Two young men died in an early morning collision that occurred northbound on Interstate 5 near Mercer Street.  Witnesses reported seeing a silver BMW traveling at a very high rate of speed around 2:45 a.m., just before it clipped another vehicle and spun out of control.  The BMW then slammed into the rear of a moving Seattle Fire Department medic unit.

The driver, a 24 year old Tumwater man and the passenger, a 23 year old Lynnwood man were pronounced dead at the scene.  The driver and passenger of the medic unit were transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

While the details are still under investigation, alcohol appears to be a factor in this  collision.

A 10-week old puppy was stolen in the burglary of a Burien pet store early this morning. The break-in occurred just after 4 a.m. at A Place for Pets, 431 SW 152 St.

The stolen puppy is a female Scottish Terrier. She was removed from her kennel by the suspect. Nothing else was missing from the store.

Deputies on routine patrol heard the store’s burglar alarm go off about 4:12 a.m. They tracked the alarm to the store and found the rear door in the alley open. Further investigation revealed the burglar probably got into the store by removing an air conditioner unit from a rear window.

The owner of the pet store was called and he reported the puppy gone. The dog was listed for sale at $745.

If anyone sees the missing puppy or knows who took her, they are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311 (24 hours) or 911.

A van, driven by Sheri McDonald of Olympia, was northbound on Interstate 5
near the City Center Exit 105 in Olympia.  As she was make the last of several
lane changes to avoid a traffic backup from an earlier collision, she lost control
of her van and ended up facing southbound in the northbound lanes.  Trooper
Riney, driving a fully marked patrol car, was also traveling northbound on I-5
and was unable to avoid colliding with the van.

Trooper Riney was passing through the area and was not responding to a call
or incident at the time of the collision.

Trooper Riney suffered minor injuries. Ms. McDonald was not injured.  Both
vehicles were towed from the scene.

Detectives from the King County Sheriff’s Office continue to investigate the shooting Saturday night, July 17, that left two dead and three with gunshot injuries.
So far investigators have recovered four handguns and 25 spent cartridges. Two of the guns were in a car stopped leaving the scene. One gun was found in a marsh area near picnic tables, and the fourth was found near the body of Justin Cunningham, one of the deceased.
Contrary to a published media report, detectives do not know who shot Cunningham. Detectives also do not know who shot the other deceased person, Kang Keovongphet. There are several possibilities, but until ballistic evidence is analyzed by the State Patrol Crime Lab, no definitive conclusions should be drawn.  To do otherwise is speculative and  irresponsible.
Three other males were wounded during the shooting, however none of the injuries are life threatening. The victims include a 20-year-old North Bend man, a 22 year-old Seattle man and a 16 year-old from Renton.  All were treated at Harborview Medical Center.
A fourth victim was treated at Overlake Hospital.  He was beaten after the shooting, and his injuries are not serious.
Detectives are interviewing witnesses and preparing evidence for the crime lab.  Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311.

Carl Wallace,  age 58 and suffering from dementia, was found last night in Grants Pass, Oregon.  He was with his vehicle and dog Frankie.  (No injuries.)  He was reported missing from the Burien area on Friday July 16^th.

No additional information at this time.

He has a tattoo on his left forearm of purple roses  with “Carl + Betty”.  He is wearing a gray shirt, tan shorts, tan boat shoes and might have a purple sweater.
If anyone sees Carl Wallace they should call 911 or the King County sheriff’s office at 206-296-3311, 24 hours.

“All of our workers are essential, and all of their work is important,”  Chief
John R. Batiste said. “However, some office work is not time sensitive and can be
deferred to help the state meet its financial challenges.”

These office closures will not affect public safety. If you call 9-1-1 a trooper
will respond to your emergency.

During the search of the vehicle, a ½ pound of marijuana, several ecstasy pills, methamphetamine and $790 in cash was seized.

TZT troopers were not only selected because of their motivation and exceptional skills in detecting impaired drivers but also for their ability to “look beyond the license plate” when conducting traffic stops.  Criminal interdiction is another component to the Target Zero goals and objectives.  Many impaired drivers are using combinations of alcohol and drugs as well as committing other crimes.

