The Des Moines Police Department announced early Thursday (Dec. 8th) that they had made an arrest for the murder of Jayme Thomas.

“Through tips and leads from the community, the Des Moines Police Department’s Investigations Unit was able to identify several witnesses which lead to the identification of the one responsible for the Murder of Jayme Thomas and Assault with a Deadly Weapon on Scott Kennedy,” read an email.

Police say that Wednesday night (Dec. 7), along with the assistance of Valley SWAT, arrested a 29-year old Asian Male at his residence without incident. Coincidentally, Wednesday night was also when the ‘Justice for Jayme‘ fundraiser was held.

The suspect was booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Homicide and Investigation of Assault.

Jayme Thomas was shot and killed as she sat in the backseat of a vehicle and Scott Kennedy was shot standing outside of a vehicle while they in Redondo during the early morning of November 5, 2011 (read our coverage here).

FYI, there’s a helicopter swirling overhead…around 1st Ave SW and 128th…near Puget Sound Park, and probably over 509 as well…send the media!

We then contacted Cindi West, Public Information Officer for the King County Sheriff’s Office, who told us that the police chopper was on scene because of a hit and run at that location.

“A small Ford pickup hit a Volkswagen, then took off,” West said. “The Volkswagen owner followed the pickup, which had two occupants in it. These suspects then stopped the truck and fled on foot. They were shortly apprehended in a shed near the 13200 block of 4th Ave SW.”

The hit-and-run happened around 9:05 a.m. Monday morning near the intersection of 1st Ave South and S/SW 128th (map below).

There were no injuries, and police are still investigating.

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Have a news tip or story idea? Email us at editor@b-townblog.com!

At least 10 police cruisers turned out for Monday's shooting incident, which also caused lockdowns at two nearby schools. Photo by Scott Schaefer.

On Tuesday (Sept. 20), the King County Sheriff’s Office released the following police report to The B-Town Blog, detailing Monday’s shooting incident at the Southwest Seattle Ambulatory Center on SW 160th, which resulted in a lockdown of Sylvester Middle School as well as Three Tree Montessori School.

To read our extensive on-the-spot first report (including several on-scene photos), click here.

Some of the more interesting details emerging include:

• At least four different windows to the clinic had been shot at, on two different floors.
• As a responding deputy drove into the parking lot, shots were fired and bullets flew past her patrol car.
• Two parked cars were also hit.
• When occupants of a nearby apartment building saw police, they closed their blinds. Police got suspicious, obtained a search warrant and investigated the apartment, where they found two firearms as well as narcotics.
• Four people were arrested at the apartment: a 16-year old female and three males (20, 20 and 21).

Here’s the police report we obtained Tuesday (Sept. 20):

On 09/19/2011 at approximately 1140 hrs, I was dispatched to Southwest Seattle Ambulatory Center 275 SW 160 ST. Radio dispatch advised that windows to the building had been damaged due to fireworks. However, while I was en route I was updated by radio dispatch that the employees at Southwest Seattle Ambulatory Center reported gun shots having been fired.

As a deputy drove her patrol vehicle to the south side of the building and heard what she believed to be bullets fly past her patrol vehicle and she also heard gunshots.

I walked inside of the building and was led to the first floor break room. The breakroom was on the east side of the building. I saw a bullet hole, approximately a quarter size in the window. Glass was shattered on the table. One of the employees had been seated at the table in the break room when the bullet hit the window.

I was led upstairs to the second floor and was shown three large glass windows that had multiple bullet holes in them. I located several bullet fragments on the floor and collected them for evidence.

While I was on the second floor with a deputy saw a white male, and female on the second story, balcony of the Fox Cove apartments 159 SW 160 ST looking around and when they saw Police they closed the blinds and went inside.

I took a position on the roof of the building to overwatch the potential shooter apartment that we had seen activity on.

Occupants (names redacted) walked out to Deputies and were detained.

A search warrant was written up by Police and Police entered the apartment after very loudly announcing their intent and authority. Police located a female and two males inside a locked bedroom.

I located two parked cars on the southside of the building with bullet holes.

I was advised by Detectives that two firearms were located inside of the apartment. A .22 caliber rifle and a .38 caliber revolver were located in  the apartment. I was also advised by Detectives that suspected narcotics were located to include; Meth, Marijuana, pills and Cocaine.

Detectives advised me that the .38 caliber revolver was stolen per WACIC NCIC.

XXX  (female age 16) was cited for reckless endangerment and had an outstanding arrest warrant with Juvenile Court and was booked into Youth Services Center.

