By Shara Wallace

Internal investigation
King County Sheriffʼs Deputy Andy Conner was put on administrative leave last spring, following allegations that thousands of dollars were missing from The Genesis Project. The Genesis Project is a non-profit drop-in shelter that Conner founded to offer prostitutes a way to escape the streets. The FBI got involved to determine whether a crime had been committed and the Sheriff's Office demanded Conner turn over his badge and gun while they performed an internal investigation. A five month investigation cleared Conner of any criminal wrongdoing. Conner's gun and badge have been returned to him and he has returned to his regular duties working as a DUI officer in the SeaTac area. Sheriff John Urquhart said that while the U.S. Attorney's Office concluded that there was no evidence of a crime, the federal investigation did turn up sloppy accounting and poor management at the center. "Because of everything that's happened, we will no longer be referring any girls or women to The Genesis Project," Urquhart said.

Signs slashed twice in two days
Campaign signs for Des Moines Municipal Court Judge Veronica Galvan were vandalized twice over the weekend. The signs, placed along Des Moines Memorial Drive, were cut off their stakes with a blade or sharp implement. Galvanʼs signs were initially vandalized sometime Friday evening. The culprit cut one side off each sign, so only half of each sign was left on the stake. A campaign volunteer replaced the damaged signs on Saturday. Then, on Saturday night, the signs were hit again. This time, both sides of the signs were cut off, leaving only the stakes. Galvan noted that the manner in which the signs were taken down feels threatening. “This is more than a mere knocking down of signs,” said Judge Galvan. “Someone went to extra effort to send a message.” No other candidates signs on that stretch of Des Moines Memorial Drive were vandalized.

Car break-ins, vandalism, prowlers and theft
2000 blk S. 146th, 300 blk S. 177th Pl. 16000 blk 8th Ave. S.W., 12000 blk 1st Ave. S.,
1000 blk S. 124th St., 200 blk S.W. 132nd St., 12800 blk 2nd Ave. S., 200 blk S. 167th,
1000 blk S.W. 137th St., 15600 blk 20th Ave. S.W., 600 blk S.W. 143rd St., 13800 blk
1st Ave. S.W., 12200 blk Des Moines Memorial Dr., 16200 blk 14th Ave. S.W.

Residential burglaries and break-ins
2000 blk S. 135th St., 16200 blk 21st Ave. S.W., 300 blk S. 124th St., 400 blk S.W.
122nd St., 15600 blk 19th Ave. S.W., 14400 blk 11th Ave. S.W., 2000 blk S.W. 116th St.,
11600 blk 19th Ave. S.W., 1000 blk S.W. 124th St., 13600 blk 8th Ave. S.W., 700 blk S.
128th St., 12400 blk 12th Ave. S.W.