Calls started pouring in around 2:30 p.m., all reporting a green Chevrolet pickup truck driving very erratically.  The truck had also struck a vehicle on Military Road near Interstate 5 in Federal Way.  The truck entered southbound Interstate 5 from S. 200^th Street and several callers remained close to it as it exited to S. 320^th Street.  As troopers attempted to locate the truck, the driver began traveling eastbound on S. 320^th Street in an attempt to get back on northbound Interstate 5.   The highly impaired driver changed his mind and began backing up the on-ramp to northbound Interstate 5.  Troopers arrived and quickly took the driver into custody.

The driver, Juan C Lopez-Ramirez, 24, from Seattle was in possession of brass knuckles, methamphetamine and an open container of beer.  Preliminary blood tests showed him to have a BAC level of .340, more than four times the legal limit in Washington.

Lopez-Ramirez assaulted the arresting trooper and fought with several hospital workers and security guards at St. Francis Hospital.  He was booked into the King County jail for Assault third degree, driving under the influence and several misdemeanor warrants.

If you see someone driving erratically, that is an emergency and you should call 911. It’s legal to use your cell phone to report drivers who appear to be impaired.

The man was booked into the King County Jail and released on May 29 pending formal charges from the prosecutor’s office.

Detectives began their investigation on May 27th, after the Marine Division of the King County Department of Transportation believed money was disappearing from a safe at Pier 50.  Fares from passengers riding the ferry are deposited in small “vaults”, and then stored in a larger safe before the vaults are picked up by an armored car service.

Believing the thefts to be an “inside job”, detectives eventually determined a particular employee might be involved.  After further investigation, a search warrant was obtained for his Tacoma residence and seven of the stolen vaults were found.

The suspect took the vaults over a period of time and would break them open using a hammer.  He was employed by King County Dept. of Transportation since April of 2010.

The Marine Division believes 26 vaults in total were taken, worth about $330 each, and approximately $7500 in cash.

Detectives expect charges for felony theft will be filed once the case is completed and sent to the prosecutor’s office.

The cause of the collision is under investigation.  Detectives are looking for anyone who observed the Honda prior to it losing control and crossing three lanes of traffic where it was struck by the motorcycle.  The motorcycle rider sustained life threatening injuries and is being treated at Harborview Medical Center.

Anyone with information is urged to call Detective R. Haake at 425-401-7788.

On January 10th a 16 year-old girl was sleeping in the family home about 4 a.m. when a man came into the residence, apparently through an unlocked door.  He made his way to the girl’s room, raped the teen and threatened to kill her if she told anyone.

As soon as the man was gone she woke her parents and the sheriff’s office was called.

The victim told deputies that, while she didn’t see the suspect’s face, she felt a beard and thought it might be an acquaintance, 27 year-old Brian Dublin, who lives on Vashon.

Based on the information from the girl, detectives contacted Dublin later that day.  He denied he had been the attacker, and provided a story as to his whereabouts the night before.

Since the identification of Dublin was tentative, there was not enough information to arrest him.

The investigation proceeded and other possible suspects were interviewed.  In addition, Dublin remained at least a “person of interest”, and his alibi was checked.  However detectives were never able to eliminate him as the perpetrator.

As part of their investigation, detectives submitted a semen sample obtained from a rape kit examination of the victim at Harborview, and sent it to the Washington State Patrol lab on January 14.

On Feb. 14 the crime lab told the sheriff’s office the sample matched a 2003 rape case on Vashon that had never been solved.  However there was no match to a specific person in their database.

During further investigation of both cases, detectives learned that Dublin was arrested in Chelan County last March.  The arrest netted a glass smoking pipe in his pocket.  The pipe obtained from eastern Washington and submitted to the lab. DNA found on the pipe was a “possible” match to the DNA taken from the rape kit.

A search warrant was obtained for Dublin’s DNA, and detectives obtained a salvia sample on April 6.

On May 21 the WSP lab told case detectives the saliva DNA from Brian Dublin matched the DNA from the rape kit from the 2010 assualt.  The Lab estimated the probability of selecting an unrelated individual at random from the U.S. population with a matching profile was one in 130 quadrillion.

Yesterday (May 25th), Dublin was arrested without resistance in Seattle.  He was booked into the King County Jail  and is currently held without bail.

