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Searchers looking for South Kitsap man

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Police: Powell had images of incest on home computer

Associated Press

A computer in Josh Powell’s home had animated images that depicted “incestuous” sex, authorities say.

Pierce County Sheriff’s Detective Ed Troyer said Thursday night that the images collected by investigators from Powell’s home computer in Utah two years ago were realistic computer-generated depictions of “incestuous” parent-child relations. The images were disconcerting enough that they prompted a psychologist to recommend last week that Powell undergo an intensive psychosexual evaluation.

An attorney for Powell’s in-laws wasn’t invited to see the materials before a custody hearing last week. Lawyer Steve Downing says he might have asked the court to change the terms of Powell’s supervised visitation with the boys — if he had seen the images.

A few days after the hearing, Josh Powell torched his home, killing himself and the two young children.

See the full story from the Associated Press here.

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Body identified as missing Renton man

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified a body found Tuesday in North Renton as Ratchhin Duong, a 31-year-old man reported missing last week, according to Renton police.

Duong died from self-inflicted wounds to the neck and wrists, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Renton police would like to hear from anyone who may have seen Duong in the early morning hours of Feb. 4.

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Cats seized from filthy camper available for adoption

The first eight of the so-called “Camper Cats” seized from a camper in Auburn on Jan. 26 are available for adoption through Regional Animal Services of King County.

The county took custody of 73 cats and a dog after finding them in a man’s cramped, filthy camper on the back of a small pickup parked near a hospital. At the time, Jerry Reynolds said he had been living in the camper for five weeks to be closer to his girlfriend, who was hospitalized.

Staff and volunteers of Regional Animal Services have been working since then to care for the animals while the case moves forward.

“We’re glad that this story has a happy ending for these cats,” Regional Animal Services interim manager Glynis Frederiksen said in a news release. “People have been calling and visiting almost every day, wondering when the ‘Camper Cats’ would be available for adoption, so we know that these will find wonderful homes.”

Eight of the cats are available for adoption starting today at the King County Pet Adoption Center, 21615 64th Ave. S., in Kent. The cats, all males, have special needs.

The adoption fee is $30, which covers a pet license, neutering, initial vaccinations, microchipping and health examination. Additional “Camper Cats” may be available for adoption later this month.

You can learn more and view animals available for adoption by going to King County’s Regional Animal Services web site.

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Everett-area bank robbed this afternoon

The man walked into a bank in the 12700 block of Fourth Avenue West around 12:30 p.m. and demanded money from a teller. The man didn’t display a weapon, according to the sheriff’s office. The man fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.

A news release doesn’t name the bank, but there’s a Banner Bank branch at 12717 Fourth Ave. W.

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Detectives investigate fatal police shooting in Poulsbo

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal shooting last night involving three Poulsbo police officers at a Les Schwab Tire Center.

Sheriff’s spokesman Scott Wilson said that that Poulsbo police were called to the Les Schwab store around 6 p.m. for a report of a man with a gun. Wilson said that it’s unclear what transpired next. The armed man, described as being in his 20s, was fatally shot and died at the scene.

The Kitsap Sun reports that witnesses said they had seen a man yelling and acting strangely outside the store at 424 N.W. Edvard St.

The three officers who responded have all been placed on adminstrative leave. It’s unclear which of the three, if not all three, opened fire, Wilson said.

Kitsap County sheriff’s’ deputies are investigating the case because the incident involved a nearby police agency. Deputies are still speaking with witnesses and searching for possible business surveillance videos that captured the shooting.

“The question is who shot and how many times,” Wilson said.

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UPDATE: Pam Roach seeks info sent by Utah about Powell children

State Sen. Pam Roach is asking the state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to provide information sent by Utah police related to the custody of Braden and Charlie Powell.

On Feb. 1, West Valley City, Utah, police issued a news release indicating the agency had sent information to Washington state regarding the placement of Charles and Braden Powell. Four days later, the two boys were killed in a fire set by their father, Josh Powell, who was also killed in the blaze.

The police news release was sent on the same day as a Pierce County custody hearing in which a judge allowed the boys to continue living with their grandparents and ordered Josh Powell to undergo a psychosexual examination. Powell had lost custody of his sons last fall after police arrested his father on voyeurism and pornography charges.

