Bellevue collector convicted of firearms charge

Seattle

A Bellevue gun collector once arrested as a material witness in the 2001 slaying of Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Wales was convicted Thursday of illegally possessing a short-barreled rifle, a felony that will require him to give up his arsenal.

However, a federal jury acquitted Albert K. Kwan, 53, of another charge of unlawful possession of a machine gun.

The jury deliberated for three hours after a three-day trial.

Kwan, who is not suspected of killing Wales, has been a person of interest because sales records indicate he purchased two Makarov gun barrels in the mid-1990s that were like the one used in the slaying of the longtime federal prosecutor. Kwan has turned over one such barrel but insists he does not remember buying a second one. Prosecutors said he failed a polygraph test about the second barrel.

Investigators who searched his home for the missing Makarov barrel in January 2005 seized several weapons, including a Winchester M-14 and a Heckler and Koch pistol that could be attached to a shoulder stock, making it a short-barreled rifle.

Kwan's attorneys argued that the M-14 did not qualify as a machine gun because it had been modified in a way that prevented it from firing automatically.

Lynnwood

Driver killed, 2 hurt in I-5 rollover crash

A Lynnwood man died and his two passengers were injured in a rollover crash on southbound Interstate 5 early Thursday.

Kenneth Cody, 45, was killed after he lost control of his 2004 Ford pickup while attempting to merge onto I-5 from southbound Highway 525 in Lynnwood at about 1:45 a.m.

According to the State Patrol, Cody was thrown from the vehicle after driving onto a median and flipping his truck. His passengers, Justin Higgins, 24, and Reanna Taylor, 22, both of Lynnwood, were transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where a spokeswoman said Thursday they were in satisfactory condition.

Seattle

No jail time for fired deputy

A fired King County Sheriff deputy won't do jail time but was ordered to complete a batterer's treatment program Thursday after pleading guilty in Kent Municipal Court to fourth-degree domestic violence.

In exchange for the deputy's guilty plea, Kent's city prosecutor, Tami Perdue, agreed to drop two other gross misdemeanor charges against Amaad "Mack" DeAllah, a 21-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office.

A judge also sentenced DeAllah, 46, to two years' probation and ordered him to pay court fines and penalties. He also must not commit any more violations or have any contact with his victim.

As a result of his guilty plea, DeAllah is no longer permitted to possess a firearm.

DeAllah was arrested April 29, 2006, on suspicion of second-degree rape, unlawful imprisonment and assault for attacking a woman. According to court documents, the woman, then 33, told detectives DeAllah blocked her from leaving a bedroom, repeatedly threw her onto a bed and raped her.

But King County prosecutors said they lacked evidence to support felony charges against DeAllah, so instead he was charged with three gross misdemeanors.

Everett

Judge dismisses sewage-plant appeal

A court appeal filed against King and Snohomish counties over building permits for King County's new Brightwater sewage-treatment plant has been dismissed.

Snohomish County Superior Court Judge George Bowden ruled against area residents, led by Mary Holt, who are fighting construction of the plant in Snohomish County just north of Woodinville.

Snohomish County issued building permits in April, while King County began building tunnels for piping to and from the plant. It now is ready to begin construction of buildings at the 114-acre site.

Area residents have fought the plant's location, fearing a leak would contaminate a drinking-water aquifer running beneath the property.

Lynnwood

Candle likely cause of apartment fire

A fire that ripped through a Lynnwood apartment building late Wednesday, injuring one resident and displacing at least 10 people, was likely sparked by a candle left burning on the deck of a third-story unit, fire officials said.

The fire broke out about 11 p.m. at the Keeler's Corner Apartments, in the 4500 block of 164th Street Southwest, said Leslie Hynes, a spokeswoman for Snohomish County Fire District 1.

The fire badly damaged the roof and all three units on the building's top floor while other apartments suffered water damage.

One resident was taken to a hospital but was treated and released; at least 10 people are now homeless because of the blaze, which caused an estimated $450,000 in damage.

Auburn

3 men charged in killing of dog

Three men accused of shooting and killing a Chihuahua on June 11 have been charged with first-degree animal cruelty, a felony.

Aleksey Buzunov, 20, of Auburn; Vitaliy Zubik, 21, of Renton; and Aliaksandr Rashchuk, 19, of Auburn, are accused of shooting the dog, which, according to court charging papers, belonged to Rashchuk's next-door neighbor.

After the shooting, in the 700 block of F Place Northeast, one of the men allegedly threw the gun into the Green River.

The dog died at a local veterinary clinic. The charges were filed June 14; the men are set to be arraigned next week.

Times staff and news services