Local Briefly
Published 10:37 pm Friday, April 25, 2008
Early morning explosions came from van fire
MONROE — Neighbors woke to small explosions after a work van caught fire Friday morning.
No one was hurt but it took fire crews a long time to douse the van’s engine, Sultan Fire Chief Merlin Halverson said.
The fire was reported about 12:40 a.m. at a house in the 28200 block of 106th Place SE. A work van had caught fire and its magnesium engine block exploded like fireworks, shooting hot debris into the air, Halverson said.
Crews protected the house and extinguished the blaze.
The van was gutted. Damage was estimated at $5,000.
Investigators believe the fire may have been caused by electrical problem in the vehicle.
Stanwood: Three injured in accident
Two women and a young girl were injured Friday afternoon when their sport utility vehicle veered off the road near Stanwood and struck a telephone pole.
The front-seat passenger, a 50-year-old Camano Island woman, was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after the accident occurred about 3 p.m. in the 30500 block of Old Pacific Highway, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.
The driver, a 57-year-old woman, was taken to Skagit Valley Hospital. Information on her injuries was unavailable, Hover said.
A girl believed to be younger than 5 years old was taken to Skagit Valley Hospital with a possible head injury. Emergency officials were considering taking her to Harborview Medical Center, Hover said.
A 5-year-old boy in the backseat was not injured.
The Sheriff’s Office Collision Investigation Unit is investigating the crash. Speed and alcohol do not appear to be factors in the crash, Hover said.
Cathcart: Police seek espresso stand robbers
Detectives are looking for two men suspected of robbing an espresso stand in Cathcart on Friday afternoon.
The men reportedly flashed a gun and demanded money from a barista about 2:30 p.m. at the Cathcart espresso stand in the 16400 block of Broadway Avenue, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.
The men drove off in a maroon car, Hover said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 425-388-3845.
Everett: Fund to aid injured skateboarder
A fund has been set up to help defray medical costs for the 15-year-old Everett boy hurt in a skateboarding accident Tuesday.
A.C. Thomson remained in critical condition Friday in intensive care at a Seattle hospital, officials said.
On Tuesday afternoon, he was being towed by a pickup when he apparently hit a manhole cover and fell. He was run over by the truck.
The boy was unconscious when he was taken by helicopter to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he has been treated for several days. Police continue to investigate.
Donations can be made to the A.C. Thomson Hurt Fund at any Frontier Bank.
Seattle: Judge tells man to stay out of U.S.
A federal judge Friday warned a Mexican national who had been living in Everett not to return to the United States when he’s deported at the end of a seven-year prison sentence.
Johnson Gonzalez-Martinez, 32, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Prosecutors said he supplied large amounts of meth to an undercover officer between September 2006 and July 2007.
In court on Friday, U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman told him he was not going to be welcomed back into the U.S.
“The temptation to return to friends and family is great. But the penalties for returning for drug defendants are severe,” Pechman said. “I encourage you to make your home in Mexico.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Vogel asked for a significant sentence, describing Gonzalez-Martinez as being a “central hub” of a large meth distributing ring. She said he caused others to become involved in drug dealing, including his young wife.
From Herald staff reports
