Highland Park 1067 results

West Seattle businesses: SeaMart closing, building in foreclosure

Thanks to Kirk for the tip on this – which has turned out to be more than a “simple” case of a business closing. SeaMart, the 16th SW/SW Holden (map) mini-market in Highland Park, is closing after Friday. Thanks to extensive research for WSB by contributor Deanie Schwarz, here’s what we’ve found out so far:

The property, which is also home to Zippy’s Giant Burgers and JoJo’s Fine Espresso, is in judicial foreclosure, according to SeaMart’s owner, Ed Choe, the building owner who’s been foreclosed on. Deanie spoke today with him as well as with the owners of Zippy’s and JoJo’s. They have both been trying to find out from the bank that’s taken possession of the building, UniBank*, what the status of their leases is – Zippy’s, for example, has a lease through next April but with a two-year-extension option, and the fate of that extension is now in question (they’re consulting a lawyer). Zippy’s owners Blaine and Rahel Cook say the bank asked them if they had any interest in buying the space and named a price that was too high, based on a valuation from two years ago. The bank reportedly already has bids for a possible “short sale” of the property. Meantime, store owner Choe says he tried to refinance but couldn’t qualify; he and his wife have had a tough year, losing a child a few months ago, and now their business, but he told Deanie, “We still have our health, and we will be OK.” They had been commuting from Edmonds and admit that was rough too. So what’s next? The only thing for sure is that SeaMart is closing after tomorrow and has a closeout sale under way on just about everything except beer and cigarettes. We’ll keep you updated on what happens with the rest.

*DECEMBER 31ST UPDATE: We have corrected the name of the bank in the story – it’s UniBank, not Union.

West Seattle Crime Watch: Burglary-attempt alert

This happened within the past hour in Highland Park, according to BigRed:

I just wanted to put the word out on an attempted break-in on our house around 12pm today; we live on 17th and Trenton [map]. I was home sick and my husband works from home and we have a rather large dog, so I am not quite sure why they picked our house but it worked out well! My husband was working in his office with his curtains closed and heard something on his window. He opened his curtain and found a younger African-American male, age 15-16 trying to pry our window open. This scared the robber off and he escaped down our alley. My husband also saw a younger female with the suspect, he didn’t get a good look at her but she seemed around the same age, possibly Hispanic. A section of our fence along the side was removed so they could get into our yard. Cops responded quickly and are canvassing the neighborhood for suspects. Our 95lb “guard dog” slept peacefully through it all.

Money for Puget Ridge Edible Park, Highland Park Spray Park

Following our earlier report about Walt Hundley Playfield getting Parks and Green Spaces Levy money for new turf, as recommended by the levy’s Oversight Committee last night, here’s more big news from that meeting: Of the two West Seattle projects that were finalists for money from the levy’s Opportunity Fund, both will get money – one from the fund, one from other sources. The committee is recommending $520,000 for Puget Ridge Edible Park, a site for edible gardening, education, and more, proposed for a parcel in the 5200 block of 18th SW. (Added Wednesday – Stu Hennessey tells WSB that work should start next spring.) And it’s recommending that the Highland Park Spray Park – originally scheduled for a very basic installation where the HP wading pool is now – get “inflation funding” so that it’ll get the water- (and fun-) maximizing features that community advocates led by Carolyn Stauffer were asking for. The recommendations need approval from acting Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams, and then the City Council will vote on them next year.

