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OPINION | Last issue for political letters before election [4]
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Drugs, bunkers, gun range found in police raid Kirkland resident charged, former Sonics player found in home
The following is the result of a Kirkland Reporter investigation. The story first appeared on kirklandreporter.com on Oct. 10.
BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
I
t seems too farfetched for even an episode of Breaking Bad. A drug operation 300
hundred feet away from an elementary school. Underground bunkers for growing marijuana and later a shooting range. “Johns” crawling through side windows to solicit prostitutes. And former Seattle Sonics basketball player Robert Swift.
Yet that is what Redmond and Kirkland police found after they raided a Juanita home on the same street as Helen Keller Elementary, where they discovered a small arsenal of weapons and drugs following years of neighborhood complaints. The Reporter
obtained the information in an investigation by gathering hundreds of police and court documents through public records requests. The owner, Trygve Lief Bjorkstam, 54, has been charged by the King County Prosecutor’s Office with buying, manufacturing
Local sex offender arrested in Seattle BY TJ MARTINELL
tmarinell@kirklandreporter.com
A 36-year-old Kirkland man and level three sex offender has been arrested after he was allegedly caught groping a woman in Seattle. The man, who is under Washington State Department of Corrections’ (DOC) supervision, was taken into custody Oct. 15 after he was recognized by DOC officers in a photo a Seattle woman posted on Twitter claiming he had groped her. The man was required to wear a GPS bracelet, which showed he had violated the terms of his probation. Though charges have not yet been filed, police are now investigating possible connections to other groping incidents reported in Seattle. The man was convicted in 2012 for third-degree assault after he grabbed a woman’s breast. He was
sentenced to 20 months in prison but only served five. He was also convicted of similar incidents in 2002 and 2003. He is registered as living in Kirkland at the 12200 block of 95th Pl NE. Shortly after he moved to Kirkland to live with his mother, the man received messages in May that were written on Dilbert comic strips telling him to move out of the neighborhood. “If you want sex, go pay a hooker,” the message also read. The message prompted a community meeting, in which the man apologized for his past behavior. He also said he did not like children, only women, which made the attendees uncomfortable, according to police documents. The man later complained a neighbor would ride by the house on his bike and give him dirty looks.
and selling methamphetamine and heroin out of his home on the 14000 block of 108th Ave. NE. His bail has been set at $60,000. During the Oct. 4 raid, police found drug paraphernalia strewn inside of the house, as well as 26 [ more RAID page 8 ]
Top Pot opens in Kirkland BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
Two brothers enjoy doughnuts at Top Pot during its grand opening Friday in Juanita Village for its newest and 18th cafe. The cafe is located at 11701 97th Lane NE Suite R-1 and is open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the weekend. Top Pot also offers coffee brewed in small batches. TJ MARTINELL, Kirkland Reporter
Top Pot held a grand opening Friday in Juanita Village for its newest and 18th cafe. The cafe is located at 11701 97th Lane NE Suite R-1 and is open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the weekend. Co-founder Mark Klebeck, who started Top Pot with his brother, Michael, said they were always interested in opening up in Kirkland but were searching for the right location. “Juanita Village seemed to fit with us,” he said. “We wanted something different.” [ more TOP POT page 3 ]
Kirkland City Council takes a side in gun debate, endorses I-594 BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
The Kirkland City Council has voted to take a side in a state-wide battle over two opposing state gun initiatives. At a special meeting Oct. 13, the council voted 6-1 in favor of a resolution expressing support for Initiative 594, while passing
a separate resolution opposing Initiative 591. If approved, I-591 would require background checks for all gun purchases and transfers in the state, though the initiative provides exemptions for gifts between immediate family members or for antiques. I-591 would prohibit law enforcement from confiscating guns without due
process, or from requiring background checks on firearm recipients unless a uniform national standard is required. I-591 has been endorsed by the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs (WACOPS), of which the Kirkland Police Guild is a member. WACOPS also
opposes I-594. The vote came up after Kirkland residents requested the council support I-594. The idea was taken up by the legislative committee, headed by Council member Dave Asher. The committee voted to consider I-594 but also recommended
considering I-591. Before a vote was taken, the council heard arguments from representatives of the Yes on I-594 campaign, Yes on I-591 campaign, and No on I-594 campaign. Advocates for I-594 argued that there needs to be a law that outlaws private gun purchases without background check. Opponents, including a licensed firearms instructor
and combat veteran, stated that I-594 defines a gun transfer in such a way every time he hands someone a firearm he will be breaking the law. Section 2, paragraph 25, defines a transfer as “the intended delivery of a firearm to another person without consideration of payment or promise of payment [ more GUNS page 3 ]