Cigarette blamed in apartment fire

MARYSVILLE An improperly discarded cigarette is blamed for an apartment deck fire Sunday that caused $20,000 damage and displaced two families, fire officials said.

Fire crews were called to an apartment complex in the 6500 block of 64th Street NE about 1:20 p.m., Marysville Fire District spokeswoman Stephanie Price said.

Two decks were smouldering, she said. Crews quickly extinguished the blaze.

The fire likely would have been worse had a sprinkler system in the building not been activated, Snohomish County deputy fire marshal Tom Foster said.

No one was injured.

Brier: Seattle man charged with murder

A Seattle man now faces additional charges in connection with fatal gunfire outside a Brier home Sept. 3.

Noel Evan Caldellis, 19, already was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Jay Clements, 21. Prosecutors allege Clements was killed when Caldellis began shooting a .357-caliber Magnum pistol into a crowd during a party.

On Monday, prosecutors charged Caldellis with two new counts of first-degree assault involving two others who allegedly were menaced with the gunfire. They also filed a second-degree murder charge. That will offer jurors an alternate way of interpreting the evidence expected to be presented at Caldellis’ trial, now set for Sept. 14.

Prosecutors contend Caldellis showed extreme indifference to human life when he reportedly began shooting during an argument outside the party. Witnesses told police that Clements posed no threat, and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Lynnwood: Bank robber captured

A bank robbery in Lynnwood on Friday was foiled by a professional bodybuilder.

The “Old-School Bandit,” believed to be responsible for nine bank robberies, was arrested Friday after he was tackled and held down by muscle-bound man who happened to be in the lobby at the time.

The bank robber came into Banner Bank on 186th Street SW just around 5 p.m. He yelled for tellers to give him money and lunged over the counter at a teller. That’s when Todd Jewell of Yakima jumped into action. He wrestled the suspect to the ground and held him until police arrived, FBI spokesman Larry Carr said.

The suspect earned the name “Old-School Bandit” for the bandana he wore across his face during robberies in Lynnwood, Shoreline and Seattle, Carr said.

Everett: Reported rape investigated

Everett police are investigating an alleged rape Sunday of an apparently disabled woman.

Police were called about 1:30 a.m. to a report of the rape in a residence in a south Everett neighborhood, Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz said.

Officers arrived and a foot chase ensued when the suspect fled, he said. Police used an electronic stun gun to detain the suspect, a 35-year-old Pasco man, Goetz said.

The man and the apparent victim, an Everett woman in her early 20s, knew each other, Goetz said.

The man was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of third-degree rape. The investigation continues.

From Herald staff reports