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FIRE | Bothell mobile home, two cars destroyed on hottest day of the year [2]
FRIDAY, JULY 5, 2013
Alan Smith charged with wife’s murder, confesses to friend Bothell police called to home several times before arrest, including for lewd acts in front yard with pregnant girlfriend
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busy two weeks of 911 calls to Bothell police culminated June 28 as Snohomish County prosecutors charged a Bothell man with the first-degree murder of his estranged wife, more than four months after the crime.
Court documents shed during his hearing June 28. more light on the The Snohomish police investigation County prosecutor and evidence against believes that Smith Alan Justin Smith. beat his estranged They also state that wife Susann Smith to Smith confessed the death in their Bothell crime to a friend. home in February. Smith is currently Alan Justin Smith Police obtained a in the Snohomish statement from Alan County Jail after a Smith’s friend on judge set his bail at $1 million June 25. The man, who is also
a licensed Christian minister, her mental issues,” the docutold police he and ments state. Smith recently sat in Thai recently told his car in the parking media that she is lot of a coffee shop. pregnant with Alan During the conversaSmith’s baby. tion, Smith allegedly The man told told the man his life investigators that “he was in chaos. He was sure Alan Smith Susann Smith stated that he was knew he was acting over his head “with as a supportive friend [his girlfriend] Love Thai and and not as any kind of a pri-
Inglemoor students, parents tight-lipped about hazing incident
End of an era
BY MATT PHELPS mphelps@bothell-reporter.com
Above, a worker stands inside a gigantic tree on the grounds of the old Northshore School District property. All of the trees on the block next to Bothell Way N.E. were removed June 26 to make way for a new development. Right, the old Northshore sign shows the immense size of the old trees. MATT PHELPS, Bothell Reporter
Bothell considers regional fire authority to replace fire department BY MATT PHELPS mphelps@bothell-reporter.com
The cost of fire and emergency services continues to rise each year and many cities struggle to keep up. Bothell is no different. The Bothell City Council voted June 18 to direct city
vate or privileged conversation regarding his confession to him.” He told Alan Smith he could help him and the two took a walk. He asked Alan Smith if he had anything to do with his wife’s murder and he allegedly responded, “Yes, I did it to her” and began to cry uncontrollably, according [ more MURDER page 5 ]
staff to start looking into the possibility of forming a regional fire authority. The controversial move could ultimately cut costs and increase services. A regional fire authority would replace the Bothell Fire Department and potentially merge services
with departments in other cities. The city of Kirkland is also looking into the idea, according to one Bothell City Council member. The benefit is better coordination and lower overhead, effectively reducing redundancies, city staff said. “A [regional fire author-
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ity] would effectively put more boots on the ground,” said Bothell City Manager Bob Stowe, who also said it would give the city a better chance of keeping up with the costs of emergency services long-term. It could supply Bothell [ more FIRE page 6 ]
A hazing incident connected with the Inglemoor High School group “The Naked Vikes” shocked the Northshore community and beyond this week. Snohomish County Deputies found 12 males, ages 16 to 18, on Monday night in a wooded area in north Bothell after they received a 911 call from nearby residents. Seven of the boys were identified as victims and were bent over a log with open wounds from being struck with switches. Police have identified five potential suspects connected with the Naked Vikes. But now almost everyone, including the parents of the victims, are not talking about the incident. “None of the other parents are coming forward and I should not be the only one,” said Sara Walvatne, whose son James Walvatne was
one of the victims. “It was criminal what happened and now none of the boys will say anything. I am appalled that no one else will come forward.” Sara Walvatne said that a parent of another victim told her he would not talk to the media or police because he is afraid that his son will lose his scholarship. She said that James’ father was planning to meet with an attorney about the incident. “How do you lose a scholarship for being the victim?” asked Sara Walvatne. “It doesn’t make any sense.” James Walvatne has also stopped talking. “We are trying to get him to understand that people need to know about this,” said Sara Walvatne. She also said that she heard another hazing incident, like the one her son was involved in, took place last year. The police were also called in that case as well but no charges [ more HAZING page 6 ]
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BY MATT PHELPS mphelps@bothell-reporter.com