Three Arrested in Assault

MONROE – Three suspects were arrested on Wednesday, January 4th for the assault of a sixteen-year-old male that occurred on Tuesday, January 3rd. An officer contacted the victim, from Monroe, at 8:51 pm on Tuesday night as he reported the assault that had occurred a few hours earlier. The victim stated he was walking to a friend’s house on Blueberry Lane SE and Killarney Circle when three males approached him. They yelled and began punching and kicking him repeatedly as he fell to the ground. The three suspects who were known to the victim then ran from the scene. A family member transported the victim to Valley General Hospital where he was treated for serious injuries and released.

The male suspects, ages 20 and 18 of Monroe and an 18-year-old from Everett who are known for “18th Street Gang” activity were arrested on Wednesday for Assault 2 and transported to the Snohomish County Jail for booking.

For additional information on this media release, contact Administrative Director Debbie Willis at 360-794-6300.

Espresso Stand Robbery

MONROE – January 2, 2012 at 10:55 am: Officers were dispatched to a robbery with a weapon call at the Hillbilly Hotties Coffee Company in the 400 block of Butler Street, Monroe. The suspect, a white male, 19-20 years of age, short blonde hair, small mustache wearing a green sweatshirt with a hood and blue jeans walked up and knocked on the window of the stand. When asked for his coffee order, the suspect asked the employee to give him the money in the till and said he had a gun. The employee gave the suspect money and he then fled on foot from the espresso stand, running behind businesses in the west end of the parking lot. A K9 track of the area ended a short distance behind those businesses. Officers are checking area video surveillance as they continue to investigate this incident.

Anyone with information regarding this robbery is asked to contact the Monroe Police Department at 360-794-6300. Anonymous information may be left on the Department’s tip line at 360-863-4600.

For additional information on this media release, contact Administrative Director Debbie Willis at 360-794-6300.

MONROE – An arrest has been made in the theft of a large bell that was recently stolen from St. Mary of the Valley Catholic Church in Monroe. Detectives developed information with the assistance of the King County Sheriff’s Office, which led the investigators to a recycling business in Woodinville who had received 320 pounds of brass pieces on October 28, 2011.

On November 15th a Monroe Police Department detective took Father Bloom and Sister Barbara Geib of the Catholic Church to the recycling center where they identified the remnants of the church bell. The bell had been sawed into smaller pieces and the raised lettering had been visibly grounded down to disguise its origin. It is believed the pieces represent about half of the bell. It is not known at this time where the rest of the bell is. A female and two males brought the bell to the recycling business. The female asked to be paid in cash, which the business refused to do and instead issued a check to the female for $715.20.

On November 16, 2011, detectives contacted the suspect female at her residence in Snohomish County. The suspect stated that her business accepted scrap metal from people to take to recycling businesses and she kept 10% of the profits. She said she didn’t know the people who brought her the bell and did not realize it had been stolen.

Jessica Monahan, age 34, of Snohomish, was taken into custody and transported to Snohomish County Jail to be booked for Trafficking Stolen Property 1st Degree and Possession of Stolen Property 2nd Degree. Detectives continue to follow leads in this investigation and additional arrests may be forthcoming.

Anyone with information regarding this theft is asked to contact the Monroe Police Department at 360-794-6300. Anonymous information may be left on the Department’s tip line at 360-863-4600.

For additional information on this media release, contact Administrative Director Debbie Willis at 360-794-6300.

Monroe Police Department responded to an incident that occurred in the 16100 block of 173rd Avenue in Monroe. The officer contacted three children who had just gotten off the school bus at 173rd and W Main Street. The children, an 11-year-old girl and two 5-year-old boys explained to the officer that a shiny red Aerostar type minivan with a flat back had approached them individually and a teenage male passenger with longer dark blonde hair asked if they wanted candy. The driver of the vehicle was described as an older female with blonde hair. The children went to their houses and told their parents.

This incident follows a suspicious occurrence on October 24th in which an older male in a red minivan approached a 7-year-old girl on 169th Avenue SE near a park in Monroe and asked where she lived. It is unknown if this is a related incident, the Monroe Police Department continues their investigation.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents is asked to contact the Monroe Police Department at 360-794-6300. Anonymous information may be left on the Department’s tip line at 360-863-4600.

For additional information on this press release, contact Administrative Director Debbie Willis at (360) 863-4579.

The first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, or EAS, will take place at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on November 9, 2011. The purpose of the test is to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the system in alerting the public.

How will the national EAS test be conducted?
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), along with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct the nationwide test on November 9, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. eastern standard time. The alert will be transmitted throughout the country and will be monitored by the EAS participants. After the test has been completed, the EAS participants will report back to the FCC on the results of the test.