The circumstances in the 2003 rape are similar to this case, and the investigation continues.

A 25 year-old Seattle man was struck by a car and died in Skyway on Friday night, May 21.  The vehicle left the scene and has the driver has not been located.

The incident occurred about 11:25 p.m.  The man was hit in the 11800 hundred block of Renton Ave South.  He was treated by fire department medics but died at the scene.

Detectives from the sheriff’s office Major Accident Unit are investigating the death.  There is no suspect vehicle description at this time.  The identity of the deceased will be released by the Medical Examiner’s Office early next week.

Stefhan Roy Castellano, 48 years old, failed to appear in court on May 5 on his ninth DUI charge.  A $250,000 warrant was issued for his arrest.  Castellano’s ninth arrest occurred on state Route 203 in Duvall on Dec. 28, 2009. Subsequently, a trooper who was in court on an unrelated charge heard the amount of the warrant that was issued and offered to look for Castellano at his residence.  At noon on May 8 troopers located Castellano at his residence. Castellano was intoxicated when troopers took him into custody.  He was booked into the King County jail.

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) recently launched their Slow Down or Pay Up campaign.  The Washington State Patrol (WSP) fully supports this campaign in hopes of meeting their goal of zero traffic fatalities in Washington State by the year 2030.

Driving under the influence, excessive speed, and failing to wear seatbelts are the leading causes of traffic fatalities.  The WSP has extra patrols throughout the state targeting dangerous drivers.

With the warm weather months ahead the WSP would like to remind motorists to slow down, allow extra time to get to your destination, and be courteous to the motorists around you.

Washington State Patrol (WSP) detectives are asking for the public’s assistance in locating this vehicle.  Anyone with information should call Detective Moate at 425-401-778

A Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper was conducting a traffic stop on SR 202 near Ames Lake road when he observed a motorcycle pass his patrol car traveling at a very high rate of speed while conducting a wheelie.  The trooper was contacted a few minutes later by a passing motorist informing him of a motorcycle down in the road way.  Upon arrival the trooper was unable to locate the rider.  With help from a thermal imaging device the rider was located off of the roadway.  The rider was pronounced dead at the scene.

This preventable tragedy comes days after a WSP aviation crew followed three erratically driven motorcycles performing stunts in the Renton area.  As we enter the warm weather months the WSP would like to remind the public to be safe, slow down, and pay attention to your surroundings while driving.

She was able to fight off her attacker, who was armed with a stun-gun or Taser and she received only minor injuries.  The woman was on a work crew and is employed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and a member of their Washington Conservation Corp, but was alone when the attacked occurred.

The victim was about 100 yards up the Tiger Mountain Trail from the Lake Tradition parking lot when she was accosted by man in running attire.  He engaged the woman in small talk, grabbed her from behind, shocked her with an electrical device and pushed her to the ground.   She fought with him and escaped, then ran back down the trail until she found her co-workers.

The suspect is a white male, mid-40’s with gray to white hair, 5’8” tall and about 160 to 165 lbs.  He was wearing a hoodless, gray pullover sweatshirt with a “coarse weave”.  He had on black, Spandex running pants, a white mock-turtleneck, light-colored running shoes and black gloves with Velcro closures.

The victim described the suspect as clean shaven and neat appearing.

If anyone recognizes the suspect they are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311 (24 hours) or 911.

Two male teenagers, age 16 and 17 from Renton, came to the party, apparently uninvited. They were driven to the party by a 16 year-old Newcastle girl. A fight had already broken out inside the house and spilled out to the driveway. As the newcomers arrived, words were exchanged and bottles started flying, ending in both boys shot in the torso. The 16 year-old drove them down the street and parked. Neighbors called 911 and the Newcastle police, sheriff’s deputies and eventually Renton Police arrived. The car with the two injured was located and the boys went to Overlake Hospital in serious condition. By the time police arrived at the house all was quiet. Eventually police gained entry and identified about 25 people still inside. An 18 year-old was found with serious gashes to his face so he was sent to Overlake as well. The police investigation was hampered because “nobody saw anything”. There were no arrests.

