Busy times for Black Diamond police
Published 12:32 pm Thursday, December 11, 2008
By Kevin Hanson
The Courier-Herald
The past few weeks have been extraordinarily successful for members of the Black Diamond Police Department, who have put a variety of lawbreakers behind bars.
Things are going well, said Commander Chris Hurst, when officers are strolling through the woods looking for signs of a possible crime, and happen to stumble across an unrelated crime in progress.
About a week ago, Hurst said, he and Police Chief Rick Luther were responding to complaints by a local property owner that thieves were stealing timber from his forested land inside the city limits. Also, the citizen reported hearing automatic weapons being fired.
Hurst and Luther parked along the Auburn-Black Diamond Road and headed into the timber to look for clues. After walking about 100 yards they heard voices; creeping closer, they saw four males taking apart a pickup, easily recognizing an illegal operation in progress. Realizing they might be a bit shorthanded, the pair called for some support. About the time Officer Jamie Kiblinger arrived, authorities saw one of the males douse the truck with gasoline and another set it on fire.
The four jumped into two vehicles and prepared to drive off, only to be stopped at gunpoint and arrested. "From the time they lit the fire until they were in handcuffs, it was about two minutes," Hurst said. "They had to be wondering, 'where did these guys come from?'"
The fire quickly jumped to the dry grass and surrounding trees, but local firefighters responded and kept things under control. Had police not been on the scene, Hurst is convinced the fire would have quickly spread, perhaps threatening homes in the Horseshoe Lake and Morganville areas.
Arrested were two juveniles, each 17, along with an 18-yar-old and another man, 22. One of the 17-year-olds admitted to pouring gas over the stolen pickup and the 18-year-old lit the fire, Hurst said. The pair have been charged with first-degree arson.
In the early-morning hours of Feb. 19, two men were arrested while in the process of attempting to steal stereo systems from impounded automobiles.
About 4:45 a.m., a witness reported seeing two men inside the grounds of Royal Towing. An officer responded and, after noticing a lock had been cut from a gate, called for a K-9 unit from a neighboring jurisdiction. The police dog located both suspects, getting his teeth into one of the would-be burglars.
Hurst said both Jared Bockness, a Lake Walker resident, and Corey Parker of Ravensdale have been charged with second-degree burglary. Hurst said both were also found to be in possession of methamphetamine, but drug charges have not been filed.
Recently, Black Diamond police wrapped up a burglary that occurred Jan. 10. A pair of thieves had broken into a city home and stolen $2,100 worth of personal possessions. They also tried to make off with a safe, but it proved to be too heavy and was dragged only a few feet. Police were able to life fingerprints from the safe and, in February, the crime lab matched the prints to Scott Miller and Jason McMurrey.
Both have admitted to their role in the burglary, Hurst said, and have been charged.
But the story doesn't end for either burglar. Miller also faces charges for motor vehicle theft and eluding a police officer, both those counts being brought by the Auburn Police Department. McMurrey also is facing two counts of identity theft, stemming from a case that had been filed in September.
In that case, Hurst said, McMurrey is accused of stealing documents with personal identification and setting up bogus accounts in the name of a Black Diamond victim. McMurrey would then receive, and cash, money orders drawn against the fraudulent account.
Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald.