At the time, Powell was considered by West Valley City police to be a person of interest in the December 2009 disappearance of his wife and the boys’ mother, Susan Powell. Following Sunday’s double-murder suicide, it was revealed that West Valley City police considered the case a homicide investigation as far back as six months.

“It appears DSHS was forewarned about information regarding Joshua Powell and the treatment of his boys,” Roach, R-Auburn, said in her news release.

According to the West Valley City police news release, the department noted it had “discovered information specifically related” to the boys’ welfare. “This information was provided to authorities in the State of Washington,” according to the news release, which doesn’t describe the information.

Although he did not have custody of his sons, Powell was allowed visitation. A caseworker was delivering the children for a visitation when Powell locked the boys in his home, attacked them with a hatchet and then ignited the gasoline-fueled fire that killed all three.

DSHS officials said today that West Valley City police sent images of “questionable taste” to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department before the Feb. 1 court hearing. Only a handful of people, including a psychologist who testified at the hearing, were allowed by court order to review the material or discuss it, said DSHS spokeswoman Sherry Hill.

“We were not among that handful,” Hill said.

The issue of what West Valley City police provided was addressed during the hearing, Hill said.

At the hearing, a Pierce County judge said she wouldn’t consider returning the boys to Josh Powell until he underwent a psychosexual evaluation, the News Tribune of Tacoma reported at the time.

A mental-health professional who examined Powell as part of the juvenile dependency matter involving his two young sons recommended the evaluation after learning Utah police investigating the disappearance of his wife found images of a questionable nature on a computer connected to Josh Powell, the newspaper reported. What the images depict was not discussed in court, but it was clear they were of a sexual nature.

DSHS spokesman Thomas Shapley said the material was delivered to the psychologist and through him to the court.

“There’s nothing been hidden here,” Shapley said.

Roach has sent a public records request to DSHS seeking the materials sent by West Valley City police before the Sunday visit.

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UPDATE: One dead in house fire near Puyallup

Fire scene in Puyallup, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012, where a man, Richard Howell, and his cat died, according to Central Pierce Fire and Rescue. (Photo by Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)

Fire investigators in Pierce County say one man was killed this morning in a house fire in the 5800 block of 48th Avenue East near Puyallup.

According to Randy Stephens, spokesman and assistant fire chief for Central Pierce Fire and Rescue, investigators found one victim, a 70-year-old man. Initially, firefighters feared there could be a second victim, but it turned out she had already left for work.

The initial call came in at 7:30 a.m. By the time firefighters arrived the house was fully engulfed in flames.

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Olympia auto thief gives truck owner rude awakening

An armed man stole a pickup in Olympia early this morning while the owner was sleeping in the truck bed, according to komonews.com. The pickup’s owner was snoozing in the canopy-covered truck bed around 1:14 a.m. when the thief climbed into the cab and drove off from the parking lot of the Capitol Medical Center.  The owner called 911 from inside the truck bed and gave dispatchers periodic updates on his location.

The thief drove the truck north on Highway 101 into Mason County, where he stopped, got out of the cab and walked toward the back of the truck armed with a knife, according to komonews.com.

The owner jumped out of the truck bed and ran to a nearby home to seek help.The thief drove off in the pickup. Police are looking for the thief and the pickup, a silver 1989 Toyota pickup with a  brown canopy and Washington license B59457N.

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Anti-gay church to protest at Powell brothers’ funeral

The  notoriously anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church plans to picket Saturday’s funeral for Charlie and Braden Powell. And Occupy Seattle plans a counterprotest.

According to the News Tribune of Tacoma, Margie Phelps, daughter of the Topeka, Kan.-based church’s founder, tweeted Wednesday night that the church will attend the boys’ memorial service to “remind” Gov. Christine Gregoire “they died because of her rebellion,” a reference to her support of same-sex marriage.

Occupy Seattle responded by calling for a counterprotest. The group’s Facebook page said its members don’t intend to disrupt the funeral, but want to “protect it from Westboro’s abhorrent message,” according to the News Tribune.

Braden Powell, 5, and his brother Charlie Powell, 7,  were killed Sunday in a fire set by their father, Josh Powell, in his Graham-area home during a supervised visit.

The funeral service for the boys is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Life Center Church in Tacoma.

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