Prosecutors want more data before resuming referrals to the (RCP) Initiative.

King County pauses juvenile diversion program

“What’s next is further evaluation to see how this compares to traditional prosecution to see which was most effective,” said Casey McNerthney, director of communications for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. “It’s got to be transparent; it’s got to be cost-effective. It’s got to decrease recidivism.”

Supporters of the $20 million King County Department of Community and Health Services program say it’s essential for juvenile reform. Critics argue it lacks oversight and that deferring punishment encourages crime.

State law requires diversion in many juvenile cases.

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Seattle Police Department attracts wide range of candidates 

Barnes said the Seattle Police Department (SPD) is drawing in candidates from a wide range of professional backgrounds and highlighted efforts to recruit multilingual and culturally competent officers.

“We are thrilled to welcome more than 100 dedicated recruits from diverse backgrounds, ranging from medics and the military to officers from other departments,” Barnes said. “This is an incredibly talented group, with many speaking at least two languages, such as Spanish and Hindi. This is not only a testament to our commitment to rebuilding our department, but also a reflection of the extraordinary leadership shown by individuals involved in recruiting, training, and onboarding.”

SPD is also emphasizing retention and recruitment with streamlined hiring processes, updated marketing, and incentives such as higher starting salaries, including $103,000 for new recruits and $116,000 for lateral hires. The department has partnered with the Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program, which allows active-duty military members to gain civilian work experience before separating from service.

Seattle improves hiring systems 

The city said it has reduced the average hiring timeline from 5-9 months to 3-5 months, making SPD more competitive with other agencies. Improvements include digital background checks, bi-weekly testing schedules, remote physical testing, and better candidate tracking.

Applicants must be at least 20.5 years old, have a high school diploma or GED, and be able to obtain a Washington state driver’s license. Candidates must complete a seven-step process that includes written and physical tests, a background check, medical screening, and police academy training.

The hiring surge is part of a broader effort by the Harrell administration to modernize SPD and respond to calls for improved safety, particularly in the wake of declining officer numbers in recent years.

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Search efforts expand for missing Arlington man with autism

On Tuesday, friends and family will hold a honk and wave event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Broadway and Hewitt Avenue, where they will be handing out informational fliers.

Hoang’s sister, Irene Pfister, told she believes her brother is still alive and getting help from someone.

“He has to be receiving help from somewhere because he has no money, he has no ID, he has no phone, he has nothing, other than himself and the clothes that he’s wearing,” Pfister said.

Hoang’s family said that if anyone sees him, he is extremely friendly and approachable. They said to take his photo and call 911.

There is a $100,000 reward for any information leading to Hoang’s homecoming.

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Attack on Microsoft SharePoint was ‘Zero-Day’ attack

The attacks raise serious security questions for a couple of reasons. It involved a so-called “Zero-Day” attack, meaning it came as a surprise to Microsoft — they had zero days to prepare a patch, and were forced to watch bad actors attack organizations with no way to stop them. Also, the organizations threatened are using older technology that includes servers that are connected to the internet but physically sit on-site. Typically, those organizations are forced to rely on such legacy servers because their budgets limit their ability to purchase security upgrades and a large-scale migration to cloud-based servers, and they often lack the IT support needed for both.

“We’re talking about schools impacted, hospitals, state and local government agencies,” Michael Sikorski, Chief Technology Officer and head of threat intelligence for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks, said. “That’s the scary part to me, it’s like it’s a helpless situation.”

Unit 42, which is a specialized team of security experts within Palo Alto Networks, has been following the SharePoint issue closely. They counted dozens of on-premises servers that had been compromised, which impacted more than 50 organizations. According to tech blog ZDNET, hackers also successfully breached the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, however, it was unclear what information was involved.

Hackers take advantage of contest 

The bad actors, which Microsoft said also included non-nation-state actors, took advantage of two vulnerabilities discovered in May during a hackathon contest. The tech giant released patches for those bugs in July, however, the hackers had already exploited those vulnerabilities, which allowed cybercriminals to install malicious code and compromise an organization’s entire SharePoint environment. Bypassing security protections, like multi-factor authentication, hackers could then execute code remotely and gain access to SharePoint content, system files, and configurations. In other words, the first round of Microsoft’s security patches piqued the interest of hackers, who infiltrated and forced a second round of patches.

“Attackers overall will take a look at that fix and figure out, well, why did that fix go out and sort of reproduce the issue that was there?” Sikorski explained. “And so, once they do that, it sort of becomes much more widespread.”

In a statement to media, Microsoft said they were “aware of active attacks targeting on-premises SharePoint Server customers by exploiting vulnerabilities partially addressed by the July Security Update.”

But, for smaller organizations with the least amount of budget to deal with this kind of cyberattack, the result can be devastating or even seem impossible to fix. Even if they download Microsoft’s cumulative patches that address all the bugs involved, Sikorski said it is more difficult for them to implement those fixes as opposed to larger corporations with large budgets.

“When you’re talking about SharePoint, if you’re going to patch that now, you need to take it down. That means your people are not going to get access to their files for some period of time. So, you do it late at night, and you’ve got to upgrade essentially,” Sikorski explained. “Well, if you don’t have staff to do it, that leaves you as a sitting duck.”

Sikorski and other cyber experts agreed, any organization that uses on-premises SharePoint servers should assume they’ve been attacked, their systems have been compromised, and act accordingly.

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Tensions spiked when U.S. senators stripped a controversial provision from President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” that would have blocked states from regulating AI for the next decade. The move revealed sharp divides within the tech industry and between both political parties over who should hold the reins on this powerful technology.

