Latest news with #PierceCountySuperiorCourt
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Yahoo
Man charged in shooting that injured 2 outside Pierce County motel last week
A Kent man is accused of shooting and injuring two people outside a motel in Fife on Thursday. Prosecutors have charged Xaeyante Chamar Owens, 27, with two counts of first-degree assault. A plea of not guilty was entered on Owens' behalf during his arraignment Monday afternoon. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set bail at $10,000, court records show. Fife officers were dispatched at 1:17 a.m. to a Motel 6 in the 5200 block of 20th Street East for a shooting. The person who reported the incident told dispatch her boyfriend was involved and a hotel clerk. A Shot Spotter device also detected eight gunshots in the area, according to charging documents. Officers learned two males who wore hoodies ran from the scene along the west side of the motel. Several shell casings were found in the area, documents show. Through security footage, it appeared there was an altercation between several people in a parking lot where the shell casings were found, documents show. A person fired a gunshot at two people, both males, who then ran off and drove away in a white vehicle. Documents say Tacoma police officers later found the two injured inside a vehicle on Puyallup Avenue. They were taken to a hospital and underwent emergency surgery, documents show. Both were in stable condition Monday, according to a Fife police spokesperson. Documents show a witness told police the alleged shooter and an associate ran through the motel after the shooting and entered Room 252. The room was registered to Owens and another male. Officers later tracked the alleged shooter and an associate who ran to Room 203, where they remained. Police secured the room and instructed the people inside to exit. Owens was one of the two people to exit first. Documents show that Owens' appearance matched the alleged shooter in the surveillance footage. Five people, including Owens, were detained. He was the only person to be arrested, according to a News Tribune report. Owens allegedly told officers he had a handgun in his pocket, which officers suspected is the same caliber as the shell casings found in the parking lot, documents show. Police took Owens to the Fife Police Department for an interview, documents show. Owens allegedly admitted to shooting both victims, claiming it was self-defense. He also allegedly acknowledged that neither victim was armed or threatened him, according to charging documents. Records show Owens has been arrested in Louisiana and Washington but has not been convicted.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
‘Me or him.' Tacoma man charged with fatally shooting 66-year-old stepfather
A Tacoma man is accused of intentionally killing his 66-year-old stepfather in their home Thursday afternoon. Prosecutors charged Jason Matthew Frederick, 45, with first-degree murder for the shooting. A plea of not guilty was entered on Frederick's behalf during his arraignment Friday. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Pro Tempore Meagan Foley set his bail at $1 million. The victim has not yet been identified, pending confirmation from the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office. Officers were dispatched at 5:24 p.m. to a home in the 5800 block of Pacific Avenue after a woman reported her son, Frederick, just shot her husband. She said it was intentional and the victim was Frederick's stepfather, according to charging documents. Frederick walked down the stairs when officers arrived and complied with their demands, documents show. The victim was sitting in a recliner near a pool of blood. He appeared to have been shot in the back of the head and was dead, which was later confirmed by firefighters. A search of the home showed the shotgun used in the shooting was partially concealed in a case located in a basement bedroom, according to documents. Frederick's mother told officers that her son had been 'acting crazy lately' and her other son tried to stop the defendant from shooting the man, document show. After officers advised Frederick of his Miranda rights, he allegedly told police that his stepfather had been been starving him and that he 'prevented a bunch of bad things from happening.' When asked by an officer how he did that, Frederick allegedly said, 'I shot him ... I shot [the victim,]' according to charging documents. Frederick allegedly said he intended to shoot the victim with the shotgun. He allegedly told police, 'He's been married to my mom for a long time ... things just started getting more intense, you know. It got to feeling like it was gonna be me or him first,' documents show. His mother told detectives in an interview at Tacoma Police Department Headquarters that Frederick had been living in the home after he was injured in a car crash, documents show. His mother alleged Frederick had been 'abnormally paranoid' and focused on his stepfather, documents show. She said there had been arguments between the two but did not know of any physical altercations. She said before the shooting, she was making dinner and her husband was in his recliner in the living room, documents show. She saw Frederick allegedly carrying a shotgun when he walked towards his stepdad. She heard a gunshot and shouted, 'You just shot my husband.' Frederick allegedly responded with, 'Yeah, I shot him.' He then went upstairs until police arrived, according to his mother. Frederick made several allegations against the victim, at one point claiming he was a 'computer scammer' and that he was mentally abusive, documents show. Frederick told detectives that before the shooting he was stuck in the basement most of the day, documents show. He allegedly reiterated that 'it got to a point where I felt it was either me or him, documents show.' He said that he allegedly got the shotgun from its case, put one shell in and '...went upstairs... execution style,' documents show. Frederick allegedly described to detectives shooting his stepfather in the head and his mother's reaction. When his mother asked him why, Frederick allegedly replied, 'Well, I think you know why.' Court records show Frederick has previous convictions, including driving with a suspended license from 2007 in Gig Harbor and driving under the influence in 2005.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
