Some of our Code 911 stories have received national — even international — exposure recently, as many of you know.
Here’s a question I have been thinking about a lot: for people who’ve never heard of Kitsap County, is this kind of publicity a good thing?
According to bloggers at “Inside Europe: Iberian Notes,” I’d say that answer is a no.
“Kitsap County, Washington, is apparently the redneckiest place in God’s whole U. S. of A.,” they declared recently.
It’s a scene that’s played out Christmas morning countless times: a husband happily tears through wrapping paper to discover a Craftsman toolbox from his wife.
Such was the case for a Kitsap County couple on Dec. 25, 2004 — but this time, the husband was the apparent victim of a “razor sharp edge” of the toolbox that cut his thumb.
And that two centimeter Christmas cut has led to a lawsuit filed by a Port Orchard lawyer.
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The Mason County Sheriff’s Office announced last week that it has brought aboard its first K-9 partner since 1999.
“Kona,” whose specialty is sniffing out narcotics, is already working the streets with Deputy Sean Dodge. And deputies already have a story of success to tell on her behalf.
From a recent Mason County Sheriff’s Office press release:
In a recent contact of several people, one of the individuals dropped some illicit narcotics on the ground in an attempt conceal them from officers. “Kona” alerted Deputy Dodge immediately causing Deputy Dodge to seize them as evidence.
Josh Farley writes:
Ever contemplated hiring a private investigator?
Surprisingly, there are a lot of rules and regulations involved — and if you pick the wrong one, you could be in a lot of trouble, according to some of the state’s most experienced investigators.
I’m sure most of you have an image in your head of a private eye — a smoky office, trench coats, dark sunglasses, and long photo lenses — but in reality, PIs operate like most businesses.
And that includes becoming licensed.
PIs specialize in all kinds of investigations, according to Mike Hawkins, president of WALI (Washington Association of Legal Investigators). They serve lawsuit papers on behalf of law firms. They investigate insurance fraud. They work for defense attorneys in criminal cases. And much more, Hawkins says.
But there’s one big step Hawkins said a customer must make when ensuring they hire a sound investigator.
Somewhere in the neighborhood of two million cigarette butts are discarded by smokers each day. It just so happens that a Bremerton Police officer Thursday witnessed one of those butts go flying out of a car on the Warren Avenue Bridge, watching as “ashes exploded across the roadway.”
The officer, driving on Warren Avenue at 17th Street at about 11:30 p.m., watched the car go by his cruiser doing 45+ in the 35 mph zone, as well as the aforementioned cigarette take flight from one of the car’s windows.
The driver of the car, a 22-year-old, had a suspended license, the officer said. But the discarded cigarette would cost him too – the officer wrote a $1,025 ticket for the offense (For those interested in the Bremerton Municipal Code, click here, and view BMC 6.280.50B).
The 22-year-old wasn’t the only one, however, who’s been written up for littering recently.
Andrew Binion writes:
Those who tuned into BKAT at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to watch a short, government-produced documentary about the jail system featuring Kitsap County Sheriff Steve Boyer were disappointed.
But the four-and-a-half-hour long county commissioner’s meeting from Monday night, where commissioners unanimously approved a $330 million budget, had pushed back the documentary.
Much to the chagrin of some dedicated viewers. Part of Bremerton Kitsap Access Television‘s job is to provide coverage of the county’s ruling body. The station tries to show entire meetings.
“As much as we can,” said Jon Rauch, production coordinator. “Usually it’s gavel to gavel.”
The documentary aired at about 3:30 p.m., he said.
But not before the station received calls complaining.
“We got quite a few, I was surprised,” he said.
Andrew Binion writes:
Vandalism at a Bremerton Kentucky Fried Chicken last week may have indeed been the work of a network of direct-action animal-rights activists.
An e-mail received Monday from a representative from the Animal Liberation Front Press Office, which is a sort of an independent PR operation, said that the vandalism at the Naval Avenue KFC was likely the work of the group.
It’s getting to be that time again where the reporters around here compile the stories of 2007 that impacted our lives most.
Some of those stories are obvious (can anyone say flood?). Some are less so.
I’d like to give you a chance to name what you believe are the top stories this year. In the meantime, here are five below that I’ve brainstormed.
Blogger’s Note: Rebecca wrote a comment on this entry posing an interesting question (see below). I have updated the entry to include an answer.
As many of you that have served on juries know, prosecutors have to prove a set number of elements for the jury to deliver a guilty verdict in a criminal case.
Some of the elements are obvious. Here’s an example. In a bank robbery, prosecutors must prove (according to the Revised Code of Washington), among other things, that the person was armed with a deadly weapon.
From what I’ve seen, our legal system spares no wiggle room when it comes to proving a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. And, in the arena of most sex cases, here’s an obvious one: that the defendant isn’t married to the victim.
Bremerton Detective Sgt. Kevin Crane was subpoenaed to North Carolina this past week, on a rather unique assignment that saw him testify in a pre-trial hearing of a high-profile murder case.
Crane, who some of you will recognize from his duties as frequent public information officer for the department, was flown by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to testify at a pre-trial hearing for Tyrone Delgado.
Delgado will stand trial in March for the murder of Melissa Mooney, an FBI secretary, at Mooney’s North Carolina home in 1999.
Just what does Crane have to do with the case? It just so happens that Delgado lived in Bremerton.