J.D. Vance speaks at AI Action Summit in Paris

In February, Vice President J.D. Vance spoke at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, France, in front of business and world leaders, where he outlined the Trump Administration’s regulation plans.

“We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry just as it’s taking off, because deregulating AI,” Vance said. “This doesn’t mean, of course, that all concerns about safety go out the window, but focus matters, and we must focus now on the opportunity.”

AI leaders answer questions at U.S. Senate Commerce Committee

In May, leaders from AI-leading tech companies ChatGPT, CoreWeave, AMD, and Microsoft answered questions from a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee focused on how regulations could impact American AI competitiveness with tech markets in China and the European Union. However, while each company said they leaned toward less regulation when it comes to AI, their thresholds for that regulation differed.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he understands companies need guardrails when developing and deploying AI solutions, but too much regulation could stifle growth.

“I have the great honor to be one of the parents of the many parents of the AI revolution, and I think it is no accident that that’s happening in America again and again and again, but we need to make sure that we build our systems and that we set our policy in a way where that continues to happen,” Altman said. “Of course, there will be rules. Of course, there need to be some guardrails. This is a very impactful technology, but we need to be able to be competitive globally.”

CoreWeave CEO Michael Intrator testified that a patchwork of regulatory overlays will cause friction.

“And the idea that you can make an investment that could then become trapped in a jurisdiction that has a particular type of regulation that would not allow you to make full use of it is really very, very suboptimal and makes the decision-making around infrastructure challenging,” Intrator said.

Microsoft president weighs in on AI debate

At the hearing, Microsoft President Brad Smith outlined a more balanced approach to running the AI race.

“It is a race that no company or country can win by itself,” he said. “To win the AI race, the United States will need to support the private sector at every layer of the AI tech stack. The nation will need to partner with American allies and friends around the world.”

Concerning whether or not the federal government should open the door for U.S. States to deregulate AI, Brad Smith told ����Xվ Newsradio in a one-on-one interview, “States have long played a critical role in, say, protecting children, protecting consumers, and it would be a mistake, in our view, if federal legislation were to preclude their ability to do that, especially under laws of long standing.”

Many congressional Republicans who supported Trump’s proposed regulation moratorium said it would not only prevent a patchwork of rules and regulations, it would ensure American tech companies could compete with recent Chinese breakthroughs in generative AI, like the MiniMax platform that specializes in transforming text into videos and Deep Seek, a more cost-effective solution than leading American models like OpenAI’s GPT-4. AI has scaled faster than ever in China, thanks to a mix of optimism about technology and flexible regulations ready to ebb and flow to keep pace with the U.S. and European Union.

Congressman Adam Smith calls for regulation

For many Democrats like Congressman Adam Smith, not only does he think states and the federal government need regulations, he told ����Xվ Newsradio we should also adopt smart regulations worldwide.

“I’m particularly worried about the Trump approach of sort of, basically, America is going to operate on its own and do our own thing,” Adam Smith said. “Well, the rest of the world is going to do their own thing, and then chaos is the likely result in a whole bunch of different areas.”

Vance: ‘We must focus now on the opportunity to catch lightning in a bottle’

So, what is the right answer for regulating AI?

“Focus matters, and we must focus now on the opportunity to catch lightning in a bottle, unleash our most brilliant innovators, and use AI to improve the well-being of our nations and their peoples,” Vice President Vance said in Paris.

Using that analogy, strict regulation could be like keeping lightning locked tight inside that bottle. Less regulation could mean letting a little bit of that lightning at a time, but not enough to burn down the house. And complete deregulation could be like letting that lightning loose and just hoping it doesn’t torch everything around us.

For Adam Smith, he said the debate won’t be over anytime soon.

“I’m sure that what we saw the last few weeks was the opening chapter of what will probably become a book of debate and law, and regulation, and there’s a number of chapters still to be written,” Adam Smith said.

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The 72-hour hold for Dickerson to not contact witnesses or victims will also expire. However, the prosecuting attorney’s office has requested that the sheriff order the witnesses who work with PCSO not to speak with Dickerson, to preserve the integrity of the investigation.

The Washington State Patrol’s investigation is ongoing.

Discrepancies in arrest of Pierce County Sheriff’s Office major 

Dickerson’s arrest shows discrepancies between law enforcement over whether Dickerson exhibited any signs of alcohol use, and whether he left the scene of the accident after being told to remain until investigators arrived.

“In the Dickerson matter, our office is not filing charges today,” Adam Faber, a spokesperson for Pierce County, wrote in an email. “The State Patrol’s investigation is ongoing, and the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will continue to review evidence as it comes in.”

At the probable cause hearing for the 72-hour hold on Monday, the court imposed conditions to include no contact with witnesses or victims. Those court conditions will expire automatically. For the witnesses who work for the Sheriff’s Office, we have asked that the Sheriff order those witnesses to have no contact with Mr. Dickerson to preserve the integrity of the investigation.

According to court documents, investigators said Dickerson, a 25-year veteran who oversees all sheriff’s detectives, failed to yield the right of way at the intersection of 132nd Avenue E. and 288th Street E. and collided with an SUV.

“When Dickerson entered the intersection, his Dodge Ram pickup struck the passenger side of the Ford Expedition that was traveling west on 288th,” Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Pierce County Loren Halstrom wrote in an incident report based on Washington State Patrol (WSP) investigations. “The Ford Expedition rolled onto its side and stopped against a fence. The Dodge Ram stopped in a ditch.”

