Local Briefly

Published 10:56 pm Tuesday, July 10, 2007

MARYSVILLE – Washington State Patrol troopers arrested 15 people on suspicion of drunken driving in Snohomish County on the Fourth of July holiday, almost twice the number arrested last year, officials said.

Independence Day is notorious for fatal traffic accidents nationwide, said trooper Kirk Rudeen, a patrol spokesman.

There were no deadly collisions in Snohomish County this year, he said.

Beginning July 29, troopers arrested 70 people on suspicion of drunken driving. Additional troopers worked overtime through a program paid for by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, Rudeen said.

The effort paid off, he said.

“Nobody was killed, that’s the bottom line.”

Marysville: SUV was fraud center, police say

Police have uncovered what they believe is an identity theft and fraud operation inside a Chevy Tahoe.

A photocopier, a fax machine and a printer were set up in the back of the SUV, Marysville police Cmdr. Ralph Krusey said.

The setup was discovered after police responded to a complaint about drugs at a house in the 1200 block of Third Street. Officers found two men working on a Chevy Tahoe and spotted drug paraphernalia in the vehicle. Police confiscated a small amount of what appeared to be methamphetamine, Krusey said.

The two men were both arrested for outstanding warrants and investigation of drug possession with intent to deliver.

Officers searched the vehicle for additional drugs and turned up the suspected mobile identity theft operation, Krusey said.

From Herald staff reports