XXX (male age 20) was booked for Investigation of VUFA. XXX (male age 21) was also was booked for Investigation of VUFA. XXX (age 20) was booked for Investigation of Possession of Stolen Firearm and Investigation VUCSA. All three suspects were booked into King County Jail for the above charges.

Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit, along with members of the TAC-30 SWAT team and the Gang Unit all assisted in the peaceful apprehension of this suspect at his home, which was not far from the shooting scene. The identification of the suspect was made through deputies and detectives that work the White Center area, along with tips generated through the release of the surveillance footage.

“The citizens and business owners of White Center were upset to hear of this tragedy in their area,” according to Major James Graddon, Commander of the Sheriff’s Office West precinct. “They have been working hard with us for many years to improve public safety in their neighborhoods. This incident will ultimately be resolved through the continued support of the community and the efforts of the deputies and detectives.”

There are still two suspects outstanding in this incident. Any information that the public may have on any of the three suspects is still needed. Tips may be phoned in to (206) 296-3311 or 9-1-1.

The P-I report says that the four people charged include David Moore, Justin Moore, Kasey Guthrie and Dylan Lorang.

As we reported in late June (read our posts here and here):

Leonard Werner, 69, had been dead about two weeks before his body was found by relatives checking on him on June 24th. He lived alone in the 12600 block of Des Moines Memorial Drive, which, despite what other media is reporting, is actually located just north of Burien’s new city limits.

The cause and manner of death is still pending.

According to Sgt. John Urquhart, Werner’s house was ransacked and many of his possessions stolen as he lay dead on the floor. His two cars were taken as well. Some of the stolen items were found by Sheriff’s detectives on the day Werner’s body was discovered at the next door neighbor’s house.

More of Werner’s stolen property was recovered last night, as well as his two stolen cars. However some of the property may have already been sold on eBay.

Yesterday about 3 p.m., detectives located what they believed might be the stolen PT Cruiser under a tarp in the South Park neighborhood of Seattle. They obtained a search warrant for the house and recovered stolen property taken from Werner’s residence and made two arrests.

Information gleaned then led them to a house in Normandy Park for a third arrest, and then to a storage warehouse at S. 178th and Des Moines. The second stolen car was found in a storage unit.

The three men, ages 29, 36, and 37, were booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Burglary and Possession of Stolen Property. The investigation is continuing.

Washington State health officials announced Wednesday (May 4th) that they have immediately suspended the license of registered nurse Gordon McSherry, who worked at Regional Hospital in Tukwila, on charges that he “diverted drugs for personal use.”

“The action by the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission and the Washington State Department of Health means he cannot work as a registered nurse until the charges are resolved,” according to a statement.

The charges say McSherry diverted drugs from three different facilities in Washington between September 2010 and January 2011, including 97 instances of diversion in one facility. Criminal charges have been filed against McSherry in King County. The charges also say McSherry had criminal drug charges pending in Texas before his move to our state, which he didn’t disclose when he applied for a Washington license in March 2010.

McSherry has 20 days to respond to the charges and to ask for a hearing.

The nursing commission protects public health and safety in Washington. It licenses and disciplines nurses using standards of practice.

The King County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday (Feb. 7th) that the armed robber dubbed the “polite robber” by local media was arrested at his Top Hat home by detectives and the SWAT Team around 2pm.

“His demeanor at the time of arrest is unknown,” said Sgt. John Urquhart.

The arrest took place at a residence in the Top Hat neighborhood where the man was living. The location is not far from the Shell Station at 2805 SW Roxbury that he allegedly robbed on Saturday, February 5th about 11:20am. He was carrying what appeared to be a semi-automatic pistol during the robbery.

The video of the robbery, complete with sound, was released by the store owner has since “gone viral”:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The suspect was quickly identified from tips.

The man arrested is a convicted felon, including convictions for Forgery and Armed Robbery.

He is 65 years old.

LeClaire is believed to be responsible for as many as 14 other bank robberies in the area, including the Sterling Savings Bank last April in Burien (read our report on that here), a Key Bank in West Seattle, along with others in Auburn, Kirkland and Des Moines.

The woman was arrested following a robbery at the Alaska USA Federal Credit Union on SE 240th Street in Kent last Tuesday. Employees and witnesses were able to write down the license plate number of the car she drove, and later police pulled her over and arrested her.

The suspect has been booked into the King County Jail, where she’s been charged with first-degree robbery in connection with the Kent bank heist. LeClaire is slated to be arraigned Jan. 27th at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, with bail set at $250,000.

