Local News

Bremerton man arrested after firing gun randomly in Silverdale parking lot

Two “highly intoxicated men” were questioned by sheriff’s deputies after one of them, a 37 year-old Bremerton man, started firing a handgun, randomly it seemed, in the parking lot of a Silverdale bowling alley, according to the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office.

Nobody was injured.

The man with the gun was taken into custody and booked into Kitsap County Jail on investigation of reckless endangerment and malicious mischief, while his 34-year-old friend, also from Bremerton, was released, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Sheriff’s Office responded to the 2700 block of Northwest Myhre Road, the All Star Lanes bowling center, about 5:30 p.m. Thursday, established a perimeter around the shooter and began locking down the business, according to sheriff spokesman Scott Wilson. Once deputies began talking with the gunman, he did what he was told and was taken into custody without incident, Wilson said.

Investigators determined that the man with the handgun fired two shots into the pavement and one shot into a parked vehicle. They are trying to determine why he fired the gun.

0 comments | More in The Blotter | Topics: Bremerton man, gun, Kitsap County Sheriff's Office

6th person charged with allegedly helping trooper's killer

Kitsap County prosecutors today charged a 43-year-old man for allegedly helping Joshua Jearl Blake, 28, in the hours after he killed State Patrol Trooper Tony Radulescu last week.

Steven M. Banks is the sixth person to be charged with rendering criminal assistance in the wake of the trooper’s death early Thursday morning. All six are being held in Kitsap County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail.

According to the certification of probable cause, Banks lived at the residence on Scofield Road where Blake and his ex-girlfriend, Jessi L. Foster, hid as they attempted to find a ride for Blake from the area.

Banks told investigators that he had not invited Blake or Foster to his home and that he suspected Blake was wanted by police, court documents say. However, prosecutors say he placed over 30 calls during the approximately four hours Blake was there. Banks allegedly told investigators he just “wanted them gone,” according to the documents.

Blake shot himself in the head as SWAT teams surrounded the home. He died at a Tacoma hospital several hours later.

Radulesco was fatally shot after he pulled Blake over on Highway 16 near Gorst shortly before 1 a.m. on Thursday,  according to the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators say Blake told his 18-year-old passenger, Megan Mollet,  to roll down the window and turn her head before he shot Radulescu.

A procession and memorial service for Radulesco will be held Thursday. For details about the procession route, click here.

0 comments | More in The Blotter | Topics: homicide, Kitsap County Prosecutor's Office, Kitsap County Sheriff's Office

Driver in crash that killed park ranger released

A 35-year-old man who is alleged to have caused the traffic collision that killed a state park ranger in Kitsap County on Friday has been released pending additional investigation.

At a hearing in Kitsap County District Court on Monday, prosecutors said they had to wait for the results of a blood toxicology test before deciding whether charges should be filed.

The Central Kitsap man had been arrested for investigation of vehicular homicide after police say he caused a car crash that killed 44-year-old Ed Johanson. Johanson, who had been a ranger at Kitsap Memorial State Park for much of his 20-year career, was killed around 8 p.m. as he was driving to his home near Seabeck, said Kitsap County sheriff’s investigators.

Investigators said the man’s car crossed the centerline on Holly Road and hit Johanson’s car head-on.

0 comments | More in The Blotter | Topics: Kitsap County Sheriff's Office, Port Orchard, vehicular homicide

Police arrest 4 more on suspicion of helping man who killed state trooper

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office late Friday night announced it has arrested four more people on suspicion of helping Joshua Jearl Blake kill Trooper Tony Radulescu earlier this week.

The four people — two men, aged 30 and 37 and two women, aged 18 and 26 –were booked into Kitsap County Jail and charged with “rendering criminal assistance,” according to a new release.

That’s the same charge that Blake’s ex-girlfriend, Jesse L. Foster, is facing. She was arrested Thursday.

Bail has been set for $500,000 for all five, according to the release.

The 18-year-old woman, like Foster, is believed to have been with Blake at the time he apparently killed Radulescu.

The investigation is continuing, officials said.

Read more about the arrests here.

0 comments | More in General news, The Blotter | Topics: Jesse Foster, Joshua Blake, Kitsap County Sheriff's Office

Detectives investigate fatal police shooting in Poulsbo

There is not points to locate on the map

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal shooting last night involving three Poulsbo police officers at a Les Schwab Tire Center.

Sheriff’s spokesman Scott Wilson said that that Poulsbo police were called to the Les Schwab store around 6 p.m. for a report of a man with a gun. Wilson said that it’s unclear what transpired next. The armed man, described as being in his 20s, was fatally shot and died at the scene.

The Kitsap Sun reports that witnesses said they had seen a man yelling and acting strangely outside the store at 424 N.W. Edvard St.

