Personal Injury and Criminal Defense Legal Blog

Does a homeowner have the right to shoot an intruder in his home?

In Carnation, Washington, a man in his 70’s shot and wounded an intruder who had broken into his home, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office. The homeowner had heard someone brake into his car around 5 a.m. and went to see what was going on. Just as the homeowner reached his back door, the 35-year-old intruder broke through the door and fought the homeowner, he said. The homeowner retreated to another room, grabbed a handgun and confronted the intruder in his kitchen. Another fight ensued and the man shot the intruder twice, he said. The homeowner went to a neighbor’s house. Both men returned to the house and held the intruder at gunpoint until deputies arrived Urquhart said.

According to the King County Sheriff’s Office, the intruder, possibly a transient living in some nearby woods, was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with non-life-threatening injuries. The homeowner was treated at a local hospital for a contusion to his head.

Sexual Assault at a College Campus – Allegations of Attempted Rape

San Diego Police are currently investigating allegations of sexual assault, occurring at San Diego State University. One victim informed police that a man entered her home in the early morning of March 1, 2010 and attempted to rape her. The victim successfully escaped the rape.

Another woman informed police she was slipped drugs unknowingly and assaulted at a party off-campus during the early morning hours. No suspect description was given at the time. it is unclear if this was a sexual assault/rape incident.

Police Car Chase ends with Suspect Crashing his Car into A North Seattle Home, then Assaulting Seattle Police Officer

Seattle police continue their search for a man accused of taking a Seattle Police Officer on a car chase that ended with the suspect crashing his vehicle into a North Seattle home and then fleeing the scene. During the police pursuit on foot, the suspect allegedly assaulted the officer and attempted to gain possession of her firearm.

This incident is alleged to have occurred early Wednesday morning. The officer tried to stop the suspect for a traffic violation near North 90th Street and Aurora Avenue North. The man refused to yield to the officer’s lights and sirens. After a short pursuit, the man crashed his car into a house. The man got out of the car and ran off; the officer got out of her car and chased after him. At some point the man assaulted the officer and attempted to take her handgun, according to police. The chase resumed, but the officer eventually lost sight of the man. The officer was treated at the scene by Seattle Fire Department medics and transported to an area hospital for additional treatment. She was later released and returned to duty.

Source: NW Source

A Washington based soldier has been charged with domestic violence assault based on allegations of abusing 4-year-old over alphabet lesson

A Washington based soldier has been charged with domestic violence assault after he allegedly held his 4-year-old daughter underwater because she couldn’t recite the alphabet. The prosecution has alleged in charging documents that the defendant’s actions amount to torture.

On January 31, 2010, the defendant, Joshua Tabor, was arguing with his girlfriend when she called the police. When Officers arrived on the scene, she notified them of a history of assault between Mr. Tabor and his daughter. Officers found the young child hiding in a locked bathroom. Reports indicate she appeared to have suffered severely physical abuse.

When officers arrived, Tabor’s girlfriend told them that she and Tabor, 27, had just had an argument and that he beats his daughter, said Yelm Police Chief Todd Stancil. Officers found the girl hiding in a locked bathroom and covered with extensive bruises all over her body, including her ears.

“Once she spoke to officers, she was articulate and told us right away, ‘Daddy did this,’ ” Yelm Police Chief Todd Stancil said. The girl told officers that her father hits her, and she also said he would fill a sink, lay her on her back and put her head into the water until the water was up to her eyes, Stancil said.

According to Stancil and charging papers, the defendant admitted to holding his daughter under water as an educational tool. “He felt she was academically behind for her age, and it was his way of trying to get her to learn,” Stancil said. Reports indicate the defendant felt his actions were justified and an acceptable way of parenting. Prosecutors also allege the defendant would force his daughter to sit in urine-soaked clothes “until he gives her permission to change” as punishment for wetting herself. Tabor is restricted to the Joint Base Lewis-McChord base during the investigation, Stancil said. The defendant is to appear in Thurston County Superior Court on Feb. 16 for arraignment.

Stancil said the defendant’s girlfriend may additionally be charged in the case. “How can something go on for a month and a half and [she] not know anything about it?” he said.

Regarding the child’s well-being, Child Protective Services were notified and a foster family had been given temporary custody. The girl was quickly taken to a hospital to rule out any serious injuries. She is currently residing with her grandmother in Montana.

Source : Seattle Times

Kids Use Pit Bull to Attack SeaTac Women

Seattle’s Q13Fox news station (KCPQ-TV) recently reported in an article that two Seattle women were attacked by a group of teenagers (three boys, ages 13, 12, and 11; one girl, age 15) and their pet pit bull. The two victims, ages 63 and 41, were each beaten by the 15-year-old girl of the group, as well as attacked by the leashed pit bull. The victims of the Washington violent crime sustained bruising from the beatings and puncture wounds from the dog bites. The 41-year-old woman sustained more serious dog bites, with the skin on her left forearm being flayed open so severely that her bone was visible. Treatment sought by both women as well as their conditions was not reported.

The 63-year-old women reportedly witnessed the group of teenagers kicking and mistreating the pit bull while she was driving near the 13300 block of Des Moines Memorial Drive in SeaTac. The woman stopped her car because she thought the teenagers were in trouble and she wanted to help them. The 15-year-old girl reportedly told the woman to mind her own business, and then proceeded to drag the woman out of her car by her hair through the passenger’s side of the car. The 15-year-old girl repeatedly punched the victim, while one of the boys in the group ran over with the pit bull. As the 15-year-old girl continued to assault the woman, the pit bull bit the woman repeatedly, and was then pulled off of her when the group of teenagers fled into North SeaTac Park.

