Christopher Monfort, Suspect in Murder of Officer Tim Brenton, Wanted to Be a Cop
UPDATE: Some officers think the department didn't give them enough warning prior to Brenton's murder. Details after the jump.
Christopher Monfort as a UW scholar in 2008.
Thanks to the hard work of reporters at the Seattle Times and P-I, we now know a lot more about Christopher Monfort, the 41-year-old Tukwila man suspected of killing Officer Timothy Brenton on Halloween night. And the more we learn, the more Monfort lines up with the profile provided by Seattle police on Thursday: a man who both acts like, and admires, the police officer he gunned down.
The paper-trail left behind by Monfort suggests a man whose idealism may have soured over time into disillusionment. Rosemary Stevens rented a room to Monfort 18 years ago in Pasadena. The actress tells the P-I that while he was working as a waiter in a steakhouse, Monfort's dream was to wear a badge for the L.A.P.D.
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Note Threatening Police Found Shortly Before Murder of Officer Timothy Brenton
UPDATE: Police now believe that Christopher Monfort, the suspect in the murder of Officer Tim Brenton, is also responsible for the fires. Details after the jump. 
Did the torching of three police cars have anything to do with the murder of a Seattle cop?
On October 22nd, someone torched four police vehicles including three squad cars in a city maintenance yard near Qwest Field. Police didn't say much about it then, labeling the incident an arson without releasing many details. Now, in light of the murder of Officer Timothy Brenton, a source has told the Seattle Times that investigators may be taking a closer look at the fires.
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Mike McGinn's Lead Grows, Recount Almost Certain
UPDATE: McGinn has established a commanding lead. At least, relative to how close things have been so far. More details after the jump.
What we're headed for.
The small lead enjoyed by mayoral candidate Mike McGinn got slightly less small yesterday. McGinn picked up 53 more votes than did opponent Joe Mallahan, giving him 515 more votes at the moment. However, with 138,000 ballots left to score, a number nearly equal to the amount already counted, the election is far from decided.
An extra 27,000-plus ballots were received by King County elections yesterday. And another 4,700 have been challenged because the signatures on them don't match the signatures on file. All of which means that we're probably headed for a recount. Now it's just a matter of figuring out which kind.
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Suspect in Tim Brenton's Murder Shot by Police
Minutes after the Key Arena Memorial Service for slain Officer Tim Brenton had ended, a 41-year-old man suspected in his murder was shot in the head by Seattle police in Tukwila. The suspect is currently in critical condition at Harborview.
Tim Brenton's killer may be in police custody.
Police received a tip that a car matching the Datsun suspected of being used in the drive-by was draped with a cover outside of an apartment complex. When officers tried to stop the car's owner he turned and fled up an exterior staircase. When the man pulled a gun the cops shot him multiple times. Two men connected with the suspect were also arrested.
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Judgement Day: Rebecca Long Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison
Last month, a King County Superior Court judge gave Jon Pomeroy the maximum penalty for his role in the purposeful starvation of his daughter. Just hours ago, Rebecca Long, Pomeroy's estranged wife and the source of the abuse that left her teenage stepdaughter weighing just 48 pounds, was sentenced to the same—41 months in prison.
The ruling came at the end of a day of wrangling between Long's defense team and King County prosecutors. Long's attorney, Robert Wayne tried and failed to keep under seal evidence of Long's alleged psychological difficulties. He'd stated in previous hearings that Long's behavior could be explained by Disassociative Identity Disorder and requested that she receive a more lenient sentence. Presiding judge William Downing ultimately declined to oblige.
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Comment of the Day: Terry Lee Alexander Inspires Conflicting Feelings
Readers Kris and Robyn respond to Should Terry Lee Alexander, the "Obituary Burglar," be Given a Second Chance? Looks like they'll have to agree to disagree.
Kris doesn't think Terry Lee Alexander deserves a second chance.
Kris: "Sad thing is Terry hasn't turned his life around, and those folks don't need to be hurt by him. He's done nothing but hurt the people around him and has no remorse for the crimes he's done over the years. Yes I can say this because I know him and have for years."
Robyn: "Thank you for telling the real story. And yes, Mr. Alexander should be allowed to keep his job. He has paid his debt to society and has turned his life around. He deserves the chance!"
How Green is YOUR Sex Life?
Lovers, rejoice. Local resident April Cook has just launched Seattle Green Toys, a store that specializes in selling non-toxic sex toys. It features all-natural products like wooden dildos, vegan condoms, and organic lube... kind of like Trader Joe's or Mud Bay, but more exciting. 
So why should you drop $21 on a 1 oz. bottle of herbal anal relaxing spray? Because unlike many anal sprays out there, this one, with clove, goji berry, and lemongrass, won't numb your sphincter, according to the product description. (I'd argue that numbness is preferable in this situation, at least for hetero females... but I digress.)
