BTB Reader Kaaren Benson wants our Readers to be on the lookout for ‘Finnigan’ (pictured above), a Welsh Cardigan Corgi dog that has been missing since Saturday, June 11th.

There is a $500 reward for his safe return, and he lived near the intersection of 46th & Trenton in West Seattle, and was last seen at 37th and Barton.

Finnigan is about 38 lbs, with a blazing white chest, reddish/brown fur, big ears and a tail.

If you’ve seen him, please call 206-851-4558 or 206-935-4021, or email sugarjets2@q.com.

Last Thursday morning (Jan. 27th), a burglary took place in a home in Burien’s Gregory Heights neighborhood, and the victim has approached us about getting something irreplaceable back – a box that contained several videotapes of her family through the years.

The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous , would just like the mini-videocassettes of her family returned. That’s it – she doesn’t care about anything else.

And she’s offering a $300 reward.

“It’s a black or tan colored box taken from my Gregory Heights home the morning of Thursday, January 27th,” the victim told us. “It contained mini videocassettes of our children, from birth on, that cannot be replaced. If you have seen these or know where they may be, please return them. You can throw them in our yard or anywhere else, then somehow let us know where they are (post an anonymous comment to this blog).  These are very precious keepsakes and we really want them back. Reward available!!”

All the lost tapes were MiniDV tapes, and the labels were handwritten with various date ranges and/or special events (ie. Christmas, Vacations, etc.) – the tapes look something like this (this is a stock photo, and is not of the actual missing tapes):

The missing videotapes are of the MiniDV variety, similar to these.

Of course, we want to keep this simple and safe for all parties involved, and we want to assure the suspects that all we’re trying to do is reunite someone with their one-of-a-kind, sentimental memories – that’s it – there will be no police involvement at all.

“These videos are of our children, from birth on and it’s all we want back,” she added.

HOW TO RETURN THEM & NOTIFY US SAFELY:
If you stole these tapes (or know who did), please put them in a safe place, then either leave an anonymous Comment below – you can use a computer at the library if you’re worried about being tracked (the IP address will only read kcls.org), or call our office with details on where they can be found: (206) 248-2565, or send us an email at editor@b-townblog.com.

We’ll pass the info on to the appropriate party, who will retrieve the tapes, and (almost) all will be good again. The person who returns the tapes, or facilitates the return, will receive a $300 cash reward.

It’ll be interesting to see if we can help reunite a Burien resident with her memories. If anyone has any other suggestions on how to get these tapes back, please leave a Comment below…

It was one year ago today (Nov. 12, 2009) that Mark Ebinger, 25, was stabbed and killed outside Good Time Ernie’s in Burien.

Far as we know the suspect is still at large.

We also believe there is still a $10,000 reward being offered by the Ebinger family, along with Crime Stoppers, for info leading to the arrest of the murderer.

Here’s a brief re-cap of the tragic incident:

Mark and his brother Peter, 24, were attacked outside the Burien bar around 1:45am on Nov. 12, 2009. Mark died from stab wounds at the scene. Peter was stabbed numerous times, but survived.

Detectives believe there were several witnesses to the attack, and these witnesses might have information that could solve the case.

The homicide occurred outside Good Time Ernie’s Pub, located at 15747 Ambaum Blvd SW in Burien.

Peter recalled the attack, saying that a “few words were spoken to someone who was with us in the bar, and I told Mark we should leave…and as we left a group of guys came out the other door, a bottle was thrown at us, then they came at us with knives.”

“I was just scared, and was trying to get away,” Peter said. He also added that Mark was “kind of far away” from him in the parking lot at the time of the attack.

Peter also added that “someone else had words with one of the guys in the other group…” and he had no idea what was said, but is certain that the attacker(s) were in that group.

Once outside, “one guy came up in my face and tried to take a swing at me and another guy hit me from behind,” Peter continued. “I got stabbed probably six or seven times in the back…”

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours), or 9-1-1.

Here’s a video report on this case from KING-TV:

Mark Ebinger was just 25 when he was killed outside Good Time Ernie's Nov. 12, 2009.