Pierce County prosecutors now say a deputy at the scene, who was described as a technical collision investigator, instructed Dickerson to remain at the scene until WSP Trooper Shannon McKenzie arrived to investigate. However, Dickerson left the scene after his wife picked him up.

“The deputies informed Trooper McKenzie that Dickerson had been picked up by his wife and transported to MultiCare Emergency at 132nd and SR 161,” Halstrom said in a Probable Cause Declaration.

Court documents also said when McKenzie asked if Dickerson showed any signs of impairment before leaving the scene, deputies said no.

“When asked about signs of impairment, deputies on scene informed Trooper McKenzie that they did not observe any and stated there were no odors of intoxicants,” Halstrom stated. “When asked if Dickerson was speaking normally, they advised there was no slurring in his speech.”

Later, at the Urgent Care, WSP said they found several indicators of impairment and arrested Dickerson on suspicion of DUI.

“While speaking with Dickerson about the collision, troopers noted several indicators of impairment, including bloodshot watery eyes, and a strong odor of intoxicants on his breath,” a WSP press release said.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said they requested WSP to take over the crash investigation, based on the severity of the collision and Dickerson’s position with PCSO.

Pierce County Sheriff’s Office major crashed into SUV with 6 occupants

The six occupants in the Ford Expedition were a 27-year-old woman who was driving and is seven months pregnant, her 30-year-old husband, her 57-year-old mother, and her three children, ages 8, 4, and 3, according to a news release from WSP. The 57-year-old woman suffered several broken bones. The other occupants appeared to be uninjured.

The investigating trooper, McKenzie, also looked inside Dickerson’s Ram pickup truck to check for valuables before the truck was towed.

“The truck appeared to be cleaned out of valuables,” Halstrom said. “There was a storage compartment in the rear seating area that was empty.”

In a statement, a Pierce County spokesperson said, “The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office confirms that one of our majors was arrested over the weekend in connection with this incident. This is a deeply concerning matter, and our thoughts are with everyone impacted.”

This story was originally published on July 15, 2025. It has been updated and republished since then.

Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

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Pacific County Court records showed Swank was arrested by a Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper on February 23, 2007 for DUI and was arraigned four days later. According to court documents, his blood alcohol level registered .21  — more than twice the legal limit in Washington.

����Xվ Newsradio asked Sheriff Swank several questions, from his comments on his 2007 arrest to how his own arrest has influenced his policies concerning employee DUIs as an elected sheriff. Swank emailed his reply through a Pierce County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, stating, “This is a recycled, 18-year-old story about a charge that was rightly downgraded because I was simply asleep in a parked, privately owned car — not driving or endangering anyone.”

In April 2007, with an attorney by his side, court records said Swank entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors, agreeing to plead guilty in exchange for the lesser charge of first-degree negligent driving. Swank was sentenced to serve 90 days in jail, with all 90 days suspended, and two years’ probation, which court records show ended April 24, 2009.

Monday, Swank commented on Dickerson’s arrest and crash, saying, “If there was a law violation here, then Major Dickerson will be held to the highest standard here at the agency and also within the court system itself. I want everyone to know that I am deeply saddened and sorry about what happened. The victims are in our thoughts and prayers. Please allow the legal process to proceed. It will take some time.”

Pierce County Sheriff’s Office Major’s DUI arrest

According to WSP, Dickerson failed to yield the right of way at the intersection of 132nd Avenue E. and 288th Street E. in Graham and collided with an SUV. The six occupants in the Ford Expedition SUV included a 27-year-old woman who was driving and is seven months pregnant, her 30-year-old husband, her three children, ages 8, 4, and 3, and her 57-year-old mother, who suffered several broken bones, according to WSP.

New information about Dickerson following the crash, according to Pierce County court documents, showed discrepancies between law enforcement over whether Dickerson exhibited any signs of alcohol use, and whether he left the scene of the accident after being told to remain until investigators arrived.

Pierce County prosecutors said a deputy at the scene, who was described as a technical collision investigator, instructed Dickerson to remain at the scene until WSP Trooper Shannon McKenzie arrived to investigate. However, Dickerson left the scene after his wife picked him up.

“The deputies informed Trooper McKenzie that Dickerson had been picked up by his wife and transported to MultiCare Emergency at 132nd Street and SR 161,” Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Loren Halstrom said in a probable cause declaration.

In an email to ����Xվ Newsradio on Wednesday, Deputy Carly Cappetto, spokesperson for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, explained that reports filed by deputies at the accident scene said Dickerson was advised to remain on scene by a Pierce County “traffic tech,” but was later allowed to leave.

According to Cappetto, the “traffic tech” informed a Pierce County sergeant that a WSP investigator “had extended an estimated arrival time,” but said Dickerson was to remain at the scene until WSP arrived. As time passed, Cappetto said the sergeant, then in charge of the scene, reported Dickerson was “wincing,” “grabbing at his right side,” and “his condition seemed to be getting worse.”

Dickerson declined the firefighters’ offer to transport him to a hospital, according to Cappetto, as his wife took him to an Urgent Care facility instead.

“Dickerson’s family arrived on scene and eventually convinced him to seek medical attention,” Cappetto said. “The sergeant told Dickerson he could leave since he noticed Dickerson’s condition appeared to be getting worse. Dickerson’s wife transported him to seek medical attention, and the sergeant remained on scene to advise WSP when they arrived where they could contact Dickerson.”

The court documents also said that when McKenzie asked if Dickerson showed any signs of impairment before leaving the scene, deputies said no.

“When asked about signs of impairment, deputies on scene informed Trooper McKenzie that they did not observe any and stated there were no odors of intoxicants,” Halstrom stated. “When asked if Dickerson was speaking normally, they advised there was no slurring in his speech.”

