Tag Archives: Washington state

From the Justice Department: The Honorable Deborah L. Boardman sentenced Rudolph Brooks, age 48, of Cheltenham, Maryland, to 18 months in federal prison followed by 2 years of supervised release for fraudulently obtaining over $3.5 million in COVID-19 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans. The Court also ordered Brooks to forfeit all property …

Seattle’s NBC affiliate reports: Aberdeen police arrested Aberdeen City Council member Riley Carter Tuesday night on multiple child rape charges. Detectives said Carter confessed to detectives, admitting he sexually assaulted a child known to him over the past two years. According to documents filed in court Wednesday, Carter told detectives he needed help and expressed remorse toward his victim. Detectives …

Spokane’s PBS affiliate reports: For 24 hours the intersection in front of Riverfront Park transformed into something akin to a block party as the Pride flag mural was restored to its original glory. The mural, which has been a frequent target of vandalism — as recently as last week — and even arson, was designed by queer Spokane artist Tiffany …

From the Justice Department: A 21-year-old Bremerton, Washington, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to three years in prison for four federal felonies stemming from his extensive illegal harassing activity known as “swatting,” announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Ashton Connor Garcia pleaded in January 2024 to two counts of extortion, and two counts of threats …

Seattle’s ABC affiliate reports: Washington Attorney General (AG) Bob Ferguson addressed recent developments in the state’s governor’s race Monday morning, days after two people named Robert Ferguson joined the ballot. On Friday, two additional Democratic candidates filed to run for Washington governor under the name Bob Ferguson. Right wing activist Glen Morgan posted on Facebook around 5 p.m. Friday saying …

The Seattle Times reports: Donald Trump will remain on Washington’s presidential primary ballot after a judge ruled Thursday there was no clear error when the secretary of state placed him on the official list of candidates. Thurston County Superior Court Judge Mary Sue Wilson, in rejecting the effort by eight Kitsap County residents to remove Trump’s name, said Washington’s process …

Bloomberg News reports: A senator from the US state of Washington was arrested on Friday night at Hong Kong International Airport over a gun in his carry-on bag, his office said. Jeff Wilson, a Republican from the city of Longview, was charged with possession of an unregistered firearm after he arrived in the Chinese city with an unloaded revolver, his …

The Everett Herald reports: A former youth pastor convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl at his Arlington church was sentenced Tuesday to 14 months in prison. Following a brief bench trial in April, a judge found Kendal Kippen, 27, guilty of third-degree rape of a child Tuesday. In 2017 and 2018, the Stanwood man worked at Jake’s House Church, …

The Bellingham Herald reports: A Blaine mother of six who is a former teacher and currently a candidate for the local School Board was arrested Friday, June 2, and charged with three counts of child rape, four counts of child sexual assault and drug possession. Tana Perkins Reneau, 51, was arrested by Whatcom County sheriff’s deputies after detectives for the …

Seattle’s NBC affiliate reports: A Sammamish planning commissioner who made anti-LGBTQ+ remarks during a meeting last week has resigned. Sammamish Mayor Kali Clark accepted Wassim Fayed’s resignation immediately Monday. The city strongly condemned Fayed’s comments, but activists say there needs to be more accountability. During a June 1 meeting on the first day of Pride Month, Fayed spoke to his …

The Olympian reports: Washington state became the 10th state in the U.S. to ban assault weapons on Tuesday when Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill passed by this year’s legislature as part of a sweeping package of proposals aimed at reducing gun violence. An emergency clause in the assault weapons bill means that the manufacture, importation, distribution, sale, or offer …

The Spokesman Review reports: An anti-abortion group must pay about $960,000 to Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho to cover legal fees and a fine for protests that interfered with patient care. The Church at Planned Parenthood was ordered to pay $110,000 in civil damages to Planned Parenthood last month after a Spokane County judge ruled that the …

The Christian Post reports: Just over a year ago, as he was pictured on Facebook officiating a wedding, Washington pastor and grandfather Steve Parker was praised as an “amazing man of God.” On his Facebook page, Parker, 57, introduces himself as “a new convert, a soul in the midst of spiritual growth, a fish on the line.” He also lists …

Reuters reports: A federal appeals court on Monday refused, over the dissents of a group of Republican-appointed judges, to reconsider an earlier order upholding Washington state’s ban on so-called conversion therapy seeking to change minor patients’ sexual orientation or gender identity. A Christian family therapist had urged the full 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear his challenge to …

Courthouse News reports: Court records unsealed Tuesday revealed federal prosecutors have charged two men for a series of substation attacks in Pierce County, Washington, that left thousands without power on Christmas Day. On New Year’s Eve, the FBI and local law enforcement executed an arrest warrant for Puyallup residents Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, who face federal charges …

The Associated Press reports: Officials confirmed that a fourth electrical substation in Washington state was found vandalized on Christmas Day, this coming after three others were attacked earlier in the day which left thousands without power. According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, the vandals broke into a fenced area and destroyed equipment at the substation which caused a fire. …

ABC News reports: Three power substation facilities were vandalized in Pierce County, Washington, on Christmas morning, knocking out power to more than 14,000 customers, authorities said. Two of the break-ins were at Tacoma Public Utilities substations and the third was at a Puget Sound Energy station, according to the sheriff’s office in Pierce County, which encompasses Tacoma. No suspects are …

The Seattle Times reports: A Puyallup couple have been charged with illegally entering the U.S. Capitol and engaging in disruptive behavior during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in Washington, D.C. Scott Roy Christensen, 49, and his wife, Holly Dionne Christensen, 44, are named in charges unsealed in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia late last month. They have …

The Guardian reports: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, an auto-shop owner who describes herself as an independent-minded Democrat, pulled off a victory against Joe Kent, a far-right “America First” ex-Green Beret who was endorsed by former president Donald Trump, in south-west Washington’s third congressional district on Saturday. Combined with Rep Kim Schrier’s reelection to what Democrats feared was a vulnerable seat, Gluesenkamp …

Seattle’s CBS affiliate reports: A Redmond Sunday school teacher has been charged with three felony counts of possession of child pornography, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Douglas Meerdink, 70, was charged on Wednesday with three counts of possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Detectives later confirmed Meerdink was an active member of a …