being injured..
The results of the newest annual Seattle Public Safety Survey – conducted by Seattle University for SPD – are out. Top concerns of respondents are listed citywide, by precinct, and by “microcommunity” (aka neighborhood with a community group that has participated in development of policing plans). Here are the Southwest Precinct-area highlights:
The survey summary says 706 people in the Southwest Precinct area – West Seattle and South Park – completed the survey; demographically, the summary notes, “Compared to Seattle demographics, survey respondents [from this precinct area] were disproportionately more likely to be non-minority and female.” The report summarizes:
The top public safety concerns for the Southwest Precinct are Car Prowls, Lack of Police Capacity, Property Crime- General, Residential Burglary, and Auto Theft.
Southwest Precinct slightly differs from the citywide top public safety concerns, which were Car Prowls, Lack of Police Capacity, Homelessness, Property Crime, and Residential Burglary; for residents in the Southwest Precinct, Auto Theft was a top public safety concern over Homelessness, which was a top public safety concern in the citywide findings.
The most prominent themes residents in the Southwest Precinct commented on in their narrative responses were Lack of Police Capacity, Homelessness is a Public Safety, and Public Health Issue, Crime- Public Order, Crime- Property, and Crime- Traffic/Pedestrian/Bike/Transit. In comparison with the citywide themes, which were Homelessness, Lack of Police Capacity, Public Order Crime, Property Crime, and Police being Prevented from Doing their Job, themes prioritized by residents in the Southwest Precinct were Crime- Traffic/Pedestrian/Bike/Transit, which was a concern over the citywide theme (that) police are being prevented from doing their jobs. At the micro-community level, top public safety concerns, prominent themes, and perceptions of public safety are similar to the precinct as a whole. However, some micro-communities differ from the others (e.g. unsafe driving/speeding in Alki, littering/dumping and gang activity in South Park).
You can read the entire report here.
Just sent by Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner, another of the occasional notifications that a Level 3 sex offender has moved into a local neighborhood:
In an effort to keep you informed, and in our constant attempts to reduce future victimization, we want to let you know about one level 3 sex offender that has recently moved into a Southwest Precinct neighborhood.
Joaquin Garcia, a 38 year old Hispanic Male, is a level 3 registered sex offender who has recently moved to the 1800 Block of SW Dawson St. Mr. Garcia is currently under Department of Corrections supervision.
To learn more about this offender and for additional safety tips please visit the website at www.waspc.org and search by his name. [Editor’s note: Here’s a direct link to the page with his photo and background information.]
To register to receive an email alert whenever a published offender registers within one mile of your desired addresses, go to this website.
Level 3 sex offenders pose the highest risk to re-offend. It is normal to feel upset, angry and worried about a registered sex offender living in your community. The Community Notification Act of 1990 requires sex offenders to register in the community where they live. The law also allows local law enforcement to make the public aware about Level 2 and Level 3 offenders. Since these offenders have completed their sentences, they are free to live where they wish. Experts believe sex offenders are less likely to re-offend if they live and work in an environment free of harassment. Any actions taken against the listed sex offenders could result in arrest and prosecution as it is against the law to use this information in any way to threaten, intimidate or harass registered sex offenders. The SPD Sex offender detectives will check on these offenders every 3 months to verify our information.
The single most effective means of protecting your child is communication with your child. They have to feel comfortable discussing sensitive matters with you. Teach your children that they should not be asked to touch anyone in the bathing suit areas of their body or allow anyone to touch them in those areas. Teach them types of situations to avoid. It is not good enough to tell a child to avoid strangers. Please remember that children are most often molested by someone they or their parents know.
Other questions? This FAQ might help.
(Saturday photo, sent by Kenneth)
We found out more today about a case of line-cutting that led to an arrest on the Fauntleroy ferry dock Saturday afternoon. WSF spokesperson Ian Sterling says it started around 2 pm with someone who got cut off reacting very intensely. A third person a few cars back, according to the police report, drew a gun to try to defuse the situation. That didn’t really help. A tollbooth attendant called police, and ultimately the person who drew the gun was arrested; the line-cutter apparently left the scene. No injuries reported; the ferry at the dock at the time was slightly delayed because the captain opted to hold off until everything was sorted out. Sterling tells us that August is peak time for line-cutting complaints, which have been on the rise in general – the state’s special hotline for ferry-line cutting had 2,000 calls in 2017, 2,400 last year, and is on pace to likely exceed that this year. Mukilteo and Edmonds generally bring in the most complaints – for example, 39 last August in Fauntleroy, compared to about 200 in Mukilteo. You can report line-cutting to 877-764-HERO – it’s a $139 fine.
P.S. Back to Saturday’s case – records show the 68-year-old man was arrested for investigation of “use of a weapon to intimidate,” and that after two days in jail, he’s being released today.