Read The B-Town Blog’s previous coverage of this tragic incident here.

According to proprietor Dan House:

He returned and did the same, this time pushing in our “Cashier” window and taking our server’s purse and a bank bag.

This was done around 5:30pm Thursday (Oct. 28th), and he was wearing just about the same clothes – a bulky, striped shirt to hide the goods like the last time.

He came in the theater side, ducked under the red velvet rope, walked back and in about two minutes came back out with the goods stuffed under his shirt.

As before, we got it on tape, and the police have been notified.

It seems that he does not care about time of day, as we had around 20 people in the theater and if they came out they would have bumped right into him; we were all here.

Reward stays the same – $300, with $200 cash and $100 on a Tin Room gift card.

“People should look for this thief strolling the streets,” House added. “This guy’s M.O. appears to be to walk into an open establishment, snatch something, stuff it under his shirt then casually leave. Everyone should look for a guy walking around town with a stuffed shirt…”

Here are pics (courtesy a security cam by BTB Advertiser Freedom Systems) from the Oct. 14th purse snatching incident, when the suspect stole Chirlee’s purse (Chirlee is Dan’s Mom, and she just turned 75):

The suspect is described as an African-American male, standing 5’9″ to 6’2″ and weighing around 185lbs.

Burien Police are on the case already, and are asking that if anyone recognizes the suspect in the photos, to please call them immediately at (206) 296-3311.

In the state of Washington, bicycle injuries are the second leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations for children ages 5-14. The majority of bicycle deaths involving children in Washington occur to those not wearing a bicycle helmet, which led Safe Kids South King County to create a Safe Rider campaign in order to reduce unintentional injury to children participating in wheeled sports.

The Safe Rider campaign seeks to reward children who are observed wearing their helmets in South King County by partnering with McDonald’s and local police and fire departments. Children observed wearing their helmets by on-duty uniformed personnel will receive a “Safe Rider Citation”, which can be redeemed for a free vanilla reduced fat ice cream cone from a participating South King County McDonald’s.

This is the first year Safe Kids South King County and McDonald’s have partnered for the Safe Rider campaign. The campaign began in May with Safe Kids and McDonald’s supplying over 6,000 “Safe Rider Citation” coupons to participating police and fire departments in the South King County region.

Participating departments include:

• Burien Police Department
• Normandy Park Police Department
• SeaTac Police Department
• Auburn Police Department
• Maple Valley Police Department
• Renton Police Department
• North Highline Fire Department
• Valley Regional Fire Department
• Tukwila Fire Department
• King County Fire District 44

Participating police and fire officials will be awarding “Safe Rider Citations” throughout the year to raise awareness about the importance of helmet safety in preventing unintentional injury to children.

About Safe Kids South King County:
Safe Kids Worldwide is the first and only international nonprofit organization dedicated solely to eliminating preventable childhood injury. Safe Kids South King County is 1 of 310 Safe Kids coalitions in the country that promote changes in attitudes, behaviors, laws, and the environment to prevent accidental injury to children. On a national level, Safe Kids has distributed more than 2.5 million bike helmets, 250,000 smoke alarms, and checked more than 740,000 car seats.  In the United States, Safe Kids has contributed to a 45 percent reduction in the child fatality rate from accidental injury – saving an estimated 38,000 children’s lives.

The family of deceased Burien man Mark Ebinger (pictured, left), 25, who was stabbed to death outside Good Time Ernie’s last November, has increased the reward offered to $10,000 in hopes of generating tips that will lead to an arrest.

Mark and his brother Peter, 24, were attacked outside the Burien bar on the morning of November 12, 2009. Mark died from stab wounds at the scene. Peter was stabbed numerous times, but survived.

Detectives believe there were several witnesses to the attack, and these witnesses might have information that could solve the case.

The homicide occurred outside Good Time Ernie’s Pub,  located at 15747 Ambaum Blvd SW in Burien.

As we reported on Dec. 28, 2009 when we attended the family’s first press conference at the King County Sheriff’s office:

Peter recalled the attack, saying that a “few words were spoken to someone who was with us in the bar, and I told Mark we should leave…and as we left a group of guys came out the other door, a bottle was thrown at us, then they came at us with knives.”