West Seattle holidays: A joyousy ‘bazaar’ day

December 4, 2010 3:34 pm
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 |   Gatewood | Highland Park | Holidays | West Seattle news

Many years, a December Saturday spent sampling holiday bazaars might have meant soggy – or even snowy – walks between your car and the front door of the school or church. Not today. The bright smiles inside reflected the bright sunshine outside as we stopped at two of the many West Seattle venues with holiday bazaars/sales today. Above, the Highland Park Elementary PTA presented a bake sale and bazaar to raise money for all the things PTA fundraising covers these days – right now, a big concern at HPE is the playground. Among the participants, a Girl Scout troop that came from outside West Seattle:

They’re raising money for a trip to Japan – in 2013. Their leader says she found an online listing for the bazaar, seeking vendors, so they decided it was the place to be. And in the hallway, a rummage sale to raise money for Highland Park students to go to camp:

HP dad Ryan said they’d already sold an entire table of merchandise earlier in the day and they’ve raised enough for three kids to go to camp – though they have more in need (here’s how to help). Also selling their wares today, artists and craftspeople we found in the social hall at the newly dedicated Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation church in Gatewood:

That’s Rose Sheppard, selling some of the pottery she’s made. And Laura Matson told us sales were going great for her handmade shibori cloth works:

Since WSUU just moved into the onetime Gatewood Baptist Church this fall, this is their first holiday bazaar (if you see this shortly after we publish it, they’re there till 4; enter from the church’s north parking lot along California north of Othello). As listed in the morning preview, today had many events like these – but there are still more to come, so keep your eyes on the bazaars/sales/tastings list toward the top of the WSB West Seattle Holidays page.

West Seattle Crime Watch: Highland Park car break-ins

A second West Seattle Crime Watch report tonight – this one from John and Lisa, asking that it be shared “for neighborhood awareness”:

When: Wee hours after Black Friday

Where: 7000 block of 13th SW, near Riverview Park [map]

Multi-vehicle, VERY aggressive break-ins of cars and house porches, driveways. They stole lots and didn’t restrict their choices and if they saw items on your porch, those were taken too.

Items ranges from work truck oxygen tanks, scooter, backpacks from vehicles, and more. Lots of time spent searching thru cars. Police report made and multiple case numbers issued.

Happening now: Holiday bazaar at Highland Park Improvement Club

November 27, 2010 1:04 pm
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 |   Highland Park | Holidays | West Seattle news

Inside the Highland Park Improvement Club – just look for that building, and the signs, at 12th/Holden (map) – today’s Holiday Bazaar is so vendor-packed, organizer Tiffany Silver-Brace says she even had to turn down some would-be sellers. The 20-plus that you will find inside the historic HPIC building include Amy Bradley of DragonTamer Design, who is a beading artist (and offers classes, too):

Amaranta is there too, with Dia de Los Muertos-inspired creations:

(If you miss today’s event, she’ll be at the upcoming South Park Art Under $100, which she’s promoting with mini-flyers at her HPIC table.) We also found treats, dolls, gift baskets, scented waxes, hats, much more, and of course – your chance to show off Highland Park pride:

The bazaar continues till 4 today. There’s street parking alongside 12th stretching north of HPIC if its lot looks full.

West Seattle Crime Watch: Armed robbery in Highland Park

We’re on the way to check out a reported armed store robbery in Highland Park, in the 7700 block of Highland Park Way SW (map). Scanner ace Katie says the robber is described as a dark-skinned man about 25 years old wearing a black parka, hood up, gun was shown, last seen headed westbound on SW Kenyon. 7 PM: We’re in the vicinity; police are combing the area and, according to the scanner, bringing in a K-9. The store is still open. No other details so far. TUESDAY NOTE: This was written up for SPD Blotter, but the short item isn’t much more than we reported here.

Worried about aircraft flying low over West Seattle? New petition

We’ve covered discussion of this concern at recent Highland Park Action Committee meetings – and now HPAC is circulating an online petition. Received from HPAC chair Dan Mullins, with this explanatory text:

Please help keep our West Seattle neighborhoods safe
Stop dangerously low-flying aircraft.

The residents of south West Seattle are very concerned about neighborhood safety and insist that the FAA require pilots using King County Airport (Boeing Field) to follow the federal regulations with regard to required minimum altitude.

Please join us in demanding that King County Airport work with the pilots and the FAA to ensure that planes are operated in accordance with all current federal safety regulations.

