,
.com
SEARCH OF A LIFETIME | Abandoned as a baby, local woman finds mom in Africa [3]
VOL. 15, NO. 5
Mirror
F E D E R A L WAY
division of Sound Publishing
OPINION | Roegner: Which way is Federal Way leaning these days? [8] Letters: The battle against human trafficking [8] CRIME BLOTTER | Hit-and-run suspect makes pit stop in the driveway [7] SEXY TIME | Essential romance advice for the man who wants more sex [12]
SPORTS | Prep basketball updates in FW. CALENDAR | ‘Lena Horne Songbook’ will premiere in Federal Way [21-22] FRIDAY, FEB. 1, 2013 | 50¢ Plus: Neagle returns to Sounders [26]
Thieves ‘Win or lose, everybody has a smile’ Federal Way Public Schools target offer students with disabilities a chance to get out and play Marine Hills By CASEY OLSON
sports@federalwaymirror.com
Mirror staff reports
Federal Way police are warning citizens about a series of residential burglaries and mail thefts in the Marine Hills neighborhood. The majority of these incidents occurred between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. weekdays from Jan. 1 to Jan. 24, police said. Located off Dash Point Road near Redondo, Marine Hills has a crime prevention group that utilizes the Safe City network to communicate online to alert police and other residents. Officers have patrolled the neighborhood and have identified possible suspects and suspicious vehicles, according to police.
On Jan. 30, Beamer’s Laura Gorgen plays defense (top) and Decatur’s Cody Peterson (left) looks to pass the ball to during games at Saghalie Middle School. PHOTOS BY CASEY OLSON, The Mirror
Incidents
SPECIAL OLYMPICS
• At 10:59 a.m. Jan. 2 in the 800 block of South Marine Hills Way, an attempted burglary was reported on a vacant home. The suspect was a white female with dark hair, about 24 years old, driving a green 1999 Kia Spectra. The suspect was accompanied by a white male passenger, about age 50, who had a goatee and was balding. • At 8:48 p.m. Jan. 5 in the 28000 block of 7th Avenue South, there was [ more THIEVES, page 25 ]
For more information about the district’s Special Olympics athletic programs, contact Sharon Boyle at (253) 945-5576 or email sboyle@fwps.org. To learn more about Special Olympics in Washington, visit specialolympicswashington. org. You can make donations to the organization at the website.
NEWSPAPER RACKS: To see a list of rack locations for the print edition of The Mirror, visit federalwaymirror.com/about_us.
The atmosphere was electric inside the gym at Saghalie Middle School on Wednesday night. The players on four basketball teams chomped at the bit to get on the court. The fans in the bleachers were ready to watch, and the entire Decatur High School cheerleading squad was in full regalia, setting the mood. Getting excited to watch Decatur play a basketball game is nothing new in Federal Way. The school has always been known as being basketball crazy. The Gators’ boys basketball program has qualified for the past six state tournaments and 13 overall. But these weren’t your “normal” Decatur basketball players on the court Wednesday night. The 18 teenagers were part of the school’s Special Olympics Unified basketball program. Teri Robbins and Chase Ralphs are building another basketball dynasty at Decatur. The mother-son combination coaches Decatur’s two Unified basketball teams, which includes the defending state champions. Decatur rolled to the title in the Seniors Unified Division during the 2012 Special Olympics Winter Games in Wenatchee last March. Decatur dominated the Puyallup High School Vikings in the state title game, 64-34, and the current Gators are a combined 10-0 this season and seem primed for a repeat. But state titles aren’t the most important thing, according to Robbins, who also works as a para-educator at Decatur. “Win or lose, everybody has a smile on their face,” she said. That’s always been the mantra for the Special Olympics. However, the Unified Sports arm is a little bit different. The teams join people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. [ more UNIFIED, page 19 ]
Is a sexual predator grooming your child at church? By ANDY HOBBS editor@federalwaymirror.com
It happened right under the mother’s nose: a youth minister at church was molesting her 3-yearold daughter. The youth minister, age 23 at the time, worked well with children and seemed destined for a career in
that capacity. helped around the house, played The mother shrugged off with the girl and mentored her rumors about the minister’s older son. past conviction as a sex of“He was so good with SPECIAL fender. After all, the church the kids,” said the mother, a was supposed to be a safe local resident whose name and forgiving place of accepis being withheld to protect tance, and the youth minister her privacy. was popular in the church family. A red flag surfaced when she He gained the mother’s trust as he came home one day and noticed
REPORT
the daughter was less excited about her mother’s return and more interested in the minister leaving. She spotted more odd behavior, including the minister’s eagerness to spend time with her daughter. She asked serious questions that led to the revelation of abuse. In the years since the abuse, she [ more ABUSE, page 25 ]