Officer arrests Lakewood man for street racing in Kent | Police Blotter

Kent Police arrested a 20-year-old Lakewood man for investigation of reckless driving after he reportedly raced another car at a high rate of speed during illegal street races.

Police received a large number of calls about street races on the night of Feb. 14, according to the police report.

An officer noted he saw numerous import vehicles westbound on South 212th Street that then headed north on 64th Avenue South. He figured they were headed to the 22600 block of 54th Avenue South, a popular street racing area on late weekend nights.

While driving northbound on 54th Avenue, the officer saw two cars coming toward him side-by-side at a high rate of speed. One car used the southbound lane while the other vehicle used the center turn lane.

Both drivers swerved to avoid the police vehicle, and headed eastbound on South 228th Street. Police pulled over one of the cars driven by a Lakewood man.

The driver told police he came to Kent to hang out but then admitted he came for the street races. He denied, however, that he participated in the racing.

Assault

Officers arrested a man for investigation of fourth-degree assault after he allegedly punched his girlfriend during a dispute at about 8:46 p.m. on Feb. 17 at an apartment in the 1600 block of West Smith Street.

A woman told officers she was getting ready to go to work and her boyfriend offered to walk her to work but she declined the offer, according to the police report.

The boyfriend became angry with her and called her a whore. The girlfriend responded by throwing a water bottle at him, which made him even angrier. The woman said she would call 911. The boyfriend then reportedly punched the woman in the face and hit her more than 10 times as she tried to cover her head.

Officers noted that the woman had a swollen eye and a bloody nose. The boyfriend told police he had punched his girlfriend once but denied hitting her multiple times.

Theft

Police arrested a man for investigation of third-degree theft after he reportedly took several clothing items on Feb. 14 from the Goodwill store, 23313 Pacific Highway S.

Officers responded to a report of a shoplifter who had left the store carrying items in a bag, according to the police report. The man had not tried to pay for the items before leaving the store.

Police stopped the man near the store. He carried a bag that had clothing items with Goodwill tags. He said he took the clothes without paying because he only had the clothes he was wearing and needed more clothes.

The items, T-shirts, denim pants and a shirt, were valued at $65.

When officers arrested the man, they searched him and found a syringe in his pockets as well as spoons and tinfoil. The man said he had the items to use meth. Police also arrested him for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Trespassing

Officers cited a man for trespassing at about 9:47 p.m. on Feb. 16 under the Highway 167 overpass at the Interurban Trail near West James Street.

The man was sleeping inside a sleeping bag when officers spotted him, according to the police report. Officers told the man he was on state Department of Transportation property and the city had a trespassing agreement with the state.

A sign posted on the overpass reads, “DOT property, no trespassing.” Officers decided to give the man a citation rather than taking him to the city jail.

Drugs

Police arrested a man for investigation of drug possession and a warrant after he had witnessed a vehicle-bicycle accident at about 3:51 p.m. on Feb. 14 in the 200 block of West Harrison Street.

The witness said he saw the accident and gave his name to an officer, according to the police report. When the officer ran the name of the witness, he  found out the man had a warrant out of Kent for failing to appear in court for a criminal trespass arrest.

When police searched the man, they found in his possession a plastic case with a morphine pill in it. The man did not have a prescription for morphine.