Please click on the link below and sign our on-line petition and then forward this letter to your members and neighbors.

Here’s the petition link; if you click through to the site, you’ll also see more details of what the neighborhood is saying about low-flying aircraft. (We’re also checking with HPAC regarding what’s the next step – after this petition, what they hope to do next.)

Highland Park Action Committee delves into the Duwamish

October 28, 2010 7:02 am
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 |   Environment | Highland Park | How to help | West Seattle news

Story and photos by Karen Berge
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

More than 25 residents, plus a handful of presenters, attended last night’s information-packed meeting of the Highland Park Action Committee (HPAC).

The meeting at Highland Park Improvement Club (HPIC)’s historic headquarters began with an informative, but brief, presentation by Cari Simson from Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition (DRCC). She provided an historic overview of the Duwamish, including photos; then in contrast, she described its extremely polluted current condition, “basically, it’s a 5 ½-mile-long Superfund site,” a reference to the Duwamish being added in 2001 to the list of the most hazardous and toxic sites in the country.

Simson’s presentation included two especially memorable slides: One lists more than 40 pollutants that have been found in the river that exceed healthy levels, the second shows warning signs that are posted along the river that urge people not to eat any of the bottom-feeding fish from the river.

More about her presentation and other agenda items, ahead:Read More

2 bazaars calling for vendors: Southwest CC and Highland Park IC

October 26, 2010 12:33 pm
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 |   Highland Park | Holidays | West Seattle news | Westwood

(Knit cactus sold by BriAnna at last year’s Southwest CC holiday bazaar)
Two more holiday bazaars are now putting out the call for vendors: First, Southwest Community Center‘s bazaar is set for 10 am-4 pm on Saturday, November 13th. Table space is $15 if you sign up in advance; call 206-684-7438. Second, a holiday bazaar is planned for November 27th at the Highland Park Improvement Club. The table/booth fee for this one is $20; save a spot by e-mailing Tiffany at highlandparksundaymarket@gmail.com. (As for planning your shopping – we’re adding the bazaar dates to the WSB West Seattle Events calendar page as we get them.)

Parks Levy Opportunity Fund committee hears project pitches

The night started with a full house, and then some, at Miller Community Center on Capitol Hill, full of people supporting one (or more) of the 15 projects that made the list of finalists for Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund money – and a few that didn’t (the committee is free to change the list before making its final recommendations). Listening to the pitches: The levy’s Oversight Committee, citizen volunteers including three West Seattleites: Bruce Bentley, Pete Spalding of Pigeon Point, who as vice chairman is running the hearing (he’s in the white hat), and Cindi Barker of Morgan Junction:

The first West Seattle representatives to speak as part of the hearing included five speakers supporting Puget Ridge Edible Park – part of a delegation that appeared to number about a dozen – seeking a little over half a million dollars to acquire a “homestead” property in northeastern West Seattle, telling the committee about the neighborhood’s involvement and determination. One of the strong community voices for PREP, Stu Hennessey, talked about its ties to the watershed for Puget Creek and the Duwamish River, and how it would cleanse water bound for those waterways, also promising, “We will be producing a lot of food on this land.” Also noted: The project’s proximity to South Seattle Community College, which is starting a permaculture program, and would use PREP as a “demonstration park” for students and other community members. (video added later) Steve Richmond also talked about an envisioned partnership for PREP:

Later in the hearing, the committee heard from Carolyn Stauffer of Highland Park, on behalf of the HP Spray Park proposal that she spearheaded: (video added later)

As she told the committee – with an entourage of supporters surrounding her – this is already a “named project” for Parks and Green Spaces Levy money, but as a bare-bones spray feature (replacing the existing HP wading pool) – if the half-million-dollar request is granted, not only will the park be more fun, but it will save more than 2 million gallons of water per year. (She is one of two people who have spoken about it so far.)