The shooting occurred about 6 p.m. Thursday, April 29th.  Sheriff’s detectives believe an altercation erupted between two groups in the parking lot of the Cedar Village Apartments, 6230 S. 129th.  Shots were exchanged and the man was wounded.  Over 20 shell cases were found at the scene.

The incident may or may not have been gang related.

It appears the 12 year old was also hit in by one of the shots.  He ran less than a block to the nearby 7-11 store where he collapsed and died.   He does not live at the apartment complex, but does live in Skyway.

The wounded man was taken to Harborview in critical condition and into surgery shortly after his arrival.

Sheriff’s detectives continue to investigate the shooting, but no arrests.  The investigation has been hampered somewhat by a reluctance of witnesses to come forward, or in some cases, be forthcoming.

Pollock is held on $1,000,000 bail.  He is 23 years old.

Sheriff’s detectives were looking for Pollock as a suspect in the beating that left a 36 year-old Shoreline man with serious head injuries.  The victim is currently at Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.  The incident occurred on Sunday, April 25th.

Pollock was a housemate of both the victim and a woman who witnessed the attack.  She called 911.

The injured man was taking a nap on a basement couch when he was hit in the head several times with a table leg (similar to one that would be found on a dining room table).

A motive for the assault is unknown.

The victim was about 100 yards up the Tiger Mountain Trail when she was accosted by a man in running attire.  He engaged her in small talk, and when her back was turned he grabbed her, shocked her with an electrical device and pushed her to the ground.   She fought with him and escaped, running back down the trail until she found her co-workers.

The suspect is a white male, mid-40’s with gray to white hair, 5’8” tall and about 160 to 165 lbs.  He was wearing a hoodless, gray pullover sweatshirt with a “coarse weave”.  He had on black, Spandex running pants, a white mock-turtleneck, light-colored running shoes and black gloves with Velcro closures.

The victim described the suspect as clean shaven and neat appearing.

If anyone was hiking on Tiger Mountain on Saturday and/or recognizes the description of the suspect, they are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours) or 911.

WSP and other police departments provide officers as staff members to
instruct and serve as counselors.  This gives the students a variety of
experiences and exposure to federal, state, county and local law enforcement
as a possible career path.  This academy is sponsored and paid for by
Washington Kiwanis clubs statewide and supporters.

Some of the most popular classes are demonstrations from the SWAT team, K-
9, driving course, and defensive tactics.  Guest speakers from various
agencies provide first hand information to the students.

The purpose of the camp is to provide selected high school juniors and
seniors, with an interest in law enforcement, an opportunity to explore the
various job opportunities in that field. It offers exposure to problems
encountered by law enforcement officers on a daily basis and shows how to
handle these situations in a professional manner.  Many students who attend
the academy go on to have careers in the criminal justice field

A 35 year-old Shoreline resident has been charged with six cases of felony malicious mischief after a graffiti/tagging spree lasting at least three years.
Detectives believe Tony Lee is primarily responsible for a vandalism spree over several years in Shoreline and the surrounding area.  He would target both businesses and fences of residents, often targeting the same victims repeatedly.  Lee would also hit city property including utility boxes, road signs, and guard rails.
The loss to the city and private victims is in the thousands.
The Shoreline Police Department began working in a cooperative effort with other city departments and the Shoreline School District in 2008 to go after taggers who vandalize property.  This led to the formation of an Anti-Graffiti program, and a concentrated effort to identify, arrest, and charge those responsible.
In addition to Lee, the Shoreline Police Department has identified an additional 16 tagging suspects and will forward charges to the Prosecutor’s Office shortly.

The following is a press release from the Washington State Patrol.

A 25-year-old Tumwater man was pronounced dead at Harborview Medical Center after an early morning collision on southbound I-5 at the I-90 interchange.

Damien Mendenhall was the passenger in a 2005 Honda driven by Shane Gram of Yelm.  Mendenhall was not wearing his seatbelt when Gram crashed through several barrels marking off the active construction zone.  The Honda struck a Department of Transportation (DOT) pickup truck that was stationary within the construction zone.  The pickup was occupied by a DOT worker.  The worker sustained minor injuries.

Gram was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non life threatening injuries and is currently under investigation for vehicular homicide.  Alcohol is believed to be a factor.

Gram was released from Harborview today and was booked into the King County Jail.