Later, at the Urgent Care, WSP said they found several indicators of impairment and arrested Dickerson on suspicion of DUI.

“While speaking with Dickerson about the collision, troopers noted several indicators of impairment, including bloodshot watery eyes, and a strong odor of intoxicants on his breath,” a WSP press release stated.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) said they requested WSP to take over the crash investigation, based on the severity of the collision and Dickerson’s position with PCSO.

����Xվ Newsradio asked Swank what he thinks about his DUI arrest, and if the recent arrest of Dickerson says anything about the culture within his command staff. Swank did not respond to those specific questions and instead just reacted to questions concerning his own arrest. Swank hired Dickerson, a 25-year veteran of law enforcement, to oversee and lead the county’s criminal division.

����Xվ Newsradio also asked SPD about their knowledge and any actions taken in connection with Swank’s 2007 arrest. SPD didn’t answer at the time of publishing this article.

As an SPD Officer, Swank earned commendations for his work from some supervisors. According to his bio on the PCSO’s website, he commanded the SPD SWAT team, “responsible for clearing and securing the CHOP/CHAZ zone during the 2020 Seattle riots, one of many operations that highlighted his decisive leadership in high-pressure, life-or-death situations.” In 2006, the year before his DUI arrest, Swank’s bio page said he played a pivotal role in de-escalating a hostage situation involving a mass shooter at the Seattle Jewish Federation.

Swank also faced controversy throughout his 30-year career with SPD, including an internal complaint about social media posts sent by him that pushed conspiracy theories about the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. In one post, Swank said the attack was planned by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and called Pelosi a criminal who needed to be held accountable.

In 2011, SPD suspended Swank without pay for his role during an incident involving an officer, under Swank’s command, who threatened to beat the “(expletive) Mexican piss” out of a Hispanic man detained on suspicion of robbery. That man was later released because he was not involved in the robbery. He eventually settled a civil lawsuit filed against the city in which he claimed officers had kicked him. Swank was pointed out for an alleged “glaring” lack of supervision.

In a disciplinary report, signed by former interim SPD Chief Sue Rahr, Swank was accused of making “disrespectful” and “biased, inflammatory” social media posts in 2023 while working as a police captain. The report claimed Swank made anti-transgender comments on social media and claimed Democrats deeply enjoyed chopping up babies, in reference to abortion rights. Rahr also noted Swank used the word “thug” referring to a black teenager and called the comment, “a racially charged slur [that] could reasonably be construed to be a prejudice and/or derogatory comment based on race.”

Soon after the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) started an investigation into Swank’s posts, he retired from SPD in 2023. He was elected as Pierce County sheriff in November 2024.

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Body-worn cameras revealed three Seattle Police Officers who responded to a 911 domestic violence call there, found the woman victim screaming after being shot in her back. As they tried to help the victim, Jolliffe ran upstairs to the second-floor unit and started firing a handgun at the officers through a window. Officers returned fire before retreating for cover with the victim.

However, during those critical moments and hours-long standoff with Jolliffe, who was armed and actively shooting from inside the apartment, SPD was forced to ask other law enforcement agencies for reinforcements, including technology, like drones to surveil the scene and open a line of communication with Jolliffe.

“Some of our partnering agencies had a drone trying to determine whether we could see or communicate with him,” Seattle Police Department (SPD) Chief Shon Barnes said at the scene.

Because a strict Seattle ordinance limits how SPD can deploy surveillance technology, it often forces them to rely on others during life-threatening emergencies.

����Xվ Newsradio spoke with King County Prosecutor Gary Ernsdorff about the complex challenges SPD faces using surveillance technology like drones.

Ernsdorff emphasized that while modern tools can help police solve crimes and keep communities safe, their use must be carefully balanced with public concerns about privacy and government overreach.

“We are living in a time with an extremely accelerated rate of technological development. We want to use new technology, but we want to use it cautiously,” Ernsdorff explained. “Embracing technology, to me, is critical for the safety of the community, for really solving crime and making sure that we’re doing everything we can to preserve the safety of the community, so it’s not something that we should shy away from.”

Ordinance requires SPD to ask permission to buy or use surveillance tools

Years ago, Seattle’s City Council adopted a surveillance ordinance in response to public concerns that such technology could lead to pervasive surveillance or even government spying. The ordinance mandates that SPD must ask permission to buy or use surveillance tools, like drones.

Ernsdorff acknowledged the use of such technologies often comes down to public trust and that law enforcement must walk a fine line between using technology effectively and respecting the community’s threshold for how much surveillance is too much.

“When law enforcement tries to hide techniques, that’s when the public gets suspicious,” Ernsdorff said. “When we’re using technology, we want to make sure that we’re in line with where the public wants law enforcement to be.”

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, law enforcement agencies like SPD are often caught in a difficult position. On one hand, emerging technologies offer powerful new tools to track down and prosecute criminals. On the other hand, the pace of innovation often outpaces governments’ ability to create clear, consistent rules for how those tools should be used. As a result, police departments are left navigating a legal and ethical gray area, trying to embrace technology to protect the public while waiting for policymakers to catch up.

More and more, the responsibility for defining how surveillance technology can be used is falling to the courts. But legal rulings often hinge on lengthy appeals processes, meaning it can take years before clear guidance emerges.

King County prosecutor: ‘There’s often no rule book for them to follow’

“So, that’s really difficult, because law enforcement wants to follow the rules, but with new technology, there’s often no rule book for them to follow,” Ernsdorff said. “When we’re talking about new technologies today, we might not get guidance from a reviewing court for four, five, six years or more.”

