SHELTON – An air compressor explosion at a Simpson Timber Co. sawmill blew out a wall and injured five people Wednesday morning, a company spokeswoman said. Three of the injured people were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The other two people were treated and released at Mason General Hospital in Shelton, a hospital spokeswoman said. The air compressor was at the back end of the sawmill, where the company produces lumber for home construction, Holland said. There had been no previous problems with the machinery.
Auburn: Man arrested and charged with arson
A man has been charged with arson for allegedly starting two small fires inside the house where he lives. Emanuel James Allen, 18, was arrested several hours after flames ignited early the morning of June 12 inside a house on the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation. A woman who lives in the house with Allen and an older man she cares for called police after extinguishing flames in a hallway. Police said Allen was belligerent when officers questioned him. He was arrested and taken to a hospital for mental evaluation. He escaped from the hospital but was re-arrested the same day.
King County Journal
City Council renews curfew for teens
Two weeks after Sumner pulled the plug on its curfew, Auburn renewed its teen curfew for another three years. City Council members and Auburn’s police chief say the midnight-to-6 a.m. restriction for minors is an effective tool for fighting juvenile crime, even though police have issued only one curfew citation since the ordinance became law in June 2000. Unlike in Sumner, Auburn officials believe statistics show juvenile crime is a problem from late night to early morning. The council unanimously extended the curfew with no discussion on Monday. Tacoma also has changed and extended its curfew.
The News Tribune
Seattle: Training flights over Seattle
The North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct a series of training exercises in the skies over Seattle today, officials said. The drill will involve NORAD fighters and other aircraft flying at low altitudes throughout the day. “Citizens should not be alarmed,” said Maj. Maria Quon, spokeswoman for NORAD headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. The flights are one of several NORAD exercises throughout the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the start of a series of homeland security drills.
Associated Press
Counterterrorism system to be tested
Seattle is one of four cities in which the government will test an expansion to the nation’s counterterrorism communica-tion network, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Wednesday. The pilot program expands the network to include more than 25,000 officials at utilities, gas pipelines, power plants and similar facilities. The system will be tested in Seattle, Dallas, Indianapolis and Atlanta for the rest of the year to determine its feasibility across the country.
Associated Press
Sequim: Driver pleads guilty in fatal crash
The driver in a single-car crash that killed a 13-year-old Sequim Middle School girl last summer has pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide. Ray Chipman, 46, pleaded guilty June 4 in King County Superior Court to first-degree vehicular homicide, a felony, in the death of KayDee Chrisman-Campbell. He will be sentenced July 2 by Judge Brian Gain. Standard sentencing for vehicular homicide is 21 to 27 months, with a maximum of life in prison and a $50,000 fine. Chipman was driving July 19 on state Highway 169 near Maple Valley when he fell asleep and struck a utility pole. KayDee and her mother, Ronda Campbell, were riding with Chipman.
Peninsula Daily News
Tacoma: Man arrested on suspicion of 7 rapes
Tacoma police Tuesday arrested a man suspected in a series of rapes this spring after a woman called to say she’d just seen the man who raped her drive by in a gray pickup truck. “He is a person of interest in a total of seven separate rapes” from late March to late May, Tacoma police spokeswoman Tracy Conaway said. The man is expected to be arraigned today on rape and kidnapping charges, Tacoma police said. The spokeswoman said the man picked up prostitutes and took them to the same Tacoma location, where he used a variety of weapons to violently rape them.
The News Tribune
Spokane Valley: E-mails violated law
Spokane Valley Mayor Mike DeVleming used his city-owned computer to rally support for Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi last winter, a violation of state law. Using public facilities including computers and fax machines for political purposes is prohibited. DeVleming admitted Tuesday to sending e-mails to communicate with a Rossi campaign consultant, and said it didn’t occur to him at the time that his actions were illegal. The 14 messages in question involve DeVleming acting as a Spokane Valley contact point for a $150-a-plate breakfast fund-raiser for Rossi.
The Spokesman-Review
Bangor: Sailor allegedly stabs civilian contractor
An active-duty male sailor allegedly stabbed a female civilian contractor early Tuesday at the Bangor submarine base, Navy officials said. The contractor, who works for Johnson Controls, was being treated at Harrison Hospital. Navy spokesman Paul Taylor said she was “receiving care” for her injuries, but could not comment on her condition. The stabbing happened at 5:10 a.m. inside the base gates. Taylor said the sailor is being held until charges are formalized. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is handling the case, which will remain within the military justice system.
The Sun
Oregon: Girl, coach found in Tennessee
An Oregon softball coach and a teenage girl on his team who had been missing since September surrendered to police in Tennessee on Wednesday after a minor traffic accident. Andrew James Garver, 39, of Beaverton, Ore., and Michelle “Mimi” Smith, 16, apparently have been living in Knoxville since they disappeared, Knoxville police said. Garver is being held on federal interstate flight to avoid prosecution charges and state charges of custodial interference and theft, involving the car they were driving. Smith is in protective juvenile custody.
Associated Press
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