‘Me or him.' Tacoma man charged with fatally shooting 66-year-old stepfather
A Tacoma man is accused of intentionally killing his 66-year-old stepfather in their home Thursday afternoon. Prosecutors charged Jason Matthew Frederick, 45, with first-degree murder for the shooting. A plea of not guilty was entered on Frederick's behalf during his arraignment Friday. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Pro Tempore Meagan Foley set his bail at $1 million. The victim has not yet been identified, pending confirmation from the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office. Officers were dispatched at 5:24 p.m. to a home in the 5800 block of Pacific Avenue after a woman reported her son, Frederick, just shot her husband. She said it was intentional and the victim was Frederick's stepfather, according to charging documents. Frederick walked down the stairs when officers arrived and complied with their demands, documents show. The victim was sitting in a recliner near a pool of blood. He appeared to have been shot in the back of the head and was dead, which was later confirmed by firefighters. A search of the home showed the shotgun used in the shooting was partially concealed in a case located in a basement bedroom, according to documents. Frederick's mother told officers that her son had been 'acting crazy lately' and her other son tried to stop the defendant from shooting the man, document show. After officers advised Frederick of his Miranda rights, he allegedly told police that his stepfather had been been starving him and that he 'prevented a bunch of bad things from happening.' When asked by an officer how he did that, Frederick allegedly said, 'I shot him ... I shot [the victim,]' according to charging documents. Frederick allegedly said he intended to shoot the victim with the shotgun. He allegedly told police, 'He's been married to my mom for a long time ... things just started getting more intense, you know. It got to feeling like it was gonna be me or him first,' documents show. His mother told detectives in an interview at Tacoma Police Department Headquarters that Frederick had been living in the home after he was injured in a car crash, documents show. His mother alleged Frederick had been 'abnormally paranoid' and focused on his stepfather, documents show. She said there had been arguments between the two but did not know of any physical altercations. She said before the shooting, she was making dinner and her husband was in his recliner in the living room, documents show. She saw Frederick allegedly carrying a shotgun when he walked towards his stepdad. She heard a gunshot and shouted, 'You just shot my husband.' Frederick allegedly responded with, 'Yeah, I shot him.' He then went upstairs until police arrived, according to his mother. Frederick made several allegations against the victim, at one point claiming he was a 'computer scammer' and that he was mentally abusive, documents show. Frederick told detectives that before the shooting he was stuck in the basement most of the day, documents show. He allegedly reiterated that 'it got to a point where I felt it was either me or him, documents show.' He said that he allegedly got the shotgun from its case, put one shell in and '...went upstairs... execution style,' documents show. Frederick allegedly described to detectives shooting his stepfather in the head and his mother's reaction. When his mother asked him why, Frederick allegedly replied, 'Well, I think you know why.' Court records show Frederick has previous convictions, including driving with a suspended license from 2007 in Gig Harbor and driving under the influence in 2005.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Driver charged in Pierce County wreck that killed motorcyclist riding next to wife
A 42-year-old Puyallup woman accused of driving drunk and colliding head-on with a motorcycle in South Hill over Memorial Day weekend, killing a man who was riding next to his wife, was charged Tuesday with vehicular homicide. A plea of not guilty was entered on Christy Lynn Carter's behalf at an arraignment hearing Tuesday afternoon. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Scott Peters ordered her held in jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. Court records show Carter is an employee with the City of Bonney Lake. According to her LinkedIn page, she is an accounting specialist. She has no prior criminal history. A defense attorney was not listed in court records. Asked about the city's employment of Carter, the City of Bonney Lake's assistant to the city administrator, Leslie Harris, told The News Tribune on Wednesday that it is the city's standard practice not to share information on employment matters. According to charging documents, Carter was driving a 2019 Jeep Cherokee on Sunday, May 25, going east on 152nd Street East at high speed. At the same time, a husband and wife were riding their motorcycles west. Carter's vehicle was reportedly out of control when it exited a right-hand corner and then crossed the center line, striking one of the motorcycles head on. The collision occurred shortly before 5:30 p.m. near Pope Elementary School. The man riding the motorcycle was ejected and died at impact, according to the probable cause document. The Sheriff's Office said the second motorcyclist was grazed by the Jeep. Deputies said the Jeep continued for another 100 yards, taking out street signs and a fire hydrant before coming to a rest. The victim has not yet been identified by the Medical Examiner's Office. KING 5 identified him as a 'beloved' biker who was a veteran and reported that dozens of people from various bike clubs met on Memorial Day to honor his memory. Carter was contacted at the collision scene by deputies, and a portable breath test recorded her blood-alcohol level at 0.15 percent, above the legal limit of 0.08. She allegedly told deputies she had two alcoholic seltzers and a cannabis gummy earlier in the day. The woman told deputies she did not remember what happened, according to the probable cause document, but she remembered being hit in the face at impact. Deputies reported she had a minor nose injury likely caused by the air bag deploying.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ex-Pierce County court clerk gets $1M after complaints of toxic work environment
The Pierce County Council unanimously approved a settlement for $1 million to former Pierce County Superior Court Clerk Constance White on Tuesday in response to a claim White filed on March 31 alleging discrimination and retaliation against her as an African American woman. According to the claim, which asked for a $5.5 million settlement, White alleged since 2022 she was discriminated against based on her status. White said her input was sought on issues like race but 'as to the merits of Clerk's Office standards, I was ignored and marginalized.' White was appointed Pierce County Clerk in December 2021. County communications manager Kyle Schmidtke confirmed Wednesday that White is no longer employed with Pierce County and that Julie Murray has been serving as active interim clerk since Monday. Murray is executive counsel to Executive Ryan Mello. The Pierce County Superior Court Clerk's office oversees the court's legal financial transactions, including civil, domestic, felony criminal, civil commitment, probate, guardianship, paternity and adoptions, according to the 2024-2025 budget. The Clerk of the Superior Court is also responsible for managing and processing administrative documents and serves as the court's record keeper. The office's 2024-2025 budget is about $17.8 million. As previously reported by The News Tribune, in 2022 and 2023 more than five staff members spoke with Pierce County Human Resources alleging White created and fostered a hostile work environment that left many staff feeling isolated, anxious and intimidated. The office saw significant turnover from 2021-2023 and the loss of institutional knowledge was cited by state auditors as the reasons for a 'significant lack' of financial control and general oversight of the Pierce County Superior Court Clerk's Office. In 2024 The News Tribune also reported that in 2021 White found out that a private title company had used space in the Clerk's Office rent-free for more than 30 years. Title Support Services Inc. was removed in December 2023. In her claim against Pierce County, White alleged, 'My leadership was undercut at every turn' and an HR director told her 'the reason staff was refusing to work under my direction was because I was Black.' 'I was not permitted to lead and staff were encouraged to undermine my authority and treat me with disrespect,' she said. 'I was threatened and not supported making the workplace unsafe.' White noted she was injured and was currently seeking medical treatment as a result. Her attorney, Joan Mell, told The News Tribune Wednesday the situation was 'so disappointing' and said White uprooted herself to come to Pierce County from Texas for the job. 'Pierce County officials hold themselves out as so welcoming and enlightened, and it's very disarming to invest in that messaging and have so clearly demonstrated in your face that they are probably less enlightened than they think they are,' Mell said. Schmidtke told The News Tribune in an email Tuesday that 'as with all personnel-related matters, the County does not discuss specific details to protect employee privacy.' 'From the beginning of this administration, we have prioritized making Pierce County a respectful, inclusive, and supportive place to work for everyone — from front-line staff to department directors,' Jaime Smith, Executive Ryan Mello's chief of staff, said in an email. 'Over the past several months, we worked closely with Constance White and her team to address several long-standing challenges within the Clerk's Office. I'm grateful we were able to make meaningful progress and reach a resolution that supports all parties. We thank Ms. White for her service and wish her well in her next chapter.' Schmidtke said Wednesday that the county is 'prepared to launch an open, competitive recruitment for the permanent position' in early June. He declined to comment on White's allegations. 'We worked to resolve this matter constructively and in a manner that supports all involved,' he said. 'The settlement reflects a mutually agreed-upon resolution reached through negotiations between both parties. As with many such cases, the decision to settle was based on a variety of factors, including the potential costs, time, and impacts of extended litigation.'