In King County, Ernsdorff said he and his colleagues rely on a few core principles when building cases that involve law enforcement technology. Their approach centers on striking a careful balance between leveraging tech to pursue justice and safeguarding individual privacy. That means seeking judicial oversight — such as obtaining search warrants — before deploying certain tools and ensuring that their use of technology is both transparent and accountable every step of the way.

However, he added in all his years of working with police, while he believes in maintaining guardrails for officers, he’s never met an officer who wanted to use a drone or other device to spy on a private citizen.

“Law enforcement doesn’t have the time or the bandwidth to use technology to spy on or otherwise interfere with the privacy rights of uninvolved citizens,” Ernsdorff shared.

During the June 20 standoff, SPD deployed what technology they had, like their Arson Bomb Squad robot, even though it’s designed to handle explosives. Toward the end of the standoff, according to a police source, officers from a neighboring agency flew a drone inside the apartment to locate Jolliffe and prevent a SWAT team from walking blindly into potential danger.

When officers entered the room, they said they found Jolliffe dead. According to a King County Medical Examiner’s Office autopsy report, the 53-year-old died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Local police departments respond for assistance

Seattle Police did tell ����Xվ Newsradio six different police departments and sheriff’s offices responded to their requests for assistance. However, no Seattle City Council members responded to our request for comment, and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office did not answer our questions. Ironically, all of the partner agencies involved in that standoff did reply. Their responses helped shed light on how SPD may have used those surveillance devices to try to end the standoff quickly and safely.

The Clyde Hill Police Department said it deployed a drone at the scene to watch the apartment.

“We had an officer who deployed a drone at the scene to assist with monitoring a potential exit,” spokesperson Brittney Rhodes shared.

Mountlake Terrace Police Chief Pete Caw told ����Xվ Newsradio, “We did indeed contribute a drone and a drone pilot to the SPD.”

“I can confirm that SeaTac Police, one of our contract cities, sent two drones, or Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and pilots as support for this at the request of Seattle Police,” Communications Manager for the King County Sheriff’s Office, Brandyn Hull, stated in an email.

A Bellevue Police Department spokesperson confirmed it sent a SWAT team and other technology assets.

And in an email, the Edmonds Police Department said it also deployed a drone. Commander Shane Hawley added that drones are becoming more commonplace in law enforcement and they’re a good tool to look for barricaded suspects, “because the only thing in danger is a small piece of equipment”.

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The child fell from a dock and into the water at Thornton A. Sullivan Park around 2:50 p.m., according to the Everett Fire Department. Investigators said witnesses told first responders the boy did not resurface, prompting bystanders to search for him.

A 13-year-old who was swimming nearby dove repeatedly into the lake in an effort to find the child. After several attempts, he was able to bring the boy to the surface, where people on the dock helped pull him up. Three nurses who were at the lake immediately began performing CPR, along with other bystanders. According to witness accounts, the boy had been underwater for four to six minutes. Medics were able to restore a pulse before transporting the child to Providence.

WA Parks urges water safety after near-drowning in Everett

The incident comes on the heels of a push by Washington State Parks to emphasize water and boating safety.

In the past two years, there have been 23 recreational boating fatalities in Washington, with 86% of those incidents involving people not wearing life jackets, according to Rob Sendack with Washington State Parks.

Everett investigators said the 11-year-old boy did not know how to swim. As of Monday evening, he had regained consciousness and was receiving further medical treatment.

Everett Fire officials praised the 13-year-old for his heroic actions, crediting his quick response with helping to save the boy’s life. They also emphasized the importance of CPR training and water safety, particularly during the busy summer months.

Washington State Parks advised people to avoid swimming in cold water and remember the “reach, throw, don’t go” rule, which involves extending a pole or throwing a life preserver to someone who falls into the water, rather than diving in after them.

“When somebody falls into the water, your first impulse might be to jump in and help them, but you should avoid doing that,” Ashley Sidel, a spokesperson for Washington State Parks’ Recreational Boating Safety Program, said.

The Everett Fire Department stated the boy was 10 years old in a previous news release, but later updated to reflect he was 11 years old.

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Officers responded to the scene where a large crowd had gathered to watch the suspect spin his car in circles, doing donuts, on the street. The driver then fled and struck the woman, who was trying to cross the street. Police confirmed she was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.

“These events are extremely dangerous — not just for the people driving the cars, but also the people watching them do these dangerous things,” Auburn Public Information Officer Kolby Crossley told .

Residents who live near the intersection said street takeovers have been happening more frequently. Many people told ����Xվ 7 they are frustrated and have been calling for increased police patrols in the area.

Detectives and Auburn police’s traffic unit have reviewed surveillance footage from around the area and are asking the public to submit any videos or information they may have from the night of the incident.

“It’s something our traffic unit is constantly dealing with and something we hope to prevent someday,” Crossley said. “There’s probably a lot of video. Some people likely know exactly who was involved and saw everything as it unfolded.”

Police are still searching for the suspect vehicle. Anyone with information or video is asked to contact Auburn police at (253) 288-7403.

Contributing:

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Deputies are being stretched thin, juggling the high-stakes search for a dangerous fugitive accused of killing his three young daughters with day-to-day police duties, emergency calls, and rising operational costs for an already expensive investigation that has yielded no new clues about Decker’s whereabouts beyond DNA found at the crime scene.

Challenges of splitting deputies’ time with Travis Decker case

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told ����Xվ Newsradio, Thursday, his office has faced challenges splitting deputies’ time on the search for Decker and performing other duties, from daily patrols to summer search and rescue efforts.