The Washington State Patrol  would like to remind the public about the importance of wearing safety belts and driving sober.  Thousands of traffic related deaths could be prevented every year simply by wearing a seat belt.

In May the Washington Traffic Safety Commission is kicking off their nighttime Click It or Ticket Patrols throughout Washington State in an effort to reduce vehicle occupant deaths in support of target zero. The fine for failing to wear a seat belt is $124.

Washington’s cell phone law exempts police officers from the hands-free
requirement. But WSP Chief John Batiste believes that even highly-trained
professional drivers should focus on the task at hand.

“When you’re driving, you need to be driving,” Batiste said. “Although the law
provides us an exemption, I believe we should set a good example for the
motoring public.”

From the time they are hired, troopers are drilled in the importance of safe
driving.

“Using a hands-free device is a good idea for everyone, including troopers,”
Batiste added. “Every driver has an obligation to be at their best while behind
the wheel.”

Batiste supports the use of cell phones by employees because WSP’s radio
system is unencrypted and can be monitored. Some sensitive conversations
are more appropriate for the telephone.

Additionally, many of the agency’s radio channels are very busy. Shifting non-
emergency police business to cell phones can reduce radio traffic and delay
the need for expensive upgrades.

The agency is providing hands-free devices to employees who have agency-
issued phones. Those are mostly supervisors and employees in highly
specialized positions.

The manual update was published March 31, and employees are in the process
of reading and acknowledging it. The process is routine, as policies or
procedures can be updated several times each year.

State troopers to use hands-free devices when driving and talking on cell phones

The allegations were contained in e-mails sent by Sarich to the Sheriff’s Office on April 2 and  April 5.

In the e-mails Sarich said the substance “is still being tested”, but added “I have three dogs and I know the difference”.  Sarich went on to write “Chelsea and I are willing to take DNA tests to prove it’s not ours.  This is ‘assault by bodily fluid’”.

A search warrant was served on Sarich’s residence on March 15 after five people were involved in an early morning robbery of his house where shots were traded.  Sarich was grazed by a shotgun blast and he shot one of the intruders, hitting him three times.  The wounded 18 year-old, who was not armed, remains hospitalized after his lower leg was amputated due to his injuries.  Three of the remaining four are still in jail.  All five have been charged by the Prosecutor’s Office.

Well over 350 marijuana plants were found in the residence, along with processed marijuana and food infused with apparent marijuana.  The investigation is continuing and the case has not yet been referred for persecution.

Sarich offered no motive for detectives defecating in his house and then spreading it on the wall.  He did not mention it to detectives who met with him on March 19th and 20th while doing follow-up work on the robbery investigation.

A motorcycle racer crashed over the weekend at Pacific Raceways in southeast King County.  He died later at Harborview Medical Center.
The incident occurred about 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, April 4.
The 62 year-old Olympia man was doing practice laps at the time of the collision.  He came out of a straight-away at high speed and into a curve, but lost control of his Honda CB950 as it began to slide on its side.  The cycle left the roadway and collided with a tire barrier.  The driver was airlifted to Harborview.
The event was sponsored by the Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association.  The race was canceled and the track shut down immediately after the accident.  The Sheriff’s Office was notified and major-accident detectives conducted the investigation.
Pacific Raceways is located in unincorporated King County at 31001 – 144th Ave SE, east of Kent.

A burglar who came into an occupied house overnight attempted to sexually assault one of the residents.  The victim resisted and the suspect ran off, but not before stealing a laptop computer and cell phone.

The incident happened about 2 a.m. in the 14900 block near Fremont Avenue North.

One of the two female residents of the house, age 26, was awakened by a man in the doorway of her bedroom.  She said something and he left, but he returned and placed his hand over her mouth and attempted to assault her.

The woman screamed and punched and kicked at him until left the room.

The disturbance woke her the woman’s 18 year-old roommate.  She got up and saw the suspect run down the hallway and out of the house.  The women called 911.

The suspect was a white male 20 to 30 years old, about 6 foot 2 inches and 180 lbs, possibly with blond hair.  He apparently entered the house through a window.

Shoreline Police check the area but did not locate the suspect.  No similar incidents have been reported.