What will people see and hear during the test?
Although the nationwide EAS test may resemble the periodic monthly EAS tests that most consumers are familiar with, there will be some differences in what consumers may see or hear, which is one reason for conducting a nationwide EAS test. During the test, the public will hear a message indicating “this is a test”. The audio message will be the same for everyone, however due to limitations of the EAS, the video test message may not be the same and may not indicate “this is a test”. This is due to the use of a “live” national code – the same code that would be used in an actual emergency. Also, the background image that appears on video screens may indicate “this is a test” but in some cases there may be no image at all. FEMA and the FCC plan to reach out to organizations representing people with hearing disabilities to prepare that community for the national test. In addition, FEMA and the FCC will work with EAS participants to explore whether there are solutions to address this limitation.

What exactly is the EAS?
The Emergency Alert System is a media communications-based alerting system that is designed to transmit emergency alerts and warnings to the American public at the national, Tribal, state and local levels. EAS participants broadcast alerts and warnings regarding weather threats, child abductions and other types of emergencies. EAS alerts are transmitted over television and radio broadcast, satellite television and satellite radio, cable television and wireline video services.

When is the EAS used and when would a national EAS alert be sent?
The EAS is often used by state and local emergency managers to alert the public about emergencies and weather events. The system provides the ability to send messages regionally or nationally, though it has never been tested at these levels. A major disaster such as an earthquake or tsunami could require the use of the system to send life-saving information to the public.

Why do we need a nationwide test?
Although local and state components of the EAS are tested on a weekly and monthly basis, there has never been an end-to-end nationwide test of the system. We need to know that the system will work as intended should public safety officials ever need to send an alert or warning to a large region of the United States. Only a complete, top-down test of the EAS can provide an appropriate diagnosis of the system’s performance.

How long will the test last?
We anticipate that the test will last approximately 3 minutes.

Why is the national test being conducted at this particular date and time?
In order to minimize disruption and confusion during the EAS test, it is being conducted on November 9 because this date is near the end of hurricane season and before the severe winter weather season begins. The 2 p.m. EST broadcast will minimize disruption during rush hours while ensuring that the test occurs during working hours across the country.

Will the test involve mobile communications devices?
No. The test will involve only those communications service providers – broadcast radio and television, cable television, satellite radio and television and wireline video services – that participate in the EAS.

For more information about EAS, visit the FCC’s EAS webpage at www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/emergency-alert-system-eas. For more information about AMBER Alerts, see our consumer guide at www.fcc.gov/guides/amber-plan-americas-missing-broadcast-emergency-response. Finally, for information about other telecommunications issues, visit the FCC’s Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau website at www.fcc.gov/consumer-governmental-affairs-bureau.

MONROE – September 28, at 11:56 am: Monroe Police Officers responded to an assault victim in the 100 block of E Main street in Monroe.

The victim, a 50-year-old transient female had obvious signs of trauma to her face and neck. She told the officers that she had been punched,strangled and sexually assaulted by a male she had known for several weeks. She said the assault had occurred earlier in a parking garage located in the 19600 block of SR 2 in Monroe where officers found evidence that an assault had taken place.

Fire District 3 responded to the scene and transported the victim to a local hospital. While the injuries do not appear to be life threatening, her condition is unknown at this time.

The suspect was described as a white male transient, wearing a dark jacket and baseball cap and was believed to still be in town. Officers conducted a search of the area and at approximately 1:22 pm, a 911 call came in reporting an altercation that was taking place near the Lewis Street Bridge in Monroe. Responding officers contacted the suspect on Sky River Park Drive near Village Way and he was taken into custody without incident. Property belonging to the victim was found on the suspect who had taken items from her personal belongings after the assault had occurred. A search warrant was obtained for his clothing and person. Recorded evidence from a security camera was recovered from the scene.

The 53-year-old male was transported to the Snohomish County Jail for booking on Rape in the First Degree, Assault II and Robbery.

For additional information on this press release, contact Administrative Director Debbie Willis at 360-863-4579.

August 30, 2011

MONROE – August 30, 2011 at 5:54 pm: A suspect in the Monroe bank robbery that occurred on August 29th was taken into custody without incident this evening in the 600 block of 46th St. SE in Everett. Detectives from Arlington, Monroe and Snohomish apprehended the suspect who is believed to be responsible for similar bank robberies that occurred in June, July and August of this year. This was a team effort as detectives from the three cities as well as the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office met this morning to compare notes and discuss strategy.