“We know that we are an international tourist destination when it comes to climbing, recreating, hiking, and we’re usually dealing with well over 100 search and rescues every single year, which are logistically challenging,” Morrison explained.

In a press release issued Wednesday, the Chelan Sheriff’s Office exemplified its time management challenges with a recent rescue of a Seattle woman who fell hiking in the Enchantments and injured her shoulder, requiring a helicopter rescue.

“Sheriff Mike Morrison reports, in addition to the ongoing search for Travis Decker, the need for backcountry rescue continues,” Chelan Operations Chief Randy Moody stated in the release.

Morrison also pointed to staffing challenges that have led to scrambling to make sure they had enough deputies for their search and other duties.

“We have individuals on light duty; those are out on FMLA or paid family medical leave. And we also have contractual obligations, which is unique to our agency this year, that it’s mandated that a certain amount of people have to be off at one time, yet the union has not agreed to allow us to have mandatory overtime,” Morrison said. “That leaves us with very few people at times on the road answering those calls while you’re also trying to do a search and rescue. And that’s why we tried to highlight it in our press release, that despite those challenges, our agency continues to show up, continues to do the work, and we’ve done a good job.”

Increasing costs in the search for Travis Decker

Morrison said the increasing costs of the search for Decker are also an issue that soon could come to a head for his office and other agencies.

While he is still in the process of adding up bills for fuel for patrol vehicles, dirt bikes, quads and side-by-sides, helicopters and helicopter maintenance, overtime, equipment, and other needs, he shared, “In talking with King County, Snohomish County, and Spokane County I believe they were all well over a million dollars assisting us, and that was just over a week.”

During the first week of search operations, those counties sent deputies, tactical teams, and search and rescue equipment, including their own helicopters and crews, to Chelan County.

The search has also included teams from five different U.S. government agencies, from the FBI to U.S. Marshals, that have taken over search operations and dedicated their Rapid Response Team—a team that trains for quick apprehension of fugitives—to the effort.

Earlier this week, for the first time since their manhunt began, investigators acknowledged the possibility that the father accused of killing his young daughters, Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia, may have died in the wilderness, and they are now modifying part of their search into a recovery effort.

Thursday, Morrison revealed DNA found at the campground where the bodies of Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker were discovered matched Travis Decker’s DNA. However, Morrison said all of the many items collected by tactical teams at makeshift campsites high up in the Cascades, from near Leavenworth to Blewett Pass and Kittitas County, tested negative for a DNA match.

Chelan County Sheriff says lone hiker may have been person who failed to pay for camping

For the first time, Thursday, Morrison also said the lone hiker spotted running from a law enforcement helicopter near Colchuck Lake in the Enchantments just days into their search, may have instead been a hiker who may have failed to pay for an overnight camping pass and ran because he thought he’d get in trouble.

Morrison and others, however, have no plans to give up their search for Decker. Even after the early momentum in the search for a suspected killer is slowing, Morrison vowed to find Decker, no matter how long it would take to bring him to justice and help bring closure to friends and family of the three girls.

“We recognize that this could be a long game. We don’t give up,” Morrison said. “But it may have to be something that we start to step our resources back just to make sure we’re being responsible with them, and that if more comes up that gives us a lead, we’ll go back out and we’ll hit it as hard as we have been.”

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“Some of our partnering agencies had a drone trying to determine whether we could see or communicate with him,” SPD Chief Shon Barnes said, who was at the scene.

Because a strict city ordinance limits how SPD can deploy surveillance technology, it often forces them to rely on others during life-threatening emergencies.

����Xվ Newsradio asked Barnes and SPD about the issue; however, they said they couldn’t comment.

“With an ongoing investigation with an incident like this, we don’t release information,” SPD Detective Brian Pritchard explained.

Former King County Sheriff weighs in on Seattle police technology challenges

Instead, ����Xվ Newsradio asked former King County Sheriff John Urquhart, who has overseen multiple standoffs during his career, about the challenges facing agencies and their use of surveillance technology.

“I think being able to use technology to keep people safe, even to keep the suspects safe, for that matter, it’s extremely important that we use it, that we have the ability to use it, and it’s only used in situations where the public approves of,” Urquhart said. “There are people that don’t want us to have any technology at all because they think we’re going to misuse it, and that’s always a possibility, and there should be regulations, legislation really, around how the police use technology.”

Urquhart also said Seattle’s City Council should remain in charge of any decisions concerning SPD’s use of surveillance technology, like drones.

“Technology, in most of its forms, is really a force multiplier for the police,” Urquhart said. “It’s really not up to us or even the press to second-guess what people want. It’s up to the city council to reflect those wishes, and if people are against or don’t trust their police department with some of this technology, then so be it.”

Seattle’s Surveillance Ordinance requires SPD to get city council approval to buy or use any surveillance technologies, including drones and robots. There is an exemption in the ordinance for acquiring and using surveillance equipment in the event of an emergency situation that poses an imminent and serious risk of death or substantial bodily harm.

During the standoff, SPD deployed what technology they had, like their arson bomb squad robot, even though it’s designed to handle explosives. Toward the end of the standoff, according to a police source, officers from a neighboring agency flew a drone inside the apartment to locate Jolliffe and prevent a SWAT team from walking blindly into potential danger. According to that source, images from the drone allowed SWAT to safely approach a door inside the apartment where, Barnes said, they blew open a door. The move was tactical for two reasons—to gain entry and to see if Jolliffe would respond to the blast.