The committee also has heard from passionate supporters of projects around the city – perhaps the biggest contingent represented Friends of Lewis Park on Beacon Hill, all armed with little yellow signs; one group advocated for Jimi Hendrix Park, while others talked about a project proposed for the neighborhood of the iconic Fremont Troll.

If you weren’t able to make it to this hearing (which looks to have at least another half-hour to go – we have some video to add when we get back to HQ), you can still comment on the projects until November 17th; the committee is scheduled to make its final recommendations to Parks leadership on December 6.

Monday’s your chance to make two local park dreams come true

If you can spare time Monday night to be at Miller Community Center on Capitol Hill, you can help two community-envisioned park dreams in West Seattle come true. As first reported here last month, two local projects are among the finalists for the first round of Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund money, the upgraded Highland Park Spray Park plan, and Puget Ridge Edible Park, each seeking about half a million dollars from the voter-created levy fund. Supporters of both are asking for support at Monday’s citywide public hearing on the 15 finalists – first, here’s the pitch from Carolyn Stauffer, a Highland Park resident hoping the currently planned bare-bones conversion at the closed HP wading pool can be a real spray park:

Don’t Forget!! The Highland Park Spraypark was one of 15 projects citywide that made it to the “Draft” Final List for funding from the Opportunity Fund! We need your continued support to make sure we stay on the list! Here are two ways that you can help:

1. Come to the Public Hearing this MONDAY NIGHT to tell the Oversight Committee how awesome this project is and how much you support it. You get three minutes to speak, the signup sheet for speaking goes up at 6 pm, and the meeting starts at 7 pm. Details: October 25, at Miller Community Center: 330 19th Ave E, Seattle. We need people… the more physical presence we can have at this hearing the better, you don’t have to speak – someone can speak on behalf of a group of people too…
2. and/or you can e-mail Susanne Rockwell your voice of support at susanne.rockwell@seattle.gov, or call her at 206-684-0902.

Please forward this to any other neighbors that might be interested in helping out by demonstrating to Parks one last time that the Highland Park Spraypark has the support of its community. Here is an excerpt from the final application that summarizes what we would like the priorities for the project to be:

* Water Conservation: Sprayparks are already using a precious natural resource; we would like to ensure that our park demonstrates a water-wise approach and uses our region’s resources responsibly. With this as a goal, we would prefer the use of a recirculating pump for the Highland Park Spraypark.
* Exceptional Water Play: We would like to see the design incorporate a combination of high and low-flow spray nozzles and present outstanding, inspiring, and diverse play opportunities for our neighborhood’s children and youth of all ages.
* Integrated Sustainable Design unique to Highland Park: We don’t want an “amusement park” type of spraypark that could be plopped down anywhere. We would like to see a design that is distinctive to Highland Park, one that demonstrates state-of-the-art technology for water use and re-use, and is a model of sustainable practices.

And here are some current numbers – this additional funding for the spraypark would help us:

* save 19,400 gallons of water a day, or 2.2 million gallons a year – that’s 98% less water than the proposed system would dump down the drain
* save over half the annual cost of running the spraypark
* reduce the 20-year life-cycle cost by 63%
* manage wastewater from the spraypark on-site, reducing sewer fees substantially and allowing for groundwater recharge

On behalf of the Puget Ridge Edible Park proposal, also one of the 15 finalists citywide, Stu Hennessey‘s urging support at Monday night’s meeting too:

The acquisition grant that the Puget Ridge community is looking to obtain would be used to purchase an exsiting original homestead in West Seattle along the Puget Creek Watershed and create an urban working farm. This farm will be dedicated to permaculture design and will provide an excellent learning center for the public and our community. We also look forward to a future with brighter local food security. We need your support at (Monday’s public hearing) … Speakers are encouraged… This is the final hurdle…. We can do it….. We need to show the same kind of community support that we had at last summer’s presentations. Please contact me for carpooling.

Stu’s e-mail address: alkistu@hotmail.com. Miller Community Center is at 330 19th East; here’s a map – again, the public hearing is at 7 pm Monday, signups at 6.

