Oil spill drill tests agencies off Edmonds

EDMONDS – Oil skimmers were zooming around the waters off Point Wells in Edmonds Tuesday as part of an oil spill response drill. The site is near where 4,637 gallons of fuel oil spilled into Puget Sound in December 2003.

“It’s just another chance to get their boats on the water and get familiar with their equipment,” said Larry Altose, a state Department of Ecology spokesman.

He said the U.S. Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ecology Department and oil companies participated in the drill. The Point Wells spill has been cleaned up, but the investigation into the accident is still going on, Altose said.

Mukilteo: Search locks down schools

Three schools and the Mukilteo School District office were locked down for almost two hours Tuesday as Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies searched for a man who rammed his Honda into a sergeant’s patrol car.

The sergeant pulled the man over for a traffic infraction near the intersection of 92nd Street SW and Fourth Avenue W., sheriff’s office spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen said. The man apparently became upset and hit the sergeant’s car while the sergeant was inside it at about 1:40 p.m.

The sergeant wasn’t injured. Deputies and Everett police launched an extensive search of the area.

Meanwhile, the Mukilteo School District office, ACES Alternative High School, Challenger Elementary School and Explorer Middle School were locked down, said district spokesman Andy Muntz.

Horizon Elementary School, about 10 blocks away, was also briefly locked down, Muntz said.

Everett police found the man in the area about 3:25 p.m., Jorgensen said. He was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault.

Edmonds: Mexican national sentenced

A Mexican national who had a pistol in his possession during a gunfight Aug. 25 in Edmonds was sentenced in Snohomish County Superior Court to nearly three years in prison Tuesday.

Pedro Esparaza-Barajas, 36, was illegally in this country at the time of the shooting, in which two men died. A companion fired the fatal shots, deputy prosecutor John Adcock said.

Esparaza-Barajas pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He will be deported when he gets through serving his sentence, Adcock said.

Killed in the gunfire were Nolberto “Paul” Lopez-Rodriquez, 36, and Adan Hernandez, 23.

From Herald staff reports

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

LifeWise local co-directors Darcie Hammer and Sarah Sweeny talk about what a typical classroom routine looks like on Monday, April 14, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett off-campus Bible program draws mixed reaction from parents

The weekly optional program, LifeWise Academy, takes children out of public school during the day for religious lessons.

Protesters line Broadway in Everett for Main Street USA rally

Thousands turn out to protest President Trump on Saturday in Everett, joining hundreds of other towns and cities.

An EcoRemedy employee checks a control panel of their equipment at the Edmonds Wastewater Treatment Plant on Thursday, April 17, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds launches technology to destroy PFAS

Edmonds is the first city in the country to implement… Continue reading

Over a dozen parents and some Snohomish School District students gather outside of the district office to protest and discuss safety concerns after an incident with a student at Machias Elementary School on Friday, April 18, 2025 in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Parents protest handling of alleged weapon incident at Machias Elementary

Families say district failed to communicate clearly; some have kept kids home for weeks.

Irene Pfister, left, holds a sign reading “Justice for Jonathan” next to another protester with a sign that says “Major Crimes Needs to Investigate,” during a call to action Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Arlington. (Aspen Anderson / The Herald)
Arlington community rallies, a family waits for news on missing man

Family and neighbors say more can be done in the search for Jonathan Hoang. The sheriff’s office says all leads are being pursued.

Mary Ann Karber, 101, spins the wheel during Wheel of Forunte at Washington Oakes on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lunch and Wheel of Fortune with some Everett swinging seniors

She’s 101 and he’s 76. At Washington Oakes, fun and friendship are on the menu.

Henry M. Jackson High School’s FIRST Robotics Competition championship robotics Team 2910 Jack in the Bot on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Mill Creek, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mill Creek robotics team celebrates world championship win

The team — known as “Jack in the Bot” — came in first place above about 600 others at a Texas world championship event last week.

The Washington state Capitol on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)
Parental rights overhaul gains final approval in WA Legislature

The bill was among the most controversial of this year’s session.

Snohomish firefighters appeal vaccine suspensions to Ninth Circuit

Despite lower court’s decision, eight men maintain their department did not properly accommodate their religious beliefs during COVID.

A rental sign seen in Everett. Saturday, May 23, 2020 (Sue Misao / Herald file)
Compromise reached on Washington bill to cap rent increases

Under a version released Thursday, rent hikes would be limited to 7% plus inflation, or 10%, whichever is lower.

A Mitsubishi Electric heat pump is installed on the wall of a home on Sep. 7, 2023, near Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Kicking Gas urges households to get in line for subsidies while funds last

The climate justice group has enough funding to aid 80 households with making the transition to heat pumps and electric ranges

Everett Fire Department’s color guard Jozef Mendoza, left, and Grady Persons, right, parade the colors at the end of the ceremony on Worker’s Memorial Day on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County officials honor Worker’s Memorial Day

Work-related injuries kill thousands of people nationwide every year.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.