‘Star Wars’ countdown: T-minus blockbuster B1, D1, D4
12.13.2015
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Three options for north light rail By Noah Haglund Herald Writer
IAN TERRY / THE HERALD
Through driving rain and wind, members of the Snohomish County Violent Offender Task Force make their way into a home off Ben Howard Road near Sultan while looking for fugitive Trent Jesmer on Dec. 8. Since forming three years ago, the special unit has made 804 arrests and taken more than 100 illegal firearms off the streets.
When the Violent Offender Task Force is looking, freedom’s likely fleeting for county’s most dangerous By Eric Stevick
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Herald Writer
MOKEY POINT — They’ve gone about their business with little fanfare. Quietly, which is the way they like it, the Snohomish County Violent Offender Task Force has made 804 arrests during its three years together. The total includes 201 registered sex offenders and hundreds of the county’s most dangerous felons. Often the people they’re hunting face years in prison versus days in jail and have little to lose by taking big risks. Some are caught with handguns in their waistbands. Fifteen were homicide suspects. Their quarry can be elusive. The team has tracked crooks into swamps and attics,
woods and outbuildings. One spent a night, scratched up and shivering, in a beaver dam along the Snohomish River. Another was 40 feet up a tree in Clearview before a few firehose blasts convinced him to come down. There was the vehicular homicide suspect Velcroed inside a couch. A kitchen cabinet with a false back concealed one fugitive. Another was in a crawl space behind a basement bookcase. It is getting harder to hide since the task force formed in January 2013. The 10-member squad includes deputy U.S. marshals, state Department of Corrections officers, deputy sheriffs and police officers from Arlington, Lake Stevens and Mukilteo. By combining forces, they don’t duplicate efforts. They share databases. They’re
cross-commissioned, which expands their legal authority and geographic jurisdiction. Each agency brings expertise. All four deputies graduated from local high schools. They know the county’s nooks and crannies, its crooks and their cronies. The state corrections officers have kept tabs on the offenders, often for many years, and have insight into patterns and old haunts. The marshals can track across the country and around the world. Their goal: work together to put more violent criminals and sex offenders behind bars quicker. Trust is their bedrock. “He knows what I know and I know what he knows,” sheriff ’s office Sgt. Keith See VIOLENT, Page A8
EVERETT — There’s a lot riding on decisions about building a light-rail system from Lynnwood to Everett. And beyond that, there’s a long journey ahead. New designs released this month show how Sound Transit’s Link trains might reach the heart of Snohomish County, in 15 to 25 years. There are trade-offs. A route that would reach Paine Field — a must-have for Snohomish County’s elected leaders — would come at significant cost and would lengthen commute times. That could complicate talks as Sound Transit board members try to balance the northern reaches of the system with proposed additions in Pierce County, the Eastside, Ballard and West Seattle. Proposed tunnels under downtown Seattle could eat up billions of dollars, but also might make the entire system run more smoothly. Adding costs to create a better system also might mean pushing out the timeline an extra five or 10 years. “Obviously, we’re going to have to negotiate a settlement on this because not everybody is going to get everything they want,” Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson said. Decisions about light-rail routes will help the Sound Transit board craft a tax measure known as ST3 for the November 2016 election. The board expects to release more details in March and draft the ballot measure by June. See RAIL, Page A9
Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . .E3 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . .D6 Dear Abby. . . . . . . . . . . . . .D6 Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . .D6 Lottery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A2 Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A13 Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D5 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . .B4
SAVING SWANS
MARINER TAP
NEW DIRECTION
Viewpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . .B7
Blusterous 46/41, C10
Keeping the skies safe for the majestic trumpeters. Outdoors, E1
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Mitch Canham’s remarkable baseball life. Sports, C1
Perspectives on the political reality of climate change. Viewpoints, B7
SUNDAY
VOL. 115, NO. 304 © 2015 THE DAILY HERALD CO.
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