“I was just scared, and was trying to get away,” Peter said. He also added that Mark was “kind of far away” from him in the parking lot at the time of the attack.

The Ebinger Family at the Dec. 28th press conference.

Peter also added that “someone else had words with one of the guys in the other group…” and he had no idea what was said, but is certain that the attacker(s) were in that group.

Once outside, “one guy came up in my face and tried to take a swing at me and another guy hit me from behind,” Peter continued. “I got stabbed probably six or seven times in the back…”

Peter said he’s “not planning on going back” to Goodtime Ernie’s anytime soon, “and no one I know is going back…”

Despite numerous rumors, there is no definite word on whether the attackers are part of a gang.

Mark Ebinger's brother Peter was also stabbed, but survived.

“We’re all very upset and angry, and well, you can imagine…”

Mark worked at a printing press and mostly did manual labor.

Regarding Mark’s death, Peter said: “It happened real fast and he didn’t feel much pain…”

The investigation is still ongoing.

“We know that someone out there knows something, saw something, or has heard something,” said Jim Laing. “…and that information might seem insignificant to them but it could be the information that cracks this case and we’re appealing to anyone who has any information to come forward.”

Laing continued: “No homicide case is ever closed until it’s closed, and this will remain open until it’s solved.”

On our original Nov. 12th report, there are now 105 Comments, which make for some very interesting reading – see it here – many comments are in scolding tones to those who were there that night but have refused to come forward to identify the suspect(s). Perhaps this higher reward will change that?

Crimestoppers is also offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information on the case.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours), or 9-1-1.

This week marks the fourth anniversary of the death of Nicole Pietz, who was last seen at her Lynnwood home by her husband on January 27, 2006.

The body of Pietz, 32, was found strangled Feb. 6, 2006, in a wooded area near South 114th and Des Moines Memorial Drive in Burien (see map below).

Her car, a 2003 Jetta was found in the University District about two weeks later.

After four years, this case remains unsolved, according to Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff’s Department.

The reward for information on the case that leads to an arrest or conviction is at $36,000. In addition, Gail Schneider, Nicole’s mother, has said the family will pay the legal costs for anyone who comes forward with information germane to the case, but wishes to use the services of an attorney.

The case is active and still under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit.

Here are some photos provided by the family of Nicole:

Pietz’ body was found in Burien in a wooded area near South 114th and Des Moines Memorial Drive:

Anyone with information in the case is asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hrs).

Story & Photos by Scott Schaefer

It must’ve been the absolute toughest Christmas ever for the Ebinger family of Burien, as they had to celebrate without their son Mark, 25, who was fatally stabbed outside Goodtime Ernie’s Nov. 12th.

On Monday (Dec. 28th), the family held a press conference at the King County Sheriff’s office in downtown Seattle, where they offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect(s) in the fatal stabbing.

Acting Public Information Officer Jim Laing spoke, along with Mark’s brother Peter (who was also stabbed), 24, as his distraught parents, sister and girlfriend sat nearby, solemnly holding back tears; here’s the raw MP3 of the conference:

[display_podcast]

Peter recalled the attack, saying that a “few words were spoken to someone who was with us in the bar, and I told Mark we should leave…and as we left a group of guys came out the other door, a bottle was thrown at us, then they came at us with knives.”

“I was just scared, and was trying to get away,” Peter said. He also added that Mark was “kind of far away” from him in the parking lot at the time of the attack.

The Ebinger Family at Monday's press conference.

Peter also added that “someone else had words with one of the guys in the other group…” and he had no idea what was said, but is certain that the attacker(s) were in that group.

Once outside, “one guy came up in my face and tried to take a swing at me and another guy hit me from behind,” Peter continued. “I got stabbed probably six or seven times in the back…”

Peter said he’s “not planning on going back” to Goodtime Ernie’s anytime soon, “and no one I know is going back…”

Despite numerous rumors, there is no definite word on whether the attackers are part of a gang.

Mark Ebinger's brother Peter was also stabbed, but survived.

