EVERETT — Sarah Black is going back to prison for gang violence.
The north Everett woman, 30, has admitted she is a member of MS-13, a violent street gang, and actively recruited new members to join the ranks, court records show. She already spent time behind bars for a 2003 drive-by shooting in Grant County in eastern Washington.
Black admitted Wednesday she was behind the wheel during a June 11 drive-by shooting in south Everett that left a teenager with long-term nerve damage to his arm. She pleaded guilty in Snohomish County Superior Court to one count of drive-by shooting.
Judge Richard Thorpe sentenced her to four years behind bars. The judge wished Black good luck as he left the bench.
She declined to say anything before Thorpe handed down the sentence.
The tattoos on her face were visible as she was led off in shackles. Black has an “M” and an “S” tattooed on the sides of her mouth. A “13” is inked below her lips. Police believe the tattoo is a tribute to MS-13, a notorious international gang known for extreme violence.
“Sarah, I love you,” a woman in the courtroom said. She declined to identify herself.
Prosecutors initially charged Black with first-degree assault. They were forced to reduce the charge in part because of the victim’s lack of cooperation, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Bonnie Tweeten told Thorpe.
Police say it’s common for victims and witnesses of gang crimes to refuse to cooperate with investigators. Some witnesses and victims are afraid of retaliation. Others expect that their own gang will settle the score.
The gunfire in Everett likely was retaliation for a shooting at the Northgate Mall in Seattle in February, according to court documents. An alleged MS-13 member was struck by rival gunfire in the parking lot. An Everett teen is accused of pulling the trigger in that incident.
The victim in the drive-by shooting in south Everett was with the shooter during the Seattle incident, according to court documents.
Black and other gang members gathered at her north Everett house in the hours before the June shooting to talk about problems with other gangs and the Northgate shooting, court documents show.
Black was accused of helping plan the ambush. She allegedly sent the teen a message on his MySpace account, posing under the name “Lady Killer,” to lure him outside, court documents show.
The gunman hasn’t been arrested.
Two Seattle-area teens also were arrested in connection with the shooting. Ronald A. Gomez, 16, and Armando Lopez, 18, both have admitted they were in the backseat of the car.
“There’s not a more cowardly act than a drive-by shooting,” Snohomish County sheriff’s Capt. Herb Oberg said.
The sheriff’s office temporary gang enforcement team disbanded this month, with the start of the school year. School resource officers, along with an officer from Mountlake Terrace, spent the summer cracking down on gang activity around the county. The deputies returned to their regular assignments at schools a couple weeks ago.
The sheriff’s office didn’t receive a grant that would have paid for two full-time gang detectives, Oberg said.
The school resource officers will continue to keep watch for gang activity in the schools, he said. Deputies also are expected to get more training about street gangs to help them tackle the problems they encounter on patrol, he said.
The sheriff’s office is planning to meet with community groups and school officials to pull together a plan for intervention and education.
“We’re not done,” Oberg said. “Gangs aren’t welcome here.”
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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