Briefly
Suspect in armed robbery arrested
A man wanted for taking part in an Oct. 6 North Side robbery during which six people allegedly were held at gunpoint was arrested Monday.
Eric J. Singleton, 24, faces seven counts of first-degree robbery and one count of first-degree burglary. He remained in jail on Wednesday on a $500,000 bond. Another man suspected of taking part in the crime, Jeremy A. Arnold, 28, was arrested earlier and faces the same charges.
They are alleged to have forced their way into a home at 3124 E. Fairview Ave. People at the house told police that robbers stole wallets and jewelry, records say. One of the residents told police that a robber hit him with a gun, but he did not require hospitalization for his injuries.
North Central High collecting old Christmas trees
North Central High School supporters will dispose of used Christmas trees as a fund-raiser for the senior all-night party.
Used trees can be dropped off in the parking lot at Albertson’s, 9100 N. Indian Trail Road, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and Jan. 8-9. Cost is $5 a tree. Call 868-9438 to arrange to have trees picked up at a cost of $10 a tree.
The Spokesman-Review published details of similar tree collections on Wednesday by other area high schools. They include Ferris, Central Valley, West Valley and University.
Snohomish County faces state sanctions
Olympia Gov. Gary Locke plans to impose sanctions on Snohomish County for its unwillingness to comply with the orders of the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board.
Locke sent a letter to state Treasurer Mike Murphy and Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon outlining his plans if Snohomish County doesn’t comply by March 1.
“The county council has failed to address the order of the hearings board,” Locke said Tuesday. “I believe the county has the ability to come into compliance and address the issues raised by the board.”
The annoucement was no surprise to Reardon, who asked Locke in July not to impose sanctions.
“I’m disappointed that this issue got this far, but we’re still committed to working with the council to make sure things like this don’t happen in the future,” Reardon said.
At issue is the county’s attempt to include farmland in the Island Crossing area in northern Snohomish County as part of the Arlington Urban Growth Area. The area has been the focus of legal challenges since 1996, and in 1998 the state Court of Appeals ruled the county could not change the protected status of the agricultural lands in the Island Crossing area.
The Growth Management Board recommended in June 2004 that Locke impose sanctions on Snohomish County for noncompliance.
According to the letter, the sanction would be the withholding of the county’s portion of the state’s motor vehicle fuel tax. Last year, that amounted to $8.8 million. It’s expected to exceed $9.2 million next year.
Husband arrested in woman’s fatal shooting
Maple Valley, Wash. King County sheriff’s officers arrested a 33-year-old man after a woman was fatally shot and her 16-year-old daughter was wounded Wednesday in a condominium in a quiet residential neighborhood.
The man, held for investigation of murder, was the 32-year-old woman’s husband and the teen’s stepfather, officers said.
The victims, who were shot with a rifle, were not immediately identified.
Sheriff’s officers said they had no previous domestic violence complaints at the condo.
The girl called 911 from a neighbor’s home just before 10 a.m. Wednesday. The man walked away from the condo but was arrested in the neighborhood.
The girl’s injury was not life-threatening, said sheriff’s Deputy Travis DeFries.