Thanks to Chuck Edgin for the photo taken as police, including SWAT officers, wrapped up an arrest operation at 35th SW/SW Holly about an hour ago. Officers advised dispatchers afterward that it was a “warrant arrest” and that if anyone in the area reported hearing an explosion (as did Chuck), it was related to their operation. We haven’t yet been able to find out what the suspect was being sought for.
A 32-year-old man is in jail today after a resident caught him trying to climb into his patio near California/Charlestown late last night. We requested and obtained the report, which says police got the call around 11:23 pm. Police arrived to find the victim following the suspect, with a baseball bat, southbound on California. Officers detained both until they sorted out what had happened. The victim explained that his dog alerted him to noise on the back patio; he said he walked out to find the suspect halfway over the fence. First he grabbed “a pellet gun resembling a rifle” and pointed it at the suspect, who he said dared him to shoot and then threatened to burn the house down. The suspect kept yelling and took off. When stopped, he claimed to police that he had had “a rough day,” had been in the alley collecting trash, and was just trying to get back to California SW to head toward Morgan Junction. Once the suspect was under arrest, the report says, investigating officers noted that the victim’s patio does not connect to California SW. The suspect was booked into the King County Jail on suspicion of criminal trespassing. Records show this is his third arrest in less than two months; the other two were for allegedly harassing/threatening people outside their homes in Morgan Junction, and the second report says he is a known troublemaker in that area.
ORIGINAL THURSDAY REPORT: In the spirit of Block Watch, you might call this Bark Watch. Seattle Police Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Danner sent this announcement that they are launching a new program called Paws on Patrol:
You can help prevent crime while you are walking your dog!
Paws on Patrol encourages dog walkers to serve as extra eyes and ears for the Seattle Police Department.
This program trains pet owners to prevent crime, as well as recognize and report suspicious activity.
Get a free SPD Paws on Patrol dog tag when you join (while supplies last)!
The SW Precinct will be hosting the Paws on Patrol launch event on Saturday, September 21st at 10 am.
So if you are interested – save the date!
ADDED FRIDAY: A clarification from CPC Danner: “I have received a lot of inquiries about Paws on Patrol (yay!). Thank you everyone for your interest! Just wanted to clarify- at this time there is no link to join, please plan to attend the launch event on Saturday, September 21st, to join! I will send out more details as we get closer to the event!” This will be the first precinct to test the program, by the way. And yes, you AND your dog will be welcome at the September 21st meeting.
(WSB photo)
2:38 PM: Thanks for the tip about that big Seattle Police response near High Point Community Center. We subsequently went over to find out what’s happening. Police say the white car is stolen and they’ve taken one person into custody. That person’s being checked for possible injuries because the car was involved in a collision (our crew says it has extensive rear-end damage). A K9 team is on the way to help search for evidence after, according to a radio exchange, “a magazine” was reportedly found in the car.
2:45 PM: Seattle Parks just tweeted that HPCC is in lockdown because of this.
3:42 PM: Parks says the lockdown is over.
ADDED WEDNESDAY: A few more details, and a photo of the magazine, from SPD:
A parking enforcement officer was on patrol at 35 Avenue (SW) and SW Morgan Street at 2 PM when they spotted an occupied stolen vehicle parked nearby.
As patrol officers flooded the area, the vehicle’s occupant piloted the white Jetta out of the area, nearly striking a firetruck and running a stop sign in the process. The driver continued to speed away until he lost control and rolled the vehicle down a hill.
Police took the man into custody and following a search of the car recovered a handgun magazine. A K-9 was brought in to search for a firearm but none was located.
Officers booked the man into King County Jail for possession of a stolen vehicle and firearms violation because he is a convicted felon and prevented from having a handgun magazine.
We took that photo Sunday afternoon after multiple tips that the BECU ATM in Morgan Junction was out of service and damaged, as well as smeared with what looked like blood. We followed up with Seattle Police today to see if it was a theft attempt, or vandalism, or … Here’s what the police report says:
A 911 call Sunday morning brought officers to the freestanding outdoor ATM, where they found a man who said his card got stuck in the machine, so first he called the BECU phone number on the machine’s side, but didn’t reach anyone. Then, the police report says, he tried “to remove the card from the machine using a pair of pliers, but ended up accidentally breaking the card reader and cutting his finger in the process.” He told the officers that he called 911 himself because he “had no intention of causing property damage to the machine.” They offered to summon medical help for his finger injury, but he declined.
P.S. Police then tried to contact BECU to let them know about the damaged machine but, the report says, they couldn’t reach anyone either.
