Crime

Despite opioid epidemic, drug court enrollment is down. King County hopes to change that

King County’s Drug Diversion Court is celebrating its 30th anniversary. It was one of the first programs in the nation to help people clear their criminal records, if they enter treatment and stop using drugs. But amidst the opioid epidemic, drug court enrollment has actually shrunk in recent years.

The Green River Killer has been brought back to Seattle, booked into King County Jail

Gary Ridgway, known as the Green River Killer, was moved to the King County Jail in Seattle Monday.

Middle school-aged kids increasingly face felony charges in King County

Suspect arrested in carjacking, killing of 80-year-old Seattle woman

Seattle Police announced the arrest Wednesday of a 48-year-old Seattle man in connection with a carjacking Tuesday morning that resulted in the death of an 80-year-old dog walker and the fatal stabbing of her dog.

Former coach charged with child rape has been attending Seattle school sporting events, judge finds

A former Garfield High School coach charged with raping a student violated his electronic home monitoring conditions by attending numerous high school sporting events last winter, according to a judge's findings.

Why is Aurora Avenue crime concentrated in Seattle, not Shoreline?

There’s general agreement that Aurora Avenue North is starkly divided at North 145th street — the border between the cities of Seattle and Shoreline. The main question is why.

2 men face RICO charges for violent home robberies in Western Washington that targeted Asian Americans

Federal prosecutors in Seattle have indicted two men on rarely used racketeering charges, related to a series of violent home robberies throughout Western Washington targeting Asian Americans in 2022. They said the charges follow a lengthy investigation across multiple jurisdictions that remains ongoing.

2 months after Garfield High student's shooting death on campus, still no arrest

A suspect has not been identified. After the shooting, police said only that the suspect was a high-school aged male who was wearing a red hoodie.

What's an 'entheogen'? Magic mushrooms are now a low priority in Olympia

The Olympia City Council has knocked psilocybin, and similar drugs, down to a "low enforcement priority" for Olympia police, essentially decriminalizing the drugs in the city.

Seattle City Council considers 'prostitution loitering' law amid intense debate

The bill would put new gross misdemeanors into Seattle’s criminal code, targeting people charged with prostitution-related offenses, with special emphasis on pimps and buyers of sex.