The 41-year-old woman reportedly witnessed the attack, and confronted the group of teenagers in North SeaTac Park. The 15-year-old girl then reportedly head-butted the woman and began delivering punches to the woman’s head and body. The pit bull, increasingly agitated, attacked the woman, gnashing at her head, face, and arms.

The King County Sheriff’s office took custody of the dog, relinquishing it to Animal Control. The teenagers were released into the custody of their parents. Sheriff’s detectives will likely file felony assault charges against the 15-year-old girl. It was not reported whether or not charges would be filed against any of the teenage boys.

In all criminal defense cases, and especially those dealing with juvenile crimes, it is important to have a skilled attorney on your side that will exhaust every aspect of the law to ensure that the charges brought against you are as minimal as possible. At McNeese & Trotsky, our knowledgeable and experienced Seattle assault defense attorneys have years of experience in defending those accused of criminal offenses. Please call us today for a free consultation and we will begin examining the details of your case with the utmost discretion and professionalism.

Seattle Assault by Teen at Graduation Creates Disturbance

The Seattle Times recently reported in an article that Seattle’s Meany Middle School’s graduation ceremony was interrupted for about a half-hour when two girls, ages 14 and 15 years old, incited a disturbance amongst the crowd in attendance and assaulted an off-duty Seattle police officer who was working security at the event. There were no reports of injuries to either of the two girls, off-duty officers involved, or spectators in attendance for the graduation.

The 14-year-old girl, who had been asked to stay away from the campus earlier in the year, showed up at the ceremony and began to cause a commotion. The off-duty police officers recognized the girl as a trespasser. As the off-duty officers approached the 14-year-old girl, one of the officers was assaulted by the second girl, age 15. The crowd soon became agitated, and additional law enforcement had to be called to the scene to help settle the crowd.

Both girls were arrested and taken into custody, and both now face the possibility of criminal charges being filed against them. The 14-year-old girl was charged with assault in Seattle of an off-duty police officer. The 15 year-old girl was released to her parents without immediate charges filed against her. Both girls could face trespassing charges as well.

At McNeese & Trotsky, we understand that the facing criminal charges alone can be extremely difficult, especially for juveniles. Our skilled Seattle criminal defense attorneys will handle every aspect of your case, and ensure that charges brought against you are made as minimal as possible. If you or a loved one has recently been accused of a crime, please don’t hesitate to contact the Seattle, Washington lawyers at McNeese & Trotsky. The call is free, and so is the consultation. Call us today.

Suspects Charged in Marysville Slaying

The Seattle Times reported in an account that two men, ages 25 and 22, were arrested near the Iowa-Missouri border on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle. Investigation further revealed that the two men were responsible for the beating death of a 73 year old woman of Marysville, WA. They have been charged with second-degree murder.

One of the young men is a convicted sex offender and already had an extensive criminal history prior to the arrest. The other suspect had been convicted of numerous misdemeanor convictions prior to this incident. Both men were suspected of being under the influence of narcotics at the time of arrest. Before the slaying, both perpetrators had been living in an Everett homeless shelter and were patients at Compass Hill, a treatment center that looked after the mentally ill.

The two men reportedly bludgeoned the woman with a hammer in her home, and then proceeded to steal her car, credit cards, and prescription medication.

There is no apparent motive for the slaying, but it was revealed that the victim did have prior history with one of the suspects who dated her granddaughter in the recent past and had even lived in the family’s home. Court records showed that the victim had filed a petition for a temporary restraining order against one of the suspects, accusing him of abusing and manipulating her mentally-disabled granddaughter into stealing for him. The petition was never finalized, however, when the victim and her granddaughter failed to show up at the court hearing.

For all criminal defense cases, especially those in which mental capacity comes into play, it is important to have on your side someone who is going to exhaust every aspect of the law to ensure that your constitutional rights were not violated and will be upheld. A skilled criminal defense attorney can be the difference between a conviction and your freedom. If you have been accused of a Marysville, WA violent crime, the experienced Seattle violent offense attorneys at McNeese & Trotsky are prepared to handle your case with the utmost discretion and professionalism. Call us today for a free consultation.

Federal Way Man Suspected of Stabbing Roommate

The Seattle Times recently reported in a story about a homicide involving two roommates in Federal Way, WA. A 24 year old man was found dead in his apartment with several puncture wounds on his body. Police responded to the Cascade Ridge Apartments on a suspicious circumstance call and observed areas with blood outside of the apartment building before finding the man’s body.

The violent offense in Washington is suspected to be perpetrated by the victim’s roommate, a man in his early 20s whose name has not yet been released. The young man attempted to flee the scene when police arrived. Police apprehended the young man, and then determined that he was the roommate of the deceased man. The young man was booked into King County Jail, and is being held on homicide and, unrelated, immigration charges until his first scheduled appearance in court.

Though police attempted to resuscitate the victim when they arrived on scene, they were unable to succeed. He was pronounced dead by paramedics shortly after their arrival. Police continue to look for clues surrounding this tragic death.

For all criminal defense cases, if you are being accused of a crime, especially one as serious as homicide, it is important to have on your side someone who is going to exhaust every aspect of the law to defend your rights and ensure your innocence. A skilled criminal defense attorney can be the difference between a conviction and your freedom. If you have been accused of a Federal Way violent crime, the skilled Seattle assault defense attorneys at McNeese & Trotsky are prepared to handle your case with the utmost discretion and professionalism. Call us today for a free consultation and we will help prove your innocence.