Local News

The Associated Press

Kent police say a man was shot twice while trying to rob a jewelry store.

KOMO-TV reports that it happened after 10 a.m. Saturday at Bonaci Fine Jewelers. The suspect fled and may have gotten in a car. Police are looking for the suspect.

Two people died in this crash along State Route 410 in Sumner early Friday. The Washington State Patrol said a pickup crossed the barrier near 166th Avenue East and hit a car traveling in the opposite direction. A fully-loaded semi truck then crashed into both vehicles. (Photo by Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times)

Three people died in car crashes early Friday in Sumner and Kent.

In the Sumner area, along Highway 410, drivers of a pickup and car were fatally injured after their vehicles collided with a loaded dump truck about 6 a.m.

Washington State Patrol Trooper Guy Gill said an eastbound pickup crossed a Jersey barrier just west of Sumner and hit a car traveling in the opposite way. A fully loaded dump truck with trailer then slammed into both vehicles.

The drivers of the pickup and car were pronounced dead at the scene.

Gill said there were no passengers in any of the vehicles.  He said troopers are interviewing witnesses to see whether the pickup was driving erratically before it crossed the barrier.

One eastbound lane and both westbound lanes of SR 410 were blocked. Both westbound lanes were also blocked, but drivers were getting by on the shoulder.

In Kent, police said a man was fatally injured about 4 a.m. when the car he was driving left the roadway and hit a tree in the the 9200 block of South 208th Street.

Medics attempted to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A man in the car was injured and taken to a hospital, police said.

KENT (AP) — Kent police say a robber used a phone app to set up dates with gay men at remote locations and then robbed them at gunpoint.

The 32-year-old man, who was arrested last Thursday at his Kent apartment, is accused of two robberies and suspected of three more in Seattle, said Assistant Chief Pat Lowery.

Lowery told The News Tribune there may be other victims and they should contact police.

A Kent man has been arrested for investigation of robbing two people he met while using a cell phone dating app, police said today.

The 32-year-old man was arrested Thursday evening at his East Kent apartment, according to a news release.

Detectives say the man met the victims through a dating app frequently used by members of the gay, lesbian and transgender community which allows users to locate other users via a GPS-generated map. Police are not identifying that app out of “an abundance of caution” for its subscribers, according to the news release.

Police say the man selected remote locations for pre-arranged meetings and then would rob the victims using a semi-automatic handgun.

In addition to the two victims in Kent, Seattle police have identified three other victims, the news release said.

“We’re concerned that there may be still more victims in the community that are afraid to come forward,” said Kent Assistant Police Chief Pat Lowery. “With this suspect now in custody, we are urging any other victims to contact us and report if they were also victimized.”

The suspect is black. Some victims have described him as appearing younger than 32, police say. He is 5-foot-7 and has a medium build. He also has dark hair and facial hair, police said.

Police are not releasing his photograph or a detailed description at this time.

Anyone who believes they may have been robbed by the is asked to call Detective Sgt. John Pagel at 253-856-5910.

Three women and a man were arrested in a years-long prostitution investigation led by King County Sheriff’s Office detectives Thursday night.

The investigation–focused on locations in SeaTac, Kent, and Burien — started in 2008, but picked up momentum last year, said Sgt. Cindi West.

“The leads went cold and then, a few months ago, our detectives got more info about the situation,” West said.

After a sting operation, search warrants allowed detectives to seize three vehicles and a small amount of  money in the raid, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The women were booked into King County Jail for investigation of prostitution, money laundering, conspiracy and leading organized crime, while the 33-year-old man, a convicted felon, was booked into jail for possession of a loaded gun.

Both the man and a 37-year-old woman are being held in lieu of $10,000 bail. Court documents say the woman is being investigated for second-degree promotion of prostitution and trafficking.

West said the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will review the suspects’ charges when the investigation is complete, but wasn’t sure how much longer that might take.

Detectives said three businesses and two residences have been involved in prostitution. Two of the businesses are in SeaTac; one is in Burien. One of the residences is in SeaTac and one is in Kent.

