UPDATE:

Edward Reed Lammon, known as "Marco", the homeless man who has been harassing Rudy McCoy in Ballard was arrested. With bail set at $10,000, Marco will appear in pre-trial on November 7. The restraining order has been expanded to 1,000 feet and is good for two years.

"Hopefully, where ever he goes there will be someone who can help him get well," said McCoy.

Original article:

Rudy McCoy, the friendly neighborhood caretaker, has been working in the Clean Street Program for 12 years and aims to keep Ballard's streets clean, safe and attractive.

Paid by the local merchants, McCoy is usually one of the first people out on the streets each morning to prepare the streets for business. Over the years, McCoy has had his fair share of interactions with transients and drunks but after a series of recent incidents, he felt forced to seek police protection.

"I'm afraid it might get violent one of these days," he said.

It started at the end of September when McCoy was harassed as he was leaf blowing the streets in Fremont and led to McCoy calling 911 for help.

Two weeks later the harassments started happening in Ballard.

"I'm there early mornings with my leaf blowers and usually people don't give me problems when I come through and ask them to move," McCoy explained.

Last week however, one man did have a problem with McCoy and his leaf blower and started harassing him until McCoy was the one to move.

"He was flat in my face threatening me. I walked away from him for about an hour and flagged down the Port of Seattle," McCoy said.

The officers offered to accompany McCoy the next morning for protection as the man was said to be carrying a knife.

Sure enough McCoy had two more interaction with that same man and officers met with the man.

A criminal citation regarding the incident was sent to the King County prosecutor's office but McCoy said it might take up to four months before the prosecutor's office will get to his case.

"I'm getting an anti-harassment order. He will have to stay 500 feet or two blocks away from me and my truck or he will be arrested," McCoy said. "I can't do my job with people like that."

McCoy explained that merchants can help protect him and other Ballardites by getting a trespassing order against men that are harassing people in front of their stores.

"The Clean Streets Program is doing well but people like this need to be given boundaries. It's bad for Ballard businesses and our community," McCoy said.