The three officers who responded have all been placed on adminstrative leave. It’s unclear which of the three, if not all three, opened fire, Wilson said.

Kitsap County sheriff’s’ deputies are investigating the case because the incident involved a nearby police agency. Deputies are still speaking with witnesses and searching for possible business surveillance videos that captured the shooting.

“The question is who shot and how many times,” Wilson said.

0 comments | More in The Blotter | Topics: Fatal shooting, Kitsap County Sheriff's Office, Les Schwab Tire Centers

Kitsap County man killed by police was not armed

A man fatally shot by police last week in Kitsap County did not fire at police and was not armed, as previously reported, the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office said today.

Thomas Anthony Black, 44, was killed last Thursday during a confrontation with deputies in a home in Suquamish. At the time of the shooting, the Sheriff’s Office said Port Gamble S’Klallam and Suquamish tribal police departments, accompanied by Kitsap County deputies, were serving an arrest warrant at the home when Black opened fire, prompting officers to return fire and kill him.

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office issued a clarification this evening, saying some evidence collected from the scene was consistent with the officers’ recollection. However, they also also said a firearm was not located in the home and investigators did not find any evidence that Black had fired at officers.

Detectives said they found a black-colored toy handgun “in close proximity” to Black when he was shot.

An autopsy of Black has been completed, but the complete coroner’s report is awaiting toxicology results from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab.

The investigation into the shooting is continung.

0 comments | More in The Blotter | Topics: Kitsap County Sheriff's Office, Officer-involved shooting, Suquamish

Five teens injured in Poulsbo crash

update at 7:45 p.m.

A 2003 Nissan Sentra that crashed near Poulsbo Saturday night, ejecting one teenage passenger and injuring the driver and three other teens, hit a road sign, several trees and a utility pole before eventually rolling onto its top.

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office said the car was northbound on Clear Creek Road just south of Sherman Hill when it crossed the center line just before 10 p.m. The car went into a ditch then hit an embankment and several other obstacles.

One passenger, a 19-year-old man from central Kitsap County, was thrown from the car, and suffered serious injuries. A 16-year-old boy was partially ejected and also suffered serious injuries. At least two others were trapped in the car when deputies arrived, but suffered less severe injuries.

All five, ranging in age from 16 to 19, were taken to area hospitals.

Kitsap County Sheriff’s deputies are still investigating the accident.

earlier story

A Nissan carrying five teenagers rolled over on Clear Creek Road near Poulsbo Saturday night, ejecting one and trapping two others under the car, King 5 news is reporting.

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office told the station that the 18-year-old driver and all four passengers were taken to area hospitals. At least two were in critical condition.

The car was traveling south of Sherman Hill when the accident occurred. The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.

0 comments | More in The Blotter | Topics: accident, injuries, Kitsap County

4 arrested in Kitsap grave desecration

Four men are in custody in connection with the desecration of a dozen graves — many belonging to military veterans — north of Poulsbo, the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

The Sheriff’s Office said vandals removed brass name plaques from the Breidablik Community Evergreen Cemetery and tried to sell them to a scrap-metal dealership. The thefts were discovered on Veteran’s Day.

Arrested were a 41-year-old Central Kitsap man, who was accused of purchasing the brass plaques for about $200, and two men ages 28 and 38 from Poulsbo who detectives believe stole the items.

Robert James McDonald, 40, was arrested Tuesday in Bremerton and charged with trafficking in stolen property, a felony, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Detectives recovered 10 of the 12 plaques, but said they had been cut into pieces and could not be repaired. Damage was put at $15,000.

0 comments | More in The Blotter | Topics: arrested, grave desecration, Kitsap County Sheriff's Office

15-year-old accused of taking gun to two schools in Kitsap County

A 15-year-old boy was arrested Friday for allegedly taking a gun into two high schools in Kitsap County, the sheriff’s office said.

The boy reportedly brought the firearm to Central Kitsap High School on Thursday, and brandished it at Raab Park in Poulsbo while trying to pick a fight with a student from another high school, the sheriff’s office said.

The boy then walked into North Kitsap High School while hiding the gun, but was asked to leave because he wasn’t a student there. He walked to a nearby park and reportedly fired one shot, the sheriff’s office said.

The firearm, which wasn’t described, was allegedly stolen from his home on Naval Base Kitsap — Bangor. The gun was recovered Thursday.

The youth was booked into the juvenile detention center for investigation of carrying a dangerous weapon on school facilities; unlawful possession of a firearm by a minor; and exhibiting, displaying or carrying a firearm with intent to intimidate, the sheriff’s office said.

0 comments | More in The Blotter | Topics: arrested, firearms violation, juvenile crime