When officers entered the room, they said they found Jolliffe dead. In 1993, Joilliffe was sentenced to serve 27 years in the Clallam Bay Correction Center for shooting and killing two men during an alley fight in Seattle’s Pioneer Square, but only served 14 of those years before being released. According to a King County Medical Examiner’s Office autopsy report, the 53-year-old died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

6 different police departments respond to Seattle standoff 

Seattle Police did tell ����Xվ Newsradio six different police departments and sheriff’s offices responded to their requests for assistance. However, none of Seattle’s City Council members responded to our request for comment, and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office did not answer our questions. Ironically, all of the partner agencies involved in that standoff did reply. Their responses helped shed light on how SPD may have used those surveillance devices to try and end the standoff quickly and safely.

The Clyde Hill Police Department said it deployed a drone at the scene to watch the apartment.

“We had an officer who deployed a drone at the scene to assist with monitoring a potential exit,” Spokesperson Brittney Rhodes said.

Mountlake Terrace Police Chief Pete Caw told ����Xվ Newsradio, “We did indeed contribute a drone and a drone pilot to the SPD.”

“I can confirm that SeaTac Police, one of our contract cities, sent two drones, or Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and pilots as support for this at the request of Seattle Police,” Communications Manager for the King County Sheriff’s Office, Brandyn Hull, said in an email.

A Bellevue Police spokesperson confirmed they sent a SWAT team and other technology assets.

And in an email, Edmonds Police said they also deployed a drone. Commander Shane Hawley added that drones are becoming more commonplace in law enforcement and they’re a good tool to look for barricaded suspects, “because the only thing in danger is a small piece of equipment.”

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The announcement means between late May—when deputies discovered the bodies of Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker at a remote campsite—and now, investigators have zero proof that Decker, the father and homeless, former soldier at the center of a massive manhunt in central Washington, could be hiding somewhere in the Cascades.

Chelan County Sheriff finds no DNA matching Travis Decker in mountains

“We do have some items that have come back from the scene, that have come back to match the DNA that we have for what we believe to be Travis’s DNA,” Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said. “But no other DNA that’s come back to show anyone else was on scene. Nothing in the mountains.”

Morrison also revealed Decker is a registered owner of several firearms and that all of those are in the care of his family.

“But, again, did he hand over every single thing he has?” Morrison said. “We don’t know.”

Days ago, for the first time since their manhunt, investigators acknowledged the possibility that the father accused of killing his young daughters may have died in the wilderness, and they are now modifying part of their search into a recovery effort.

Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office tracks dozens of tips

In a statement, Kittitas County Sheriff Clay Myers said his deputies have tracked dozens of tips and reports of possible sightings of Decker, and there is still no definitive evidence he is alive.

“Deputies have maintained extra patrols in the areas in and around the Teanaway Valley, Blewett Pass, Liberty, and Lauderdale. Kittitas County Regional Tactical Response Team members have spent days and nights in remote terrain, working with K9 resources and experienced trackers to identify and follow any credible lead to Decker’s location,” Myers said. “At this time, there is no certain evidence that Decker remains alive or in this area. Seemingly strong early leads gave way to less convincing proofs over the last two weeks of searching.”

When we asked for Morrison’s reaction to Myers’ statement, he replied, “I don’t think anyone is looking past that as a possibility. So, Mr. Decker could be deceased. He could have taken his own life. He could have succumbed to injuries. We recognize that’s a possibility.”

Law enforcement will continue search

However, like Myers, Morrison echoed a resolve to continue searching for Decker until he’s brought to justice and allows family and friends to heal.

“I respect Sheriff Myers, his agency, they certainly have taken on a huge lift over this last week,” Morrison said. “His people have come alongside us, so appreciative of their efforts and their resources they put into it. Either way, we haven’t found him alive or dead, and the search still continues.”

Authorities have so far scoured hundreds of square miles across mountainous terrain, lakes, and rivers near the city of Leavenworth and the Enchantments, a popular rugged area of tall peaks and picturesque alpine lakes. While the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it has handed over all active search operations to federal agencies, local deputies and prosecutors remain in charge of the criminal investigation.

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“We have reports of people losing $870,000, losing money in chunks of $20,000 to $30,000,” Hinds said. “This can be devastating and life-changing.”

Hinds said the scam involves bad actors texting, emailing, or calling potential victims to try to trick them into withdrawing large sums of cash from retirement funds or savings and checking accounts, and handing it over to a courier who will transport the money to a safe place.

“The goal here is to create a sense of fear and a sense of urgency that something needs to be done right now, that the money in their account, their bank account, their investment account, isn’t safe, and what needs to be done is that that money needs to be drawn out in cash,” Hinds said. “That cash is either put in a box or used to buy gold that’s put in a box, and the scammer will send a courier to pick it up and take it for safekeeping.”

What can you do to avoid being a victim

Make sure the computer you use has up-to-date anti-malware software and use common sense, said Hinds. And do not click on any links in a text message or email.

One of the hallmarks of these scammers is that they use the name or badge number of actual people who work for the agencies they’re pretending to represent. Hinds warned that if you’re not sure whether someone is trying to scam you or if you have questions, pause and think it over.

“Ask yourself, is what I’m being told? Does that really make sense? Because I can tell you, if you stop and think about it, you know, no government agency is going to contact you via a pop-up on your computer,” Hinds said.

However, perhaps your best defense is simply deleting a text or email from someone or some business you don’t recognize. And if you don’t recognize a number on caller ID, just ignore it.

“Just don’t engage because they’re in a volume practice,” Hinds said. “If they can get you to engage, you’re then a target that they may continue pursuing. If you just ignore them, they’ll move on to something else.”