A 46-year-old Tukwila man was transported to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries after crashing his vehicle into the guardrail that separates the northbound and southbound lanes of state Route 509 in Burien.

At approximately noon. Haybe Ahmed was driving his beige 1991Toyota Camry northbound SR 509 in lane one when he drove across lane two and collided with the left guardrail just north of 128^th Street. The guardrail, which was completely embedded inside the passenger compartment, prevented Haybe from crossing into the southbound lanes and causing a head-on collision. Haybe was trapped inside the vehicle until medics arrived and were able to extricate him.

Troopers are investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision. It is undetermined at this time if alcohol and/or drugs were a factor.

The left lanes of both northbound and southbound SR 509 were closed at 128^th Street for approximately 2 ½ hours while troopers investigated the scene.

Drivers must remove their studded tires by 12:01 a.m., Sunday April 11.

Washington State Patrol troopers enforce a $124 fine for those who use studded tires after the deadline. No one can guarantee ice and snow-free roadways, so WSDOT encourages drivers, especially those heading into the higher elevations, to plan ahead and drive for conditions.

On the WSDOT Winter Driving Web site www.wsdot.wa.gov/winter you can find ways to prepare for winter driving, winter driving tips, plus more about WSDOT’s winter roadway operations, snow and ice removal and avalanche control.

WSDOT advises drivers to know before you go:

•Get information before you leave about traffic and roadway conditions, including the mountain passes, on our Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov.

•511 – This driver information phone line provides current traffic, incident and closure information. TTY users can call 1-800-833-6388. Out-of-state callers can access the information at 1-800-695-ROAD (7623).

•Sign up for and follow WSDOT news at www.wsdot.wa.gov/news. There you can sign up for WSDOT E-mail alerts, Twitter feeds, read the blog and see WSDOT photos on Flickr.

Know On the Road:

•Overhead and roadside electronic signs

•Highway advisory radio – WSDOT advises drivers to program 530AM and 1610AM on your radio.

The following is a press release from the Washington State Patrol.

A Bellevue man was transported to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries after he was hit by a passing motorist while filling up his gas tank on the right shoulder of I-5 in Sea-Tac. The driver that hit him had been drinking and detectives believe he may have been using his cell phone at the time of the collision.

At 2:08 p.m. Sunday March 28 Mugiraneza Vianne, a 24-year-old Auburn resident was driving his maroon 1999 Nissan Quest minivan southbound I-5 just north of the 200^th street exit in lane 1. Vianne drifted onto the right shoulder and collided with Patrick Franklin, a 40-year-old Bellevue resident, as he was completely off the roadway and in the process of filling up the gas tank of his disabled 1980’s model GMC pickup.

Franklin was transported to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. There was one passenger in Franklin’s vehicle at the time of the collision who was not injured.

Vianne was booked into King County Jail for investigation of vehicular assault. Alcohol was a factor and it is currently being investigated to what capacity Vianne was using his cell phone when the collision occurred.

The robbery occurred about 10 a.m. Thursday (March 25th) at the KeyBank, 14040 Woodinville-Duvall Road in Woodinville.

The robber entered the bank wearing a mask and carrying a handgun. He jumped up and put his knees on the counter and pulled bills from two cash drawers before leaving.

Witnesses saw him pedaling away from the bank riding a black and red BMX bike.

The suspect is an adult male, possibly black, with black hair and wearing a black mask, dark blue sweatshirt, dark pants, black baseball hat, and black gloves.

If anyone has any information regarding the robbery or the suspect they are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311 or 911.

The accident occurred about 1:15 p.m.

A 2005 Toyota Tundra was eastbound on Tiger Mountain Road.  The 18 year-old driver, also from Issaquah, made a left-hand turn onto 241st Place SE, and apparently did not the see westbound motorcycle, which struck the right rear of the truck.

There was no evidence of drugs or alcohol. The investigation is continuing.

Just after 1 a.m. a trooper spotted Orlovskii’s white 2008 BMW M6 traveling at an extremely high rate of speed eastbound on SR-520 from Lake Washington Boulevard in Seattle. The trooper was not in a position to conduct a traffic stop and reached speeds of 130 mph attempting to catch up with the BMW.  Even at 130mph, the BMW was pulling away from the trooper at a high rate of speed. At one point the trooper estimated the BMW’s speed to be approximately 150mph while it was weaving in and out of traffic and passing other motorists on the narrow 2 lane SR-520 floating bridge, which has a posted speed limit of 50mph.

