Local Briefly

Published 11:05 pm Monday, September 17, 2007

Two girls injured on bicycles still in hospital

LAKE STEVENS — Two girls who were struck by a vehicle while riding their bicycles remained hospitalized Monday.

Andrea Thody, 13, was in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg-Hanson said. Her friend, Cheyenne Bishop, 13, has been upgraded to satisfactory condition, Gregg-Hanson said.

The girls were hit Friday while they rode bikes on Machias Cutoff.

Investigators believe the car that struck the two girls veered off the road because the driver was distracted. Neighbors who were at the accident scene on Friday said the driver, a woman, told them she was distracted by a dog that was in her car.

The crash remains under investigation, Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said on Monday.

Everett: Man’s body found in Lowell Park

A man was found dead in Lowell Park on Monday.

The man was discovered about 12:30 p.m. near the railroad tracks on the south end of the park.

There weren’t any obvious signs of a crime, Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz said.

“It doesn’t appear to be anything suspicious, he said.

Police believe the man, 53, was homeless. He appeared to have been sleeping in the park. He was on some blankets and was found with an energy drink in his hand, Goetz said.

The county medical examiner is expected to determine how the man died.

Police looking for shooting suspect

Everett police are searching for a man whom they believe is responsible for the Aug. 21 south Everett shooting death of Forrest Starrett.

Investigators have probable cause to arrest Tsegazeab Amine Zerahaimanot, 23, for investigation of first-degree murder, Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz said.

Starrett, 48, was found before dawn in a parking lot in the 8700 block of Holly Drive, police said.

He was lying next to a Ford Ranger pickup that detectives later seized as evidence. The truck was littered with blood, spent shell casings and suspected methamphetamine, court papers said.

Zerahaimanot, a convicted felon, is described as black, 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. He is originally from Ethiopia.

Police consider Zerahaimanot armed and dangerous, Goetz said. If anyone sees the suspect, they are asked to call 911. People with information about his whereabouts are asked to call the Everett police tip line at 425-257-8450.

Snohomish: Family escapes serous injury

A woman and her four children, including an infant, were not injured when the vehicle they were in rolled over after colliding with a car on Monday.

Two girls, 17, suffered minor injuries and were taken Valley General Hospital in Monroe.

The girls were in a Ford Thunderbird headed south on 163rd Avenue SE. It appears that the Thunderbird pulled out in front of a Ford Expedition on Westwick Road, Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said. The Expedition rolled over.

The woman, 36, and her children, ages 3 months to 17, crawled or were pulled out of the vehicle, said Ron Simmons, deputy fire chief for District 4 in Snohomish. The woman declined treatment for herself and her children, he said. They went home, Hover said.

Investigators don’t believe speed or alcohol are factors in the collision. No citations have been issued. The crash remains under investigation.

Arlington: Rescuers pull up injured boy

Firefighters used a pulley system to rescue an injured 12-year-old boy from a wooded area near Crown Ridge Boulevard.

The boy was found down a 300-foot embankment and across a creek on Sunday. It was believed that he had been playing in the woods when he injured his leg, Marysville Fire District spokeswoman Stephanie Price said. Neighbors called police after hearing the boy call for help.

An Arlington police officer heard muffled cries for help. The North Snohomish County Technical Rescue crew located the boy after using a system of ropes to navigate down an embankment. They hauled the boy up to a waiting ambulance. He was taken to Cascade Valley Hospital.

The Arlington police officer suffered a knee injury during his search for the boy, Price said. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

From Herald staff reports