“We’re all very upset and angry, and well, you can imagine…”

Mark worked at a printing press and mostly did manual labor.

Regarding Mark’s death, Peter said: “It happened real fast and he didn’t feel much pain…”

The investigation is still ongoing.

“We know that someone out there knows something, saw something, or has heard something,” said Jim Laing. “…and that information might seem insignificant to them but it could be the information that cracks this case and we’re appealing to anyone who has any information to come forward.”

Laing continued: “No homicide case is ever closed until it’s closed, and this will remain open until it’s solved.”

If anyone has any information on this case, they should call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-274-6313.

$4,000 of the reward money comes from the Ebinger family, and $1,000 from Crimestoppers.

Here’s a video report on this case from KING-TV:

Read our previous coverage of this tragic incident here.

Mark Ebinger was just 25 when he was killed outside Goodtime Ernie's Nov. 12th.

Here’s the latest update on Jeff Kearney, the well-known mentally-challenged man who was the victim of a hit-and-run on Nov. 17th in  White Center (read our previous coverage here).

According to Debra George, who visited him on Sunday, Dec. 6th:

Jeff is slowly making good progress. He is awake most of the time. He is been doing good at moving his legs and arms, taking commands. Yesterday I asked him to raise one finger, then two and so on – he did very well. I left him with the challenge last night to move his mouth – try and smile, and this morning I am happy to say he moved his mouth and smiled a bit, he even tried to mouth some words.

The doctors say that him might get his tracheotomy out this week and begin to work with a speech therapist. Next week he will be sent back to Harborview where they will look at his hips again – then back to Riverton Rehab. I am very hopeful that he might be home for Christmas.

At this time they have not found the individual that did this to him.

Thank you for all your prayers and concerns.

- Debra George
Discover Burien, Event Manager

The hit-and-run driver is still at large, and the investigation is still continuing. The suspect vehicle had damage to the left front fender, and lost its driver’s side exterior rear-view mirror at the scene. It is probably maroon in color, a Chevrolet or GMC product, and is likely one of the following models:

• GM or Chevrolet full size pick-up: 1988-1989
• Blazer or Jimmy: 1992-1994
• Suburban: 1992-1999
• GMC Yukon: 1992-1999
• Chevrolet Tahoe: 1995-1999

There is still a $1,000 reward, so if you recognize the suspect vehicle please call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours) or 911.

If you’d like to visit Jeff, he’s taking visitors now at his new location at Highline Medical Center’s Specialty Campus, which is located at 12844 Military Rd South in Tukwila (phone: 206-244-0180). Jeff is in room #229.

Discover Burien announced Thursday (Nov. 19th) that it will be offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of the driver of the vehicle that committed the hit-and-run on Jeff Kearney in White Center on Tuesday, Nov. 17th.

The $1,000 reward is set up at Burien’s Sterling Savings Bank (located at 224 SW 152nd Street; (206) 243-6869), and residents can contribute to it as well.

Kearney, 36, a well-known mentally-challenged man and part of Burien’s “Team Clean Sweep,” was crossing 16th Ave SW in the crosswalk at SW 106th on Tuesday around 5:20pm. The suspect vehicle was southbound on 16th when it struck him. The vehicle slowed but did not stop and was last seen driving off southbound on 16th.

Kearney was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition, and the latest reports we’ve heard are that he’s been upgraded to “serious condition.”

The suspect driver is still at large, and according to police, a driver’s side exterior mirror was found at the scene, and there is also likely damage to the left front fender.

The vehicle is probably maroon in color, a Chevrolet or GMC product, and is likely one of the following models:

• GM or Chevrolet full size pick-up: 1988-1989
• Blazer or Jimmy: 1992-1994
• Suburban: 1992-1999
• GMC Yukon: 1992-1999
• Chevrolet Tahoe: 1995-1999

If anyone recognizes the suspect vehicle they are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours) or 911.

We will continue to post updates about Jeff and this story as we learn more.

RELATED:

• UPDATE: Police Need Help Finding Vehicle In Hit-And-Run Of Jeff Kearney