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DOL shuts down local driving school after investigation Totem Lake driving school owner denies allegations of violating state laws BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@kirklandreporter.com
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Fans get a kick out of Seahawks’ Hauschka Above, eager fans speak with Seahawks’ placekicker Steven Hauschka at the Starbucks in downtown Kirkland on Oct. 24. Hauschka acted as a “guest barista” and signed autographs as part of the “A Better Seattle” campaign that Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and several other Seahawks promoted. Right, Hauschka signs a young fan’s football during the event. For more information about the campaign, visit ABetterSeattle.com. RAECHEL DAWSON, Kirkland Reporter
Police seek suspect of alleged kidnapping victim police Lt. Mike Murray said, adding that it seemed like a domestic Kirkland police surviolence case. rounded the Evergreen Police are now actively Hill Safeway Oct. 23 after looking for the Renton hearing reports man in the althat a potentially leged kidnapping armed man had and sexual assault assaulted his of the 28-year-old girlfriend and was Renton woman, holding her against according to a her will at the Renton Police grocery store. Department news Luis A. Martinez Police said the release. suspect, 25-yearRenton police old Luis A. Martireported there nez, was able to escape. was probable cause to ar“He could have been rest Martinez for invesone of the customers that tigation of kidnapping, walked out while we were rape and auto theft. getting here,” Kirkland The assault occurred BY RAECHEL DAWSON
rdawson@kirklandreporter.com
in Renton, but Renton police weren’t contacted until about 3:30 p.m. last Wednesday by police officers in Kirkland, where the victim had managed to escape. Renton police said that the woman met Martinez at a Renton restaurant on Wednesday regarding some paperwork. Martinez allegedly had a few drinks before getting into the victim’s car with her. While the woman was driving, police said Martinez pulled out a handgun and racked the slide and told her she would be spending the day with him.
Martinez allegedly forced her to drive to several locations and at one location police say he pressed his gun into her side and sexually assaulted her. The two then stopped at the Kirkland Safeway. “While the victim was getting help, Martinez used the victim’s debit card to withdraw several hundred dollars from her account at an ATM,” the Renton police news release states. “Once Martinez realized that the victim had escaped, he left in her car, which he gassed up before disap[ more KIDNAP page 7 ]
ashington State Department of Licensing officials recently shut down a Totem Lake driving school after completing an investigation that alleges the owner violated several state laws. Coast to Coast driving school, located at 12305 120th Ave. NE in Kirkland, was opened in 2010 by owner Sotiris Calagiu but his operation ceased on Oct. 15 and customers were notified the following day to go elsewhere. The DOL also shuttered the school’s other location in Seattle at 7101 MLK Jr. Way South. The DOL alleges Calagiu violated at least 18 Washington Administrative Codes (WAC) and Revised Codes of Washington (RCW) laws. The charges ranged from hiring a felon to making racist remarks in front of customers. But Calagiu denies the majority of the allegations and insists Coast to Coast’s mission is to provide students with driving skills so they can be the safest on the road. “I am a professional and I care for the students, for the customer,” Calagiu said. “And I strive to do my best at all times.” DOL spokeswoman Christine Anthony said the investigation started last June during the annual audit, when the auditor found some irregularities in the records. “Once we started digging, a whole bunch of allegations came out by the employees and complaints from the students,” Anthony said. “It took us several months [to conduct the investigation].” One of the biggest viola-
SOTIRIS CALAGIU
tions the DOL discovered was that Calagiu had hired an unlicensed convicted felon as a driving instructor. Danielle Faafiti was denied her instructor’s license after a background check showed she was convicted around 2008 of three counts of forgery. However, she was able to go through the hours of training it takes to become an instructor. According to Calagiu, Faafiti lied to him that the crime was something small that happened in 2001. “I made the mistake of getting her hired,” Calagiu said. “ … I shouldn’t have but I got strapped by the situation and I needed people to work because business was going fast.” After DOL officials caught Faafiti in the act proceeding to instruct a student on a drive Aug. 20, Coast to Coast could no longer give students the knowledge or driving test. “[It was] very stressful,” Calagiu said. “We have hundreds of customers, not just one or two or 10, 20. We have hundreds - both teenage students and adults.” Calagiu met with the DOL on Sept. 5 to admit his mistake in hiring Faafiti and asked for clemency. He said [ more DRIVING page 8 ]