Guilty plea in running over animal rescuer

Published 8:04 am Thursday, June 28, 2007

A Seattle man accused of running over a woman who was saving a pet duck likely is headed to prison for nearly four years.

Kenneth Blaine Quinlan, 35, pleaded guilty Wednesday to three felonies and a misdemeanor associated with the March 23 incident.

The most serious charge was vehicular assault for running over and seriously injuring a Lynnwood pet store employee.

Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Paul Stern said he’ll seek the maximum punishment under state sentencing guidelines: five months shy of four years in prison.

The incident unfolded after Quinlan’s then-girlfriend went into the pet store with her pet duck, Mr. Peepers.

While she was inside, Quinlan went into another store where he attempted to shoplift a $250 iPod speaker system, according to court papers.

The security guard followed Quinlan to the Petco store, where the defendant got the car keys from his girlfriend and tried to escape. During the getaway, he backed up and struck his girlfriend, causing her to drop her duck.

A Petco employee saw what was happening and ran to save Mr. Peepers.

She was run over by the car, causing serious injuries that left her with broken bones in her foot and ankle.

Quinlan continued driving and didn’t stop until his vehicle collided with another car on 196th Street SW.

Quinlan is a convicted felon.

A former heroin addict, he told officers that he’d just received a dose of methadone at a Lynnwood clinic and had used cocaine a few days earlier, according to court papers.

He has been free on $25,000 bail. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 16.

Reporter Scott North: 425-339-3431 or north@heraldnet.com.