housecrash boy collared

You may remember this incident if you're a local here in Seattle. After drunkenly crashing his SUV into a house at 90th and Meridian in Seattle during a high-speed chase a little less than a month ago and assaulting the officer who was chasing him, Steve Hyatt ran.

He "ran so far away" -- all the way to Mexico. The long arm of the law reached out and grabbed him when he re-entered the U.S. a couple days ago. He's now in jail in San Diego awaiting extradition back to Washington.

Hyatt was picked up by officers working for something called the Pacific Northwest Fugitive Apprehension Task Force (PNWFAT) -- it's complicated, and I'll let the Seattle Times Police Blotter reporter describe what it is and how it works in case you're interested, via the PhinneyWood blog.

Phinneywood.com, incidentally, is turning out to be a really Crackerjack ™ local news blog. They had some of the best reporting on the Greenwood arsonist both during the period of his most concentrated activity in the neighborhood, during which he set over a dozen fires, and since his capture and incarceration in November. Kevin Todd Swalwell, a homeless street person who has recounted for the police details of how some of the blazes were ignited that only the perpetrator could know, is currently in jail awaiting trial. His bail has been set at a million dollars, so he's not going anywhere real soon.

Now I know anyone who writes about such people as Hyatt and Swallwell is supposed to refer to them as the alleged perpetrators, since neither has yet been convicted. However, I no longer bother with that, since both are obviously guilty of what they're charged with. In Hyatt's case, he left his licensed vehicle at the scene of the crime(s), so for the police, establishing his identity, obtaining a photo of him, etc., was a slam dunk. In Swalwell's case, his apprehension signaled the end of Greenwood's spate of arsons.

As Sergeant Preston of the Yukon used to say, "King, this case is closed." And King -- he said "Ruff ruff."