West Seattle Crime Watch: 2nd Highland Park attack suspect jailed

Our partners at the Seattle Times just broke the news: The second suspect in last May’s Highland Park attack is now in jail. According to the King County Jail Register, 22-year-old Ahmed Mohamed was booked just after 4:30 yesterday afternoon. As first reported here, the other suspect, 21-year-old Jonathan Baquiring, was jailed shortly after the charges were made public on September 21st. As detailed in the police-report narrative, the teen victim reported being assaulted for hours by two men who made racist remarks during the attack. Mohamed and Baquiring are both charged with robbery and malicious harassment; Baquiring has pleaded not guilty.

Seattle city budget: Citizen push to save SPD Mounted Unit?

(Justice the police horse at Westwood Village in 2/2010, photographed by Becky; other photos in this story by Deanie Schwarz unless otherwise credited)

By Deanie Schwarz
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Anyone who’s lived in West Seattle within the last nine years might have bumped into Seattle Police Department officers on horseback on training rides at Westcrest Park or Westwood Village. For some, that’s the only visible sign of what’s otherwise a semi-secret: The SPD Mounted Patrol Unit is headquartered here, in a barn in Highland Park. But maybe not for much longer.

The unit has about 2,000 square feet of office space attached to a 16,000-square-foot barn and arena, tucked away on three acres at the southern end of Westcrest, surrounded by an old stand of madrona and maple trees. Behind the park driveway and a couple of looming radio towers, the arena and attached paddocks seem far removed from the rush of traffic at 8th and Roxbury (map), the city-county boundary one block to the south.

Now the unit’s future is in question. When Mayor McGinn submitted his proposed budget last week – now in hearings before the City Council Budget Committee – it called for eliminating the Mounted Patrol Unit and transferring its officers to other parts of the department. But in the 100-year history of the SPD Mounted Unit, this is not the first time the patrol officers and horses have been put on the budget chopping block. .

On a recent late summer morning, long before the Mayor’s budget items were announced, the daily mucking-out of the stalls began as usual at 7:00 am, when Glen McMahon, the civilian stable manager arrived.

(Ahead – a look inside the Mounted Unit, as well as a look at how Portland saved theirs in the face of budget cuts.)Read More

‘That wasn’t her at all’: West Seattle shooting survivor’s story

September 30, 2010 12:21 am
|    Comments Off on ‘That wasn’t her at all’: West Seattle shooting survivor’s story
 |   Crime | Highland Park | West Seattle news

The video clip is from a Seattle Times (WSB partner) interview with 42-year-old Thyda Luellen Phan, the only person who survived being shot at a Highland Park home one week ago today. She is the daughter of the woman police say killed three before killing herself, 60-year-old Saroueun Sok; the three who died were Phan’s husband, 43-year-old Choeun Harm, and daughters, 14-year-old Molina Phan and 17-year-old Jennifer Harm. The Times reports that the funerals will be held this Saturday; you can read their full story, which is accompanied by the video clip, by going here. Meantime, as announced by the family last Friday, there is a fund to which you can contribute, through BECU:

‘Phan/Harm Memorial Fund’ – Acct # 3586082948

BECU
PO BOX 34044
SEATTLE, WA 98124-1044

BECU members can call: (800) 233-2328

2 West Seattle projects advance in Parks Levy Opportunity Fund

Two West Seattle projects are moving ahead in the quest for the first round of money in the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund – created in the voter-approved 2008 levy so that community groups/members could propose projects, separate from city-initiated projects funded by the levy. Pigeon Point’s Pete Spalding, who is on the Levy Oversight Committee, tells WSB, “We met until about 10:30 pm (last night) putting together the draft list of projects that will move forward in the first round of the Opportunity Fund. Two projects from the SW sector made the list. The two projects from the SW are (1) Puget Ridge Edible Park and (2) Highland Park Spray Park.” Here’s a little more info about the Edible Park; the spray park (converting the wading pool at right) already is set for bare-bones city funding, but the Opportunity Fund proposal (as explained here) seeks money to upgrade the plan. Citywide, 95 Opportunity Fund applications were received; they are listed here. We are checking with Parks staff today to see if last night’s full citywide draft list is available for publication yet. This Parks webpage lists the next steps to determine which projects get funded (including a public hearing in about a month).