Jack Daws' Golden Penny Finds Home in Brooklyn
Back in 2007, Seattle sculptor Jack Daws cast 10 pennies in 18-karat gold then dipped them in copper. Nine of them he kept. One he did not.
Jack Daws' experiment means it's even harder to pass up that penny on the ground.
As Jennifer 8. Lee of the New York Times reports, in March of that year Daws carefully counted out $11.90, including the gold penny, for a Hustler magazine at a Los Angeles International Airport newsstand. Daws stuck around long enough to have a cup of coffee, wondering if the purchases he was watching included his coin. Then he left.
For two years he heard nothing. Then, late this summer, Daws got a voicemail from a woman in Brooklyn. "I think I found your gold penny," the message said.
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What Will Susan Hutchison Run for Next?
Susan Hutchison's "thank you" letter to supporters this morning is anything but defeatist. She acknowledges that this one didn't work out (Dow Constantine is up 58 percent to 42 percent of the votes counted so far). But she's not going anywhere thanks to a big "chin up" from astronaut John Glenn.
Wikipedia John Glenn sez: Susan Hutchison's got the right stuff.
In 1962, Glenn, as older readers and nerds may remember, was famously the first American astronaut to circle the globe from space. Then he testified before Congress that women couldn't be astronauts. (Note: Glenn's a Democrat. See, they can be haters too.) In 1970 he ran for the U.S. Senate and lost. But four years later he made it to the hallowed halls of Washington.
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Colton Harris-Moore Wanted...on Craigslist
From the encouragable bastards running the Colton Harris-Moore Fan Club comes this Craigslist post in search of (what else?) the baby-faced burglar:
Colton Harris Moore - $5000 (Camano Island)Wanted 1 fairly used with no scratches Colton Harris Moore .
Perferr an unshaven model with pubesant facial hair.Must come barefoot . Extra bonus if it squeels like a pig and comes with all the stolen goods from the past two years.Must be delivered in time for Colton Harris week on Camano Island starting 10-16-09 ending 10-22-09. I would like to display it in the window of my shop .
Ex-Boeing Employee Gino Augustus Turrella Convicted for Threatening E-Mails
Gino Augustus Turrella, a 47-year-old ex-Boeing machinist from Des Moines, was convicted on Friday for sending threatening e-mails to his former employer.
Flickr This is the way most Boeing machinists register a complaint with management.
According to prosecutors, Turrella's beef began in 2004 after he was suspended for not complying with orders. When Turrella came back, co-workers noticed threatening graffiti on the walls of the men's bathroom. Months later someone mailed the boss who suspended Turrella a single bullet.
Turrella was eventually fired in 2005. Two years later, prosecutors say the threats began anew.
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Seattle Blogs: Tim Brenton Memorial Slideshow
Today's blogs don't mind getting stuck in traffic so long as it's for a good cause.
Central District News A woman pays her respects to fallen Officer Tim Brenton.
- Central District News has the most complete slideshow of today's Tim Brenton memorial procession.
- Goldy at HorsesAss pats himself on the back for predicting a Senate run for former King County Executive Candidate Susan Hutchison.
- My Ballard reports that someone swiped the Swedish flag from Bergen Place. Authorities describe the suspect as tall, blonde and reeking of fermented herring.
Tim Lincecum Busted for Pot Possession
UPDATE: Prosecutors dropped the possession charge against Lincecum. Details after the jump.
You don't get nicknamed "The Freak" if you don't occasionally get freaky.
According to the Washington State patrol, former University of Washington pitching star and current San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum was busted for pot possession last Friday. Lincecum was pulled over for going 74 mph on I-5 near Hazel Dell. When he rolled down the window of his 2006 Mercedes the officer smelled what most of us first described as a "funny cigarette."
Because he was carrying three grams, Lincecum received only a misdemeanor citation. The 25-year-old Cy Young winner entered a plea of not guilty and is currently scheduled to appear before a judge on December 22nd.
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Jon Stewart's Glenn Beck Takedown
If you happened to be on Twitter last night around 11 PM, you probably saw the words "epic," "Jon Stewart" and "Glenn Beck" strung together no less than a dozen times. The Daily Show host used the occasion of Beck's emergency appendicitis to launch into a perfectly absurd parody of the Fox host's perfectly absurd 9/12 project.
It's eight minutes long and it...is...brilliant.
Everett Officer Troy Meade Pleads Not Guilty to Manslaughter
Forty-one-year-old Everett cop Troy Meade has plead not guilty in the shooting death of Niles Meservey. Meade shot Meservey seven times in the back while the Stanwood man was sitting in his Corvette.
Niles Meservey was shot seven times in the back.
Meade's lawyer claims that his client only fired because he feared for his life. But witnesses at the scene including a fellow officer say Meservey wasn't a threat because he was wedged up against a chain link fence when Meade fired through the car's rear window. Meade remains free without bail.
For more on the story, see also: Everett Officer Troy Meade Charged After Shooting Drunk Driver Seven Times.