The trooper was forced to slow down for his safety and the safety of the motoring public. However, there was a trooper listening to the radio traffic stationary at the old toll plaza, just east of the east high rise. That trooper was able to stop Orlovskii’s vehicle on the exit ramp to 84^th St. in Medina.

During the traffic stop Orlovskii gave no explanation for the speed. It was evident that Orlovskii had been drinking and the trooper detected obvious impairment. Orlovskii was arrested for DUI and reckless driving.

A time distance calculation revealed that from the time the trooper spotted Orlovskii’s vehicle to the time of stop, Orlovskii had covered 2.59 miles in exactly 1 minute 8 seconds; which is an average speed of 137mph, or 201 feet per second.

Orlovskii’s has been cited numerous times for various moving violations, including two prior citations for reckless driving.

A Bremerton man was killed after driving into the rear of a parked Celadon semi truck on the right shoulder of southbound state Route 167 just north of 15^th Street  Northwest in Auburn.

The incident occurred at approximately 4:30 a.m. Tuesday  when the 29-year-old Bremerton man, driving a black 1998 Crown Victoria, drifted completely off the roadway onto the right shoulder. The vehicle appeared to maintain freeway speeds as it slammed into the right rear portion of the semi trucks trailer. The driver of the Crown Victoria was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the semi, a 51-year-old El Dorado Springs, Mo. resident, was not injured.

The semi truck driver advised troopers he pulled off the highway to look at directions. It is still under investigation on what caused the driver of the Crown Victoria to drive off the roadway prior to colliding with the semi.

The right lane of southbound SR 167 just north of 15^th Street Northwest was closed for approximately three hours while troopers investigated the scene.

The incident began about 5 a.m. today (March 23rd).  The Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a driver who said someone pointed a gun at him as he drove past the intersection of South 128th and 1st Avenue South.

Deputies and Burien police went to the intersection and saw a man holding what appeared to be a long-barreled gun.  Before the officers could act, cars drove by and they heard the suspect fire a round in the direction of the passing cars.

1st Ave South was shut down and officers approached the suspect and ordered him to drop his weapon.  Wisely, he complied.  The 54 year-old Burien man was taken into custody.

A 12-gauge shotgun, still loaded with three rounds of buckshot, was seized.

The suspect was booked in to the King County Jail for investigation of assault.

The man did not provide a motive for his actions.

Man fires shotgun at cars , no injuries.

A 68 year-old Mercer Island man died Friday morning when his motorcycle dumped in an intersection. He apparently slid into another vehicle and was killed.

The accident occurred shortly before 9 a.m. today (March 19) in Woodinville.

A 2007 Kawasaki Ninja 650 was eastbound on NE 195th.  The driver was turning left onto northbound Woodinville-Snohomish Road, crossing the intersection.

Another vehicle, a 2004 Jeep Liberty, was westbound on NE North Woodinville Way, also crossing the intersection.

It appears the motorcycle went down and the rider slid into the second vehicle, hitting his head.  He died at the scene.  He was wearing a motorcycle helmet.

There is no indication that the motorcycle and the car actually collided.

The Jeep Liberty, was driven by a 17 year-old from male Woodinville.

The investigation is continuing.

The sheriff’s office received a 911 call at 4:47 a.m. from a 21 year-old woman in a house in the 11400 block of Juanita Drive NE (unincorporated King County near Kirkland).

The woman said there were intruders in the house and her boy-friend was shot.

Deputies responded and were staging to go onto the property when another 911 call was received.  This time it was from a male who was outside the house and said he had been shot.

This turned out to be Suspect No. 1.

Deputies located the suspect, a 19 year-old Renton man, and the resident, a 59 year-old male.  Both were wounded while trading shots.

The suspect was taken to Harborview Medical center with life-threatening injuries.  He was hit more than once.

The homeowner was taken to a local hospital for treatment of relatively minor wounds from shotgun pellets.  The woman was not injured.