Highland Park Action Committee: Politics, planes, plates

September 23, 2010 8:10 am
|    Comments Off on Highland Park Action Committee: Politics, planes, plates
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle news

From last night’s Highland Park Action Committee meeting – news of a candidates’ forum in a nearby neighborhood, air-traffic-research updates, and the latest business spotlight – read on for the toplines:Read More

Update: Charges filed in Highland Park attack, 1 suspect jailed

ORIGINAL 5:18 PM UPDATE: Our partners at the Seattle Times are reporting that charges have been filed against two men in connection with the May 25th beating of a teenager in Highland Park. According to the Times report, they are the same two men questioned by police the morning the teenager was found beaten and bloodied, saying his attackers had made racist remarks (here’s our June report with the narrative from the police report); the report also says they are charged with robbery and malicious harassment, and that they are not in custody (which our check of the jail register confirms). We are looking up the court documents and will add more to the story when we get them.

7:05 PM UPDATE: One of the suspects is now booked into jail – 21-year-old Jonathan Baquiring was jailed less than an hour ago, according to the King County Jail Register.

7:27 PM UPDATE: Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James is talking more about the case at the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, which we’re covering right now at the precinct. He says the Anti-Crime Team picked up Baquiring within an hour of getting word of the warrant, which seeks to have both (the other is 22-year-old Ahmed Y. Mohamed) held in lieu of half a million dollars bail each.

10:35 PM UPDATE: We now have downloaded the court documents. While most of the narrative is exactly the same as the original police report transcribed in our June report and linked above, this one contains, in the charging paperwork, the statement: “The only motivation for the defendants appears to have been money and the race of the victim” (the “malicious harassment” charge acknowledges the fact it’s an alleged hate crime). And there is information about the DNA evidence – read on:Read More

West Seattle Crime Watch: Car crimes; robbery victim’s interview

Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes this morning. First, Howard in North Admiral is asking that you be on the lookout for his stolen car, a graphite-gray 2010 Subaru Outback 3.6R (which would look like this), license plate starting with AAV, taken from outside his home in the 3700 block of SW Grayson (map) late last night or early today. He believes another car nearby was prowled at the same time; call police (206-625-5011) if you have any information. Also, via Facebook, Regan reports a car prowl at 112th & Marine View Drive (map), with some items from the car “found down the street.”

(added 11:52 am) Shortly after we published this, we received another note about car prowls, and it makes more sense to add it here than to publish a separate item: Someone smashed the window of Brian’s 2008 Chevy Avalanche overnight, in the 7100 block of Wright (map), north of Lincoln Park. He shared the photo shown at right. The truck was ransacked, with a Bluetooth headset the only item missing. Brian says the same thing happened overnight to a neighbor’s vehicle, and that there have been several other car break-ins in their neighborhood recently.

(back to original 11:10 am report) Also: A West Seattle crime survivor is telling her story: The 68-year-old woman targeted in a “home invasion” robbery in Highland Park on August 26th talked with KING 5, which aired her story last night, after the two suspects’ arraignment:

As the KING report notes, the two suspects, 37-year-old George Augustine, Jr., and 45-year-old Sean Oie, pleaded not guilty. We reported the filing of charges on September 7th, following our story a few days earlier with the lengthy narrative of how police say it happened.

Reminder: West Seattle Crime Prevention Council tonight, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct (map).

