Local News

SPOKANE (AP) — Autopsy results show the death of a 21-year-old man at a June concert at the Gorge Amphitheater was related to methamphetamine, not the drug known as Molly.

Officials initially thought Patrick D. Witkowski of Des Moines died June 30 due to an overdose of the drug considered to be a form of Ecstasy.

Chelan County Coroner Wayne Harris said Tuesday that test results that came in last week showed Witkowski died of organ failure due to a combination of dehydration, heat and methamphetamine intoxication.

Harris said he had been working on the assumption the death was due to an overdose of Molly.

About 25,000 people attended the two-day Paradiso Festival. Quincy Valley Medical Center treated 40 for problems related to drugs and alcohol. Witkowski died at a Wenatchee hospital.

The King County Sheriff’s Office released surveillance footage photos of a suspect in a shooting in Des Moines today. (King County Sheriff’s Office)

UPDATE, 7:21 p.m. | The shooting suspect has been arrested, according to King County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindi West. He was found hiding in an apartment complex in the 10600 block of 22nd Avenue South.

ORIGINAL POST | The King County Sheriff’s Office has released surveillance footage photos of a suspect being sought in a shooting in Des Moines today. The man is thought to be hiding in an apartment complex in the 10600 block of 22nd Avenue, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindi West.

This post will be updated as more details become available.

A 31-year-old man was sentenced this afternoon to 28 years in prison for fatally shooting a woman and wounding a man in a Des Moines parking lot in November 2011.

Johnny Rourn, of Des Moines, had pleaded guilty in August to second-degree murder and second-degree assault. Both charges include firearm sentencing enhancements.

Two groups of people were involved in an argument in a parking lot in the 800 block of Redondo Way South around 2:30 a.m. Nov. 5, 2011, according to police. After one of the victims’ friends yelled an epithet at a group of African-American and Asian men, the men started running toward the victims and their friends, police said.

A witness saw one of the men hand a gun to another man, who immediately started firing.

Nineteen-year-old Jayme Thomas was shot several times as she sat in the back seat of a car, police said. She later died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The second victim was shot in both arms.

Detectives, who found a number of 9-mm casings in the parking lot, used video-surveillance footage from a nearby business to identify a witness to the shooting. The witness identified six men, including Rourn, who were present during the shooting — and three of the men later identified Rourn as the shooter, police said.

Folks in Des Moines can drink straight from the tap again.

The Washington State Department of Health has lifted an advisory for residents of Water District 54 to boil their water before drinking it, after lab tests showed the water now meets safe drinking-water standards, a spokesman confirmed.

Officials issued the warning Saturday, after tests found E. coli bacteria in the water. No source for the E. coli was identified, but the district has inspected and disinfected the system and flushed out its water supply, a release from the department of health said.

Public Health – Seattle & King County ordered 39 restaurants closed during the advisory, and an estimated 5,000 residents of Des Moines and Normandy Park were affected.

The release encouraged Des Moines-area customers with questions or concerns about their water quality to call the water district at 206-878-7210.

Kato, the Kent police dog stabbed during a domestic-violence call Tuesday night, has been released from a veterinary hospital and is recovering at home, according to Kent police.

UPDATE 12:50 p.m. Wednesday: | Kato, the Kent police dog  stabbed while on duty Tuesday night, has been released from a veterinary hospital and is recovering at home, according to Kent police.

ORIGINAL POST:

A Kent police dog was stabbed in Des Moines after the K-9 team responded to a report of a domestic-violence incident  Tuesday night, a news release said.

The dog, a German shepherd named Kato, was helping track a suspect just before 7 p.m. When the dog found the suspect, the man stabbed the animal in the shoulder with a pocket knife, the release said.

Police arrested the suspect, the release said, and the dog was taken to a veterinary clinic, where it was treated. Kato is in stable condition but will require immediate surgery to rehabilitate the wound, the release said.

The release said the animal has been part of Kent police’s K-9 unit for nearly two years.

A 30-year-old man has pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a woman and wounding a man in a Des Moines parking lot in November 2011.

Johnny Rourn, of Des Moines, pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree murder and second-degree assault, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Both charges include firearm sentencing enhancements and Rourn is looking at a sentence between 240 to 340 months in prison.

Two groups of people were involved in an argument in a parking lot in the 800 block of Redondo Way South around 2:30 a.m. Nov. 5, 2011, according to the probable-cause document outlining the case against Rourn. After one of the victims’ friends yelled an epithet at a group of African-American and Asian men, the men started running toward the victims and their friends, the statement says.

A witness saw one of the men hand a gun to another man, who immediately started firing.

Nineteen-year-old Jayme Thomas was shot several times as she sat in the back seat of a car, the statement says. She later died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The second victim was shot in both arms.

Detectives, who found a number of 9-mm casings in the parking lot, used video-surveillance footage from a nearby business to identify a witness to the shooting. The witness identified six men, including Rourn, who were present during the shooting — and three of the men later identified Rourn as the shooter, the statement says.

Rourn is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 4.

A fire at a Des Moines marina late Sunday night damaged or destroyed up to a dozen boats, including this one. Two people were burned in the fire that started in one boat and spread to the others. The fire was reported about 11:30 p.m. (Photo by Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times)

A boat fire at a Des Moines marina injured two people and destroyed at least six vessels Sunday night, according to South King Fire and Rescue officials.

A 28-year-old woman and a man in his 30s suffered second and third-degree burns to their upper bodies after a flash fire erupted at about 10:15 p.m. on the boat where they were working, Assistant Chief Gordie Olson said. The woman was in serious condition Monday. No condition information was available for the man.

The fire spread quickly to other vessels, Olson said. At least six were destroyed and six others had minor damage. The covered dock had structural damage. Firefighters contained the fire within 30 minutes but remained at the scene until 4 a.m.

The cause is under investigation. Monday afternoon, investigators were trying to retrieve the sunken vessel where the fire originated.

Three people were rescued after their catamaran tipped over near Redondo Beach on Saturday morning, said the U.S. Coast Guard.

Just after 11 a.m., witnesses reported a 16-foot Hobie Cat tipped over in the waters off Des Moines, a Coast Guard spokesman said.

The Coast Guard launched a rescue crew but a good Samaritan rescued the three people first and towed their vessel to Redondo Beach, the Coast Guard said.  It said the incident happened about one nautical mile off shore.

The Associated Press