MEDINA — Police suspect a 64-year-old woman who worked as a dog walker and house sitter for wealthy families in the Seattle area walked off with jewelry, art and furniture.
Medina police say she built up trust before swiping goods worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from at least eight homeowners.
Police have seized valuables from her home they suspect were stolen.
Police Chief Jeffrey Chen told KOMO-TV she has served time in prisons in Washington, California and Alaska.
Kelso: Charges in pepper-spray robbery
A man accused of pepper-spraying customers of a Kelso credit union during a holdup in May is scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 31 in Cowlitz County Superior Court on robbery and assault charges.
Kelso Ely Krouse, a 28-year-old Astoria, Ore., man, is also suspected of firing a gun during a bank robbery in Centralia the same day. He was arrested later that month after a pharmacy robbery in Ilwaco.
KLOG-AM reported Krouse appeared in court Monday and he remains in jail.
Kittitas: Mayor quits due to budget stress
The mayor of Kittitas has resigned, citing the stress of budget shortfalls on his health.
Mayor Steve Arington told the Ellensburg Daily Record it was a fun and challenging job but he feared he was headed for a heart attack or stroke.
He was appointed mayor of the Kittitas County town of 1,100 in January and dealt with the problems of funding the police and fire departments.
The City Council will appoint a new mayor.
Seattle: Masseuse in alleged marriage scam
A massage therapist and a friend have been charged in Seattle with kidnapping and attempted theft.
King County prosecutors say the 56-year-old masseuse, Sujinda Yahatta, took a 78-year-old man with dementia from an Issaquah nursing home last month, married him and attempted to close out his bank account.
If convicted, Yahatta and the 29-year-old co-defendant, Kulany Roeksbutr, could face up to seven years in prison. They will be arraigned Dec. 30.
Yahatta was served with annulment papers during Tuesday’s court appearance.
She told police that by marrying the man she could become his guardian and protect him.
The man told police he didn’t remember marrying Yahatta and didn’t know who she was, although she treated him two or three times.
@3. Headline News Briefs 14 no:Wetlands grants for Puget Sound, coast
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded Washington $7.1 million in grants to protect coastal wetlands, including seven projects in Puget Sound.
The grants announced Wednesday are part of $20.1 million given to 12 states to conserve shoreline and wetlands to benefit fish, wildlife and other habitat.
The agency says seven grants will advance the goals of the Puget Sound Partnership. An eighth will protect coastal wetlands near Grays Harbor.
Projects include conserving shoreline and wetlands near Point Roberts Peninsula in Whatcom County, Lynch Cove on the Hood Canal and McMicken Island State Park in south Puget Sound.
State, tribal and private partners provided more than $4.4 million, in addition to the grants.
Oregon: Warrant follows funeral killing
A judge has issued a warrant charging a 30-year-old man with murder in the shooting death of another man during a Portland funeral service.
Latwan Brown is sought in the death of 31-year-old Darshwan Cross, who was shot Friday at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in North Portland.
He died at a hospital on Monday.
Police say Brown is armed and considered dangerous. Police say the violence was gang-related.
Associated Press
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