One more note from Delridge Day: That’s where Seattle Police presented this year’s Outstanding Community Member Awards for the Southwest Precinct area. The honorees:
Terry Hirata is senior housing manager for the Seattle Housing Auhority in High Point. SPD expressed appreciation because he “has helped establish and maintain trust with the police and High Point residents.”
Karen Berge and Deb Greer lead the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network, hailed by SPD because they “work with the Crime Prevention Coordinator to disseminate information to our community members, and create and maintain Block Watch groups throughout our precinct.”
Lora Radford, executive director of the West Seattle Junction Association, was honored for launching our area’s first Business Block Watch and serving as “a wonderful point of contact for the Alaska Junction businesses in the Block Watch and for the SW Precinct Community Police Team.”
(Photo courtesy Karen Berge/Deb Greer)
That’s us, your WSB co-publishers, Patrick Sand and Tracy Record. We received appreciation for “disseminat(ing) an immense amount of information, including meetings and event announcements, crime prevention newsletters, and crime and offender patterns.” Publishing lots of info, quickly, accurately, and ethically, is our job – our mission – and we’re glad to still be doing it after almost 12 years. We especially appreciate continued community collaboration – reader reports, tips, questions … thank you, and thanks to SPD for the recogniion.
P.S. In the photos, at left and right respectively, are SPD Assistant Chief Eric Greening and SW Precinct Operations Commander Lt. Steve Strand.
12:09 AM: Multiple 911 calls about gunfire sent police to 9th SW/SW Henderson, just west of Westcrest Park, and officers have reported via radio that they’ve found shell casings south of the intersection. No injuries reported so far, and also no description of suspect(s).
12:29 AM: Unrelated so far as we know, but here’s another call that’s drawn a police response of note: A resident in the Aura Apartments (35th SW just south of Avalon) reported someone broke into their apartment and ran out, westbound, with a laptop. Police are searching the area, with a K0 unit dispatched too.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 12:20 AM: Police have closed northbound 16th SW at Brandon while investigating what was initially described via radio communication as a robbery or carjacking attempt. The would-be robbers are reported to have fired into the air as they fled; police found at least one shell casing in the street. A K-9 team is helping search right now. No further details but we’ll follow up.
ADDED THURSDAY NIGHT: We obtained the police report; this was classified as an armed robbery. The three victims told police they had been parked on 16th SW when the robbers walked up to the passenger side of the car and said, “This is a robbery, give us all your s–t! Get out of the car!”P Police say the victims thought that the two robbers – who appeared to be juveniles – were joking until one pulled out a handgun and pointed it at them. The robbers then grabbed a victim’s backpack. The unarmed robber jumped into the car at one point. Eventually after a struggle over the backpack, the two robbers ran away. The one with the gun fired a shot in the air first; nobody was hit. Police searched but didn’t find them.
Not much information yet, but police are investigating after a body washed up on a south West Seattle beach. It was first reported by a passing boater as “somewhere between Seahurst and Lowman,” police tell us, and then a kayaker’s report helped them locate the body on a beach between Brace Point and The Arroyos. All they know is that the person appears to be female. They have called in the Medical Examiner, whose job it will be to determine the cause of death and identification.
Bryan sent that photo Saturday night but we had just missed police by the time we got there, so we pursued followup information today: SPD confirms gunfire on 16th SW near SW Holden around 8 pm Saturday. Multiple calls came in to 911 from people who heard it; one witness reported seeing someone in a vehicle firing a gun “into the air.” No one was hit/injured and no property damage was found, but officers did find shell casings. One area resident told us police were also canvassing the neighborhood to see if anyone had security video of the incident.
Texted photo
2:40 PM: Sorry to have missed this unfolding during the hour we were mostly offline for the candidates’ forum, but reader texts and tweets tell much of the story: Police took into custody a man who had been in the water at Alki, holding what appeared to be a knife. One tweeted clip from just after noon shows officers standing on the beach facing the man; a texter just after 1 pm reported that police had the man in custody. We will be following up with police and will add anything more we find out.
3:38 PM: We found an officer here at Summer Fest who was familiar with the situation; it was a case of “person in crisis,” they tell us.
ADDED MONDAY MORNING: We followed up with SPD for details today. Det. Mark Jamieson tells us it indeed started as a “person in crisis” call around 11 am:
Officers arrived on scene and observed the subject 30 feet from shore and in waist deep water. The suspect was in possession of a knife and was displaying it to arriving officer. The subject made threats to harm self and officers. One officer was designated for CIT [Crisis Intervention] engagement with the subject. Negotiators and Harbor were notified and responded to the scene. Negotiators were able to build a rapport with the subject and he voluntarily released the knife. The subject then walked out of the water and surrendered peacefully. The subject was medically evaluated by SFD at the scene for hypothermia after being in the water for over two hours. The subject was then transported to the hospital for a mental evaluation.
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