The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is one that comes into play quite often in the criminal justice system. The Fourth Amendment grants us certain safeguards when we are stopped and/or searched by law enforcement, and also prevents unlawfully seized items from being used agains...
An investigation has revealed that crime bosses may be taking advantage of Washington's lax laws regarding theft to recruit vulnerable persons into doing their crimes for them. These crime bosses realize that oftentimes, shoplifters are rarely actually prosecuted, so they can almost guarantee to ...
A Tacoma woman posing as a baby photographer has been charged with assault and attempted kidnapping after law enforcement authorities began investigating a claim that she had drugged a new mother in her own home. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, Juliette Parker and her 16-yea...
This past January, Seattle's Office of Police Accountability (OPA) concluded an investigation and released a report regarding two police officers who had shot and killed a man inside his apartment in May 2019. The report said that the officers had acted accordingly, but there are still a lot of u...
A new year always brings new hope for starting over or improving something in life. Three proposed Washington bills that are making their way through the state legislature could restore certain rights to convicted felons and give those individuals a shot at reclaiming their lives after they have ...
Last week, a shooting in downtown Seattle left many concerned about general safety downtown and elsewhere in the city. A disagreement erupted near McDonald's and multiple men exchanged gunfire, shooting into a crowd that included many tourists and commuters. At the time of this writing, two of th...
Recently we covered remarks make by state legislators in response to last week's shooting downtown. Lawmakers were discussing possible policy responses to the shooting. Many of the policies focused on the availability of weapons, including one measure which would give Washington State Patrol the ...
A man is dead and a Seattle police officer has been suspended from his job after lying about the severity of a car accident involving the deceased. A police watchdog found that the officer used a common ruse to try to get more information about a hit-and-run so the suspect would come forward. Ins...
A deadly shooting that took place in downtown Seattle last week may cause politicians to push for harsher laws during the upcoming legislative session. One woman was killed and seven others were injured when a shooting occurred outside the McDonald's at Third and Pine Street. At the time of this ...
A Pennsylvania man was freed after spending almost three decades of his life behind bars for a wrongful conviction that the Philadelphia District Attorney's office in a court filing called “perfect storm” of injustice, admitting that the case was tainted by serious misconduct by the prosecution, ...
The Seattle Office of Police Accountability (OPA) recently released a report on the termination of a police officer last November. According to the OPA report, the officer engaged in “malicious and threatening” behavior on social media. Many of these threats were directed towards former President...
A local pot shop in downtown Seattle is no stranger to being robbed. Ruckus Recreational on E. Republican Avenue and 15th Street in the Capitol Hill area has been open since 2015 and has seen its share of smash-and-grab break-ins. In October 2018, the store was robbed by an armed man wearing gard...
The Kirkland YMCA Center released a surveillance video that shows a white Kirkland Police Department officer throwing a 14-year-old African American boy down to the ground while he was being arrested at their facility. The Kirkland YMCA said that the arresting officers also shoved the Center's di...
An 85-year-old woman has been charged with premeditated murder and first-degree assault after she shot her roommates—two sisters who had recently moved in with her. The shootings happened a week before Christmas in Federal Way. Unusual Rental Arrangement The accused shooter, Beverly Jenne, had ...
Former Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin made some waves during his final days before leaving office. Bevin, who just barely lost his bid for re-election in November 2019, pardoned over 400 convictions on his way out, upsetting many Kentuckians—even some who had supported him as governor. Even Kentuck...
If you are looking to sell some things to make some extra cash for the holidays, you might be considering using online platforms like OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace, or Craigslist. Just be aware that thieves are also using those platforms in hopes of making a quick and easy buck, as well. One vic...
If you are facing criminal charges in Seattle, you are probably nervous about what you are up against and appearing in court. But there is another reason you should be nervous if you have to go to King County Courthouse. On Wednesday, November 27, 2019, a homeless man got off a Metro bus on Thir...
A Spokane widow has filed a lawsuit in federal court against Bonner County and the Bonner County Sheriff's Department for fatally shooting her husband in September 2017. Bonner County is in northern Idaho and where the couple owned a cabin. Welfare Check On September 24, 2017, Robin Johnson cal...
Security guards and the police were in for a surprise after a shoplifting-turned-robbery incident at a Home Depot in North Seattle. On Wednesday, November 20, 2019, Home Depot security guards confronted two men who were acting suspiciously in the power tool section of the store. The guards suspe...
On Monday, November 4, 2019, a number of Oklahoma families were greeted with good news. 462 non-violent prisoners had their sentences commuted and were released from prisons all across the state. Sixty-five more will be released once their detainers are removed. It was the largest commutation in ...
2019 has been a year for criticizing Seattle's prosecutors and the number of prolific repeat offenders. The City's Attorney's Office has little to say on the matter, other than their department needs $2 million more to be able to prosecute the crimes they are dealing with. The first report came ...
In November 2016, a Kent, Washington Dollar Tree store burned to the ground and two nearby businesses were heavily damaged. The fire took seventy-three firefighters to fight the blaze. Police arrested Des Moines 66-year-old resident Linda Poplawski and charged her with first-degree felony arson a...
A recent study out of Washington State University (WSU) examined the relationship between crime and the legalization of marijuana. According to the study, the bottom line is that legalizing marijuana has had little impact on violent or property crime rates. Dale Willits, a professor in the crimi...
It's that time of year when Halloween is fast approaching and thoughts turn to all things spooky, like ghosts, monsters, werewolves, and vampires. But for a Bremerton man, spooky got a little too real when his roommate became convinced he was a vampire and assaulted him with a metal rod. Accordi...
2019 was not a great year of baseball for the San Diego Padres. They lost their last regular-season game on September 29 to the Arizona Diamondbacks, finishing the year with 70 wins and 92 losses. It was their fourth straight 90-loss season, and their general manager was let go just a week before...
