Two armed men rob Everett bank and elude police

EVERETT – Two masked men armed with handguns robbed First Security Bank of Washington on Wednesday.

The men approached two tellers, demanded cash and showed guns, Everett police Sgt. Boyd Bryant said.

The men ran with an undisclosed amount of money, Bryant said. No suspect vehicle was reported leaving the bank.

The men were both about 6 feet tall with slim builds, Bryant said.

The robbery happened about 3:20 p.m. in the 11100 block of Evergreen Way. Officers searched the area but were unable to locate the robbers.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call the tip line at 425-257-8450.

Everett: Lincoln will get new skipper today

The Everett-based aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln will get a new skipper this afternoon at Naval Station Everett.

Navy Capt. Kendall L. Card will turn over command of the Nimitz-class carrier to Capt. C. Andrew McCawley.

McCawley, a Hingham, Mass., native, was previously commander of the amphibious ship USS Juneau. McCawley is a 1980 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and has logged more than 4,000 flight hours in 45 different aircraft and also has made 700 carrier-arrested landings.

McCawley will become the Lincoln’s eighth commanding officer.

Former Legion leader is charged with theft

A former leader in Everett’s American Legion post has been charged with first-degree theft for allegedly gambling away $400,000 of the group’s money.

Snohomish County prosecutors filed the charge Wednesday against Richard Charles Ekstedt, 58, of Marysville.

Ekstedt was the adjutant at the Earl Faulkner American Legion Post 6 and had access to the group’s bank account. Early this month, he wrote the post’s commander and admitted taking the cash to pay for gambling, court papers said.

He was arrested Sunday and jailed in lieu of $5,000 bail.

Machias: Jeep owned by murder victim found

Police have recovered a Jeep stolen from a murdered woman’s home.

Detectives are not certain if the theft is connected to the homicide.

In August, the remains of Kelly Jean Sarsten, 37, were found submerged in the Pilchuck River not far from her east Snohomish home. About a month later the slain woman’s sister reported that Sarsten’s home was broken into and her red Jeep was missing, according to court documents.

Detectives determined the burglar came in through a basement window and went through the house. The Jeep was missing from the driveway, where it had been parked since Sarsten’s murder.

Deputies found the Jeep Monday in Arlington after Sarsten’s ex-husband received a call from a friend who reported seeing the vehicle, court documents said.

The Jeep was impounded and searched.

No one has been arrested in connection with Sarsten’s murder.

Monroe: Man arrested after fleeing from police

Police arrested a Snohomish man after a resident reportedly found him in his garage.

The 19-year-old suspect ran from the garage and led officers on a car chase Tuesday, Monroe police reported. The chase ended, and the suspect ran from police. Officers found him hiding behind a tree.

The suspect was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of second-degree burglary and eluding a police officer.

Olympia: House bill would keep fields open

The state House unanimously passed a bill that would ensure Snohomish Little League can play on its fields this season.

Currently, fields built on farmlands are in violation of the state Growth Management Act and must be vacated by May 31.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, seeks to change state law so that ball fields built on farm lands before Jan. 1, 2004, will be spared.

The bill goes to the state Senate for action.

Bill to ease passage of levies fails in Senate

Senators on Wednesday failed to pass a bill to let voters decide if the state constitution should be amended to make it easier to pass school levies and general obligation bonds.

The bill proposed to change the state requirement for passage of levies and bonds from a two-thirds majority to a simple majority. It garnered 25 votes in the state Senate, well shy of the two-thirds majority needed.

But the effort is not dead. The House has passed legislation that would ease the requirement for levies only. That version will be considered by senators.

If the same resolution is agreed upon by the House and the Senate it will be placed on the November ballot for final action by voters.

Plan gives counties power to do roadwork

State lawmakers have backed a plan that helps Snohomish, King and Pierce counties carry out major road projects together while also giving each county more power to go it alone if needed.

Under legislation, the Regional Transportation Improvement District is renamed and reconstituted with more representatives from each of the three counties.

This authority will have more flexibility in what taxes it pursues and on what projects the money is spent. When disagreements occur, an individual county could pursue financing and constructing of projects on its own.

The House approved the bill 77-19. It now goes to the Senate.

There, lawmakers have introduced a bill aimed at forcing the three counties to put a multi-billion dollar transportation plan and tax increase proposal on the ballot in November.

Bill makes it a crime to ignore crime victims

A united House has passed a law that would make it a misdemeanor if someone knows that a person is a victim of a crime and they do nothing to summon assistance.

Lawmakers voted 97-0 for the legislation introduced by Rep. Al O’Brien, D-Mountlake Terrace.

The issue has percolated for several years in the Legislature, punctuated by vivid tales of how lives could have been saved had someone interceded. In Snohomish County, a woman did not tell police that she saw and spoke with Rachel Burkheimer, who was being held hostage in the woman’s home.

While that prompted a civil lawsuit, it did not lead to criminal charges because a person generally has no duty to aid another person in distress.

House Bill 1236 now goes to the Senate for action.

From Herald staff reports