Kent police detectives who have been investigating bikini-barista behavior since October arrested two women suspected of committing lewd acts at a drive-through coffee stand called Twin Peaks Espresso.

The women allegedly performed the lewd acts at the stand at 24013 104 Avenue S.E. for coffee tips that ranged from $10 to $25.

According to Kent police, undercover investigators used site surveillance and drive-up contacts to build their case. Several other bikini-barista stands in Kent were investigated but were found to be compliant with local ordinances.

A 23-year-old Mountlake Terrace woman was arrested at the stand Wednesday morning and a 19-year-old Lynnwood woman was arrested later that day at another coffee stand in the Edmonds area. Both were booked into the Kent Corrections Center for violating Kent’s Adult Entertainment ordinance.

Kent police say they plan to charge several other bikini baristas for the same violation.

“These arrests do not signal the end of this investigation,” Kent Police Assistant Chief Pat Lowery said in a statement.

Everett police also recently arrested bikini baristas suspected of lewd acts, but those women were released. That department has investigated the behavior of bikini baristas several times in the past.

A 16-year-old Kent teen convicted of two rapes in 2011 could face life in prison.

Chrisean Cressel pleaded guilty and was sentenced last week in King County Superior Court to a minimum of 20 years in prison. He was given an indeterminate sentence and faces the possibility of life behind bars, according to prosecutors.

Cressel raped a 17-year-old girl and a 19-year-old woman on separate nights in Kent at the end of October 2011. A Superior Court judge ruled that Cressel, who was 15 at the time of the attacks, should be prosecuted as an adult due to the serious nature of the crimes. The Times generally does not name juveniles accused of crimes unless they’re prosecuted as adults.

“It is extremely rare to see an offender this young become a predatory serial rapist,” King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said in a prepared statement. “The victims of his crimes were courageous throughout the process and their strength and cooperation ensured that this young man will be incarcerated for at least 20 years, up to life.”

According to charging documents, Cressel approached the victims as they were walking home from the bus. He told them he had a gun and that he would shoot them if they did not comply with his demands. The 19-year-old woman was raped behind a chiropractor’s office and the 17-year-old girl was assaulted behind an apartment complex.

Witnesses who had seen the male at businesses near the intersection of 116th Avenue Southeast and Southeast Kent-Kangley Road, along with video surveillance footage from a gas station and the chiropractor’s office, helped police identify the suspect, court papers say. The state crime lab found his DNA on the victims, prosecutors said.

Cressel had reportedly been expelled from Kentwood High School for fighting a week before the attacks.

A man has been hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after he lost control of his pickup and slammed into a tree this morning in Kent.

The man was driving south in the 23800 block of 64th Avenue South when he lost control of the pickup, struck a second vehicle and then hit a tree, according to Capt. Kyle Ohashi of the Kent Fire Department. The driver of the second vehicle was shaken up but not injured, Ohashi said.

Firefighters performed CPR on the pickup driver before King County paramedics took him to a hospital.

The Associated Press

Now that a genuine “Seattle freeze” has arrived, Kent Fire Department Capt. Kyle Ohashi offers survival tips for people who find themselves attracted to frosty lakes and ponds.

Lesson one is, don’t walk out on them, because the ice likely won’t support the weight of a human being.  Pets can go out farther than their owners, who would break through the ice trying to retrieve a pet.  In Minnesota, where people do safely skate and fish on lakes, resource officials say the ice needs to be at least two inches thick.

If someone does break through into icy waters, bystanders ought to:

* Call 9-1-1 immediately.

* Throw a rope or flotation device, while trying not to send additional people onto the thin ice.

* Understand that someone can lose consciousness in 10-15 minutes, or suffer hypothermia far sooner.

* Take off wet clothing and dry the victim until paramedics arrive – but do not place the person in a hot bath or shower.

In Seattle, Kent and surroundings, the National Weather Service forecast calls for lows of around 30 degrees all week.

More information is linked here from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.