One police officer said in a report that LeClaire had a “strong odor of alcohol” coming from her mouth and probably had been drinking before the Kent robbery. LeClaire allegedly replied with “I’m not drunk but I did need a little liquid courage.”

The FBI received a search warrant and conducted a search of the woman’s home, where they allegedly found evidence linking her to the bank robberies last year.

Here are surveillance photos released by the King County Sheriff’s Department that we first posted last April:

These are from the West Seattle robbery on April 5th:

“Never believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want!” states LeClaire on her apparent Facebook Page.

Also, rather ironically, BTB Reader (and apparent visionary) Rob left this Comment on our original April story:

Wouldn’t the KCS department, FBI and SPD be wrong if the bank robber turned out to be a real woman??? Where is the CSI when you need them???

King County Sheriff’s Cold Case Squad detectives have arrested a 46 year-old man for a homicide at a SeaTac motel that occurred 27 years ago, spokesman John Urquhart announced this morning (Dec. 14).

According to Urquhart’s news release:

John Wayne Folds was arrested without incident about 10 a.m. EST Tuesday (Dec. 14) in Florida, with the assistance of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. He was booked into jail on a Washington arrest warrant for Murder in the 2nd Degree, pending extradition.

Folds has been charged in the case by the Prosecutor’s Office, and the bail on his arrest warrant is set at $1,000,000.

The case was solved as a result of recent DNA work by the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab. Folds’ DNA was found at the scene of the homicide.

The homicide occurred in a motel room at the Motel 6, 18900 47th Ave South, SeaTac. The body of Frank T. Kuony, 36, was found by a maid on February 15, 1983. He had been stabbed multiple times.

An investigation by the Sheriff’s Office determined Kuony was a resident of San Francisco, and had flown to Seattle overnight to set up a display at a gift show.

Frank T. Kuony

Further investigation revealed Kuony was seen talking with several people in the back of the airplane during the flight from Seattle. After the plane landed a witness at a car rental counter saw him with a man in his 20s. The witness provided a composite drawing of the man.

Because air travel was much different in 1983, detectives were not able to trace the persons Kuony was seen with through the passenger manifest. Eventually the case became inactive.

This year, detectives from the Cold Case Squad reviewed the case and ultimately sent evidence items to the WSP Crime Lab.

In November, detectives were notified by the lab of a DNA match with John Folds. The match came from the victim’s oral swabs, as well as from several cigarette butts found in the room. Folds’ DNA was in the DNA database due to a 2002 felony arrest in Florida.

“Our thanks to the State Patrol Crime Lab for their invaluable assistance in this case”, said Sheriff Sue Rahr. “The Sheriff’s Office partnership with the Lab continues to pay dividends as we use science to solve our most important cases”, she added.

In addition, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office provided assistance with leg work to locate Folds, as well as the arrest this morning.

The Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Squad was formed about two years ago with help from a grant for the National Institute of Justice, an arm of the Justice Department. The Sheriff’s Office has over 190 cold case homicides and missing person cases that are likely homicides, dating back to 1942.

King County Sheriff’s Department reports that Sina Mehdi Ghodsee, wanted for threatening Normandy Park Police Officers over the telephone, was arrested Friday night (Oct. 22nd) in Salt Lake City after a traffic stop.

Ghodsee, 21, of Normandy Park, has three warrants, totaling $270,000 bail, as follows:

• Telephone Harassment, King County: $250,000
• Telephone Harassment, Fife PD: $10,000
• Telephone Harassment, SPD: $10,000

KCSO says that the felony charges arise out of several calls Ghodsee made to the city of Normandy Park in September 2010, wherein he stated he had a sniper rifle and was going to kill one of their officers, naming him specifically.  He also threatened to kill all of the Normandy Park officers. He made other calls as well, naming officers. Ghodsee also had a MySpace page where he listed the entire Normandy Park Police Department by name under a section called “Hit List.” Included on the page were video clips of a movie showing a man being brutally killed. Above the video clip were the words:

“This is for the Normandy Park Police Department. Finish what you started cuz I’m plotting your day in hell.”

He also made threats to bomb the police station in Normandy Park.

Ghodsee is a former resident of Normandy Park. His mother lived there until recently until she went into hiding because she is afraid of her son.

Although only 21-years old, Ghodsee has a rather extensive list of criminal convictions:

• Att. Robbery 2nd Degree
• Assault 4th Degree X 3
• Unlawful Imprisonment
• Possession of Stolen Property
• Burglary
• Possession of a Dangerous Weapon
• Violation of a Restraining Order
• Possession of Marijuana
• Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
• Reckless Driving