Parks Board tonight: Reservoir park design; tennis-court changes

Two items of note on the agenda for the Seattle Parks Board, meeting at Parks HQ downtown tonight at 7 (agenda here): Board members will review the latest “schematic design” for the new levy-funded park atop the newly covered West Seattle Reservoir in Highland Park, next to Westcrest Park. We just checked with project manager Susanne Rockwell, who says everything’s on schedule for the project to go out to bid in the first quarter of next year, and for construction to be complete by spring 2012. No date yet for a promised open house; the last public design meeting was in June (WSB coverage here). Also, there could be West Seattle effects for a policy change the board will start reviewing tonight – possibly allowing non-tennis uses on “low-use” tennis courts. Here’s the briefing paper; it specifies criteria for determining what’s a “low-use” tennis court, but doesn’t specify which might meet those criteria. (West Seattle’s outdoor tennis courts include Alki, Hiawatha, Solstice/Lincoln Park, and Lowman Beach.) After the board discusses the concept tonight, a public hearing is planned for September 23rd; this link explains how to comment on the idea, any time between now and a scheduled vote in late October.

West Seattle Crime Watch: Highland Park ‘home invasion’ charges

Charges are now filed against the two men who’ve been jailed in lieu of $1 million bail in connection with the Aug. 26th “home invasion” robbery in Highland Park. 45-year-old Sean Oie and 37-year-old George Augustine, Jr., are each charged with one count of 1st-degree burglary and one count of 1st-degree robbery. On first quick read, the story told in the court documents, regarding what happened and who did what, is the same one we published when Augustine appeared in court; the only additional detail is regarding additional possible suspects – as noted in the previous documents, Augustine claimed that the younger woman who was in the house at the time of the robbery helped set it up, and this set of documents explains that she is Oie’s ex-girlfriend. Still no indication of whether she’ll face charges, though, and the documents mention another potential suspect – besides Oie and his ex-girlfriend, Augustine claimed there was one other person involved, described only as a man “nicknamed Wiz.” Augustine also is the man shown in the bank surveillance photos that helped crack the case (at left; we don’t have a photo of Oie but will be seeking one) and as per another claim in the previous documents, prosecutors say this indeed, if resulting in a conviction, would be his “third strike.” Both suspects are due in court on September 20th to answer the charges. ADDED: State prison system’s photo of Augustine, for the record:

Update: Highland Park ‘home-invasion robbery’ suspect in court

Followup to our earlier report of arrests in connection with last week’s “home invasion” robbery on 4th SW in Highland Park: King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe says the 37-year-old Federal Way man who was arrested appeared in court today for a bail hearing — resulting in his bail being set at $1 million — while the 45-year-old Burien man who also was arrested in the case will be in court tomorrow. His record includes convictions for drugs, theft, and possession of stolen property, according to court documents; the younger man’s record includes those same types of convictions as well as robbery cases – and he’s described as a “potential third-strike candidate.” The court documents also include the “probable cause” information detailing what is alleged to have happened in the robbery, and what led police to the suspects – read on for those details:Read More

West Seattle Crime Watch: Highland Park ‘home invasion’ arrests

We reported last week that week that police had released photos (taken at a “nearby” ATM) of a suspect believed to be involved with a “home-invasion” robbery in Highland Park.

Today, Seattle Police report that two suspects were arrested and booked last night, as part of the ongoing investigation:

Arrests made in Highland Park robbery investigation
Robbery Detectives developed information during the course of the investigation that led them to the identity of one of the suspects involved in last week’s home invasion robbery in Highland Park. On September 1, detectives with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force located and arrested a 37 year old suspect at 260th and Pacific Highway South in Des Moines. Robbery Detectives were following up on additional leads at a motel in Federal Way when another suspect wanted in this crime was spotted. He fled when he saw detectives and multiple units responded to the area in an attempt to locate him. The suspect was able to elude capture. At approximately 6:20 PM that 45 year old suspect was located and arrested by Federal Way Police and turned over to the Robbery Detectives. Both suspects were interviewed by detectives and later booked into the King County Jail on Investigation of Robbery. This remains an on going investigation as there may be additional suspects involved.