Crime Rate Dips in Seattle January 21, 2020 Some 2019 magazine headlines like “Left-coast Lawlessness” and “Seattle Under Siege” might have been a bit overblown. According to the official records, crime rates decreased across the board last year. Property crime rates, mostly theft, were at their lowest levels since the 1970s. Violent crime rates also dropped sharply. Seattle Police Department spokesperson Sergeant Sean… Read More
Sex Trafficking Sting Nabs Four Men December 21, 2019 A multi-agency effort, led by the Washington State Patrol, ended with the arrest of four individuals who thought they were to meet a minor for illicit purposes. “Detectives posed as the juveniles,” officials said in a statement announcing the arrests. So, “no juveniles were used or at risk during the operation.” “While DuPont is a… Read More
Bail Set After Violent Richland Break-In November 20, 2019 A man who allegedly broke into a Richland home and held a knife to an 11-year-old girl’s throat is in custody in the Benton County Jail. According to investigators, Jordan Smith broke into a house and ordered the girl to come with him. After a brief struggle, during which both Smith and the girl were… Read More
Controversial Tweet Exposes Weakness in Pretrial Release System October 30, 2019 In a recent tweet, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best expressed apparent frustration with the city’s jail release system. “A business owner reported a property crime, and @SeattlePD arrested the suspect. Within hours, the suspect was released from jail and returned to commit a new crime. The same officer re-arrested the suspect. This not only hurts… Read More
Bemerton Man Attacked His Roommate; Claims He is a Vampire October 30, 2019 Kitsap County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 40-year-old man who attacked his roommate with a metal rod because he feared the man was undead. According to the alleged victim, the defendant has a history of severe mental problems. The alleged victim said the defendant accused him of being a vampire, to which the roommate responded “Is… Read More
Prosecutors Decline to Retry Shooters at Milo Yiannopoulos Event September 13, 2019 After one jury deadlocked, King County prosecutors said they would not retry Marc and Elizabeth Hokoana, who were charged with assaulting protestor Joshua Dukes at a University of Washington event in January 2017. Yiannopoulos, a former Breitbart editor and outspoken conservative, was scheduled to speak on campus on Inauguration Day 2017. Emotions were high, as… Read More
New Study: Hate Crimes Spike in Washington State August 9, 2019 Between 2013 and 2017, hate crimes increased 22 percent nationally. But in Washington, these incidents skyrocketed 78 percent. Race accounted for 60 percent of these offenses. Most of the rest were either religion (21 percent) and sexual orientation (16 percent). Almost all of the hate crimes in Washington over that period were aggravated assaults. These… Read More
Washington State Governor Signs a Bill to Erase Marijuana Misdemeanors June 10, 2019 Washington State legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, and criminal penalties finally are catching up. According to a recent article in The Seattle Times, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed a bill pertaining to marijuana convictions. Once the new law takes effect, most people with misdemeanor marijuana convictions will be able to have those convictions erased. To… Read More
Hate Crimes Spiked in Washington During 2018 May 8, 2019 A recent report from the Anti-Defamation League confirmed what the FBI said last November. The number of hate crimes in Washington State increased dramatically in 2018. According to a national audit, anti-Semitic incidents in Washington increased 60 percent between 2017 and 2018. Hate crimes are up overall as well. According to the FBI report, race,… Read More
Washington State Bill Proposes Harsher Penalties for People Who “Patronize” Prostitutes April 3, 2019 In the coming months, there may be some changes coming to Washington state law regarding the penalties for solicitation of prostitution. Under current state law, the punishment for prostitution; the illicit sale of sex, and for solicitation; the illicit buying of sex; are largely similar. However, HB 1383, a bill that is making its way… Read More