Of significance was a tip provided to police by a citizen after seeing the photo that was released to media from the August 29th robbery in Monroe. Information was provided which eventually led police to the Everett address. Outside the residence was the metallic blue Chevrolet Nova that was described by a witness from the City of Snohomish bank robbery that occurred on July 28th. A search warrant was obtained for the arrest and search of the residence and vehicle. Evidence items were seized from the third floor apartment and the vehicle was impounded.

The suspect, Harold C. Massena, age 52 of Everett was taken into custody and transported to the Snohomish County jail for booking.

For additional information on this media release, contact Administrative Director Debbie Willis at 360-794-6300.

August 29, 2011

MONROE – August 29, 2011 at 3:10 pm: Officers were dispatched to a robbery call at the Union Bank in the 200 block of W. Main Street. Officers arrived within minutes of the call. A bank teller described a male that had come into the bank and passed a note at the teller window demanding money. The suspect implied that he had a gun but it was not seen. The teller provided an unspecified amount of cash to the suspect. No one was hurt during this incident.

The suspect is described as a white male, mid 50’s, 5’5” and heavy set. He had gray hair and a beard and was wearing a black long sleeved shirt or jacket and blue jeans. The suspect fled the area in an unknown direction. The suspect is believed to be the same subject that robbed banks in Arlington on June 30th and Snohomish on July 28th. The suspect’s vehicle may be a metallic blue 1970’s passenger car with shiny mag wheels.

The FBI has been notified of the incident. The Monroe Police Department is continuing to investigate. Anyone with information regarding this robbery is asked to contact the Monroe Police Department at 360-794-6300. Anonymous information may be left on the Department’s tip line at 360-863-4600.

**Please note the attached picture is from the Snohomish robbery, it has been compared with the actual video from today.

For additional information on this media release, contact Administrative Director Debbie Willis at 360-794-6300.

FOR IMMEDIATE RLEASE (printable version)
August 10, 2011

Spinning for Special Olympics

MONROE: For the 9th consecutive year the Monroe Police Department will be participating in the “Spin a Thon” campaign benefiting Washington Special Olympics. In partnership with Thrive Community Fitness, this event will be held on Sunday, August 21, 2011 at 118 North Lewis Street, Monroe. The cyclists will have stationary bikes set up on Hill Street and will spin for ten hours, from 8 am to 6 pm, to raise money for Special Olympics. Some of the riders will be spinning for the entire ten hours while others work in teams to complete the ten hours. There is room for more riders to sign up for this event; please contact Sergeant Cindy Chessie at the Monroe Police Department for further information in participating or sponsoring a rider.

In support, the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum will be displaying three completely restored police vehicles for the public to view. The vehicles are an original 1970 Plymouth Satellite used by the Seattle Police Department, a 1967 Plymouth Fury I that was used by the King County Sheriff’s Office and a 1978 Plymouth Fury used by the Washington State Patrol.

The Monroe Police Department has worked hard to campaign for Special Olympics and has thus far raised $8,334.09 in 2011. Donations will be accepted during this event with 100% of all monies collected remaining in Snohomish County benefiting Special Olympians here. Those wishing to make a donation, but unable to stop by can still donate by sending a check to Washington Special Olympics c/o the Monroe Police Department, 818 West Main, Monroe, WA 98272.

For additional information on this press release, contact Administrative Director Debbie Willis.

July 25, 2011

CITY OF MONROE TO JOIN CITIES NATIONWIDE FOR AMERICA’S “NIGHT OUT AGAINST CRIME.”

Neighborhoods throughout Monroe are invited to participate in the “28th Annual National Night Out” (NNO), a crime and drug prevention event on Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011 at Lake Tye Park.

This event is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW) and co-sponsored locally by the Monroe Rotary and the Monroe Police Department.

National Night Out is designed to:
Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime efforts;
Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships;
Send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back against crime.

The Monroe Rotary and the Monroe Police Department will be partnering with community businesses, service groups, faith groups, service providers, Monroe Fire District #3, and citizens to present a local National Night Out celebration. Free food items will be available while supplies last. Other activities include five bouncy houses, face painting, child ID kits, speed pitch, a dunk tank and fifty community booths with free giveaways and safety messages. The scheduled activities/demonstrations for the evening are:

6:00 pm Event Starts – Scavenger Hunt, free food

6:15 pm National Anthem

6:25 pm West Coast Flight – Special Needs Cheer

6:45 pm Monroe Fire District #3 Water Rescue Demo

7:15 pm Monroe Police Department K-9 Demo

7:45 pm Monroe Police Department Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) Entry Demo

8:15 pm Monroe Police Department K-9 Demo

8:30 pm Dance Off for Mascots

For additional information on this media release, contact Administrative Director Debbie Willis at 360-794-6300.