The man said he and his girl-friend were asleep when their dogs started barking.  He got up and was confronted by two men inside his house.  He fired his handgun, and one of the suspects fired as well, (or vice versa).

About 8:00 AM Sheriff’s deputies received a report of a man trying to flag down cars on Holmes Point Drive, which is relatively close to the location of the incident.  Reportedly the man had cash in his hand as he tried to flag down a ride.

Deputies responded and interviewed a 19 year-old man.  Eventually he was arrested as the second suspect.

Detectives now believe there were a total of four suspects involved in the incident.  Two suspects fled in a vehicle and have not been located.

On January 13, 2010 the resident reported a similar incident to the sheriff’s office.  He found two men in his house about 2 a.m.  He chased them off and fired off a couple of rounds to make sure they kept going.

At this point it is unknown if the two events are related.  Detectives will be looking into that however.

The resident of the house operates a medical marijuana advocacy group called CannaCare out of the house (www.cannacare.org).  He is licensed to grow medical marijuana.

It’s a g’day at the Washington Attorney General’s Office, where attorneys reached a settlement with a pair of Aussies who used sexy stories to sell bogus health cures over the Internet.

“The Internet has become a planet-wide hunting ground for fraudsters who lurk just below the surface like crocs in a river,” Attorney General Rob McKenna said. “But this case proves that whether they’re on the prowl in Seattle or Sydney, they’re still within justice’s reach.”

The deceptive business practices of Leanne Rita Vassallo and Aaron David Smith came to light last summer when the Attorney General’s Office filed a civil lawsit accusing the pair of violating Washington’s Consumer Protection Act. The defendants, both of Cecil Hills, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, became millionaires while selling e-books for health conditions ranging from acne and asthma to sexually transmitted diseases and cancer.

The Attorney General’s Office also brought the case to the attention of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which filed its own civil lawsuit in the Federal Court of Australia alleging violations of the Trade Practices Act of 1974. In just a few weeks, the Australian agency was able to obtain a federal court order and shut down the operation. The judge in that case described the defendants as “purveyors of quack medical advice and quack medicine.”

Washington’s settlement filed today in King County Superior Court includes restitution for an estimated 654 Washington consumers who purchased the e-books. It also specifically prohibits Vassallo and Smith from selling health-related products via the Internet to Washington consumers and from using fake photos, deceptive testimonials and other misrepresentations to sell anything else online.

The defendants littered the Internet with ads showcasing fictitious testimonials from people who stumbled across secret miracle cures. Often, the ads suggested the writers lived in Seattle.

Many of the sites used sexual innuendos to grab attention, with headlines such as: “Sex Crazed 60 Year Old Reveals a Simple Home Treatment that Eliminates Fibromyalgia in Days.” Others took a more maternal approach: “39 Year Old Mom Stumbles Upon a Simple 5 Step Plan That Eliminates Multiple Sclerosis in Weeks.”

An example:

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“A week later I arrived at Jan’s house, bottle of wine in hand… Ready to do whatever it is girls do on a ‘girls night’. I still wasn’t sure… I walked in and was immediately introduced to Theresa – the woman that was about to change my life… Theresa was a 60 year old widower, but she looked, and behaved like a 30 year old swinger!! We hit it off… Especially when I found out that Theresa had also battled with Endometriosis.”

Consumers paid between $16.97 to $24.47 to download the treatments, which contain a few facts about the relevant disease and instructions to consume either a concoction of apple cider vinegar and baking soda or something called “Miracle Mineral Solution” as part of an extreme diet.

“When people are suffering, they can be willing to try anything — especially if it doesn’t cost much,” said Senior Counsel Paula Selis, who heads up the Consumer Protection High-Tech Unit that investigated the case. “The defendants preyed on that desperation.”

Vassallo and Smith will pay more than $14,000 in restitution, to be distributed as refunds to Washington consumers who paid for their e-books through PayPal or ClickBank. They’ll also pay nearly $25,000 to reimburse the state for attorneys’ fees and legal costs. The Attorney General’s Office agreed to suspend a $200,000 civil penalty provided the defendants comply with the settlement.

Attorney General Rob McKenna said this is the first time the Washington Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division has reached across international seas to cooperate with foreign officials, but it likely won’t be the last.