Finally, if you are a victim, Hinds said to report it immediately to your local police department or sheriff’s office, any involved financial institution, the Federal Trade Commission, and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

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Photos of U.S. Marshals during a “unified pursuit” in tracking down Travis Decker. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Marshals)

For the first time since the manhunt for Travis Decker began more than three weeks ago, investigators are acknowledging the possibility that the father accused of killing his young daughters, Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia, may have died in the wilderness, and they are now modifying part of their search into a recovery effort.

In a statement, Kittitas County Sheriff Clay Myers said his deputies have tracked dozens of tips and reports of possible sightings of Travis Decker, and there is still no definitive evidence he is alive.

“Deputies have maintained extra patrols in the areas in and around the Teanaway Valley, Blewett Pass, Liberty, and Lauderdale. Kittitas County Regional Tactical Response Team members have spent days and nights in remote terrain, working with K9 resources and experienced trackers to identify and follow any credible lead to Decker’s location,” Myers said. “At this time, there is no certain evidence that Decker remains alive or in this area. Seemingly strong early leads gave way to less convincing proofs over the last two weeks of searching.”

Former FBI agent who hunted Eric Rudolph speaks on Travis Decker case

Last week, ����Xվ Newsradio spoke with Walla Walla County Sheriff Mark Crider, a former FBI Special Agent who once hunted Centennial Olympic Park Bomber Eric Rudolph. Crider said he gave investigators, including Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison, advice based on what he learned during the Rudolph case.

“The main thing, when I talk to the sheriff up there, is you can do all the profiling you can do all the research you want,” Crider said. “When the trail goes cold and you’ve exhausted every lead that you can and turned over every stone that you can think of, at this point it’s just remaining vigilant…and getting the word out so that every citizen is a pair of eyes for you out there.”

Rudolph was listed as one of the for five years, until he was captured in 2003. He was convicted of a series of bombings between 1996 and 1998, including the Olympic Park Bombings in 1996 and two abortion clinic bombings. His attacks resulted in two people killed and more than 100 others injured. However, Crider said Rudolph had a lot of people who sympathized with and supported Rudolph, who acted on strong political and religious beliefs and also targeted two abortion clinics.

“He also had individuals that were aiding him in his attempt to elude law enforcement. I don’t think that’s the case here. I don’t think that this individual is going to get any sympathy from the public based on what he did,” Crider said.

Authorities have scoured hundreds of square miles across mountainous terrain, lakes, and rivers near Leavenworth and the Enchantments, a popular rugged area of tall peaks and picturesque alpine lakes. While the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it has handed over all active search operations to federal agencies, local deputies and prosecutors remain in charge of the criminal investigation.

Search for Travis Decker ramps up in Kittitas County

Last week, the search for Travis Decker ramped up in Kittitas County and included a government helicopter search in the foothills of the Teanaway Valley, about five miles East of Cle Elum. Entering week number four, investigators hoped Travis Decker might resurface to collect food or other supplies and make a mistake in the process that would lead to his arrest.

Kittitas deputies also have experience managing high-profile fugitive cases, including the 21-day search for Jorge Alcantara-Gonzalez, the 2020 murder suspect who hid in the woods of Kittitas County, who survived by breaking into cabins and stealing food from campsites.

Myers said they will still continue to search for Travis Decker as they consider the growing possibility, he is dead.

“The KCSO deputies and detectives who’ve been at this search for three weeks want nothing more than to bring Travis Decker to justice,” he shared. “We still believe public awareness and help is our best tool—whether it comes from a cabin owner who finds something out of place, a hiker in the Enchantments who discovers evidence our searches missed, or anyone else.”

Memorial held for Decker children 

Friday, hundreds of friends, family, and community members held a public memorial for Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia at Rocky Reach Park just North of Wenatchee. Many people wore purple, pink, and green, which were the girls’ favorite colors, while their mother, Whitney Decker, spoke publicly for the first time since their murders.

“You all look beautiful, and I know that Evelyn would have loved to ‘ooo’ and ‘awe’ over all of your outfits,” she said. “She would have been amazed by all the color out there and just thought you all looked fantastic.”

Whitney Decker also showed gratitude for the overwhelming support.

“Thank you, everyone, for being here tonight and the outpouring of love that you have shown me and my family over the past few weeks,” she said. “I truly hope that the legacy of the girls’ lives in everyone’s hearts forever—they were incredible.”

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Crider spoke exclusively with ����Xվ Newsradio about his advice for search teams and found similarities between the Decker and Rudolph cases.

“Eric Rudolph was in a very rural area very similar to what we’re talking about with our current situation up near Chelan,” Crider said. “So, he had some rudimentary skills and didn’t want to be found, so he made it that much more difficult to try and track him down out in the air out in the wilderness.”

Rudolph was listed as one of the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives for five years, until he was captured in 2003. He was convicted of a series of bombings between 1996 and 1998, including the Olympic Park Bombings in 1996 and two abortion clinic bombings. His attacks resulted in two people killed and more than 100 others injured.

Crider said Rudolph had a lot of people who sympathized with his actions because many supported him for political and religious reasons.

“He also had individuals who were aiding him in his attempt to elude law enforcement. I don’t think that’s the case here,” Crider said. “I don’t think that this individual is going to get any sympathy from the public based on what he did. Also, we were the first team that went down there, and we strictly deployed at night, so it was very difficult with the terrain working with night vision goggles and trying to track him in total darkness.”

Another difference, Crider said, is that 90% of searches today are done online. In an affidavit filed in federal court, U.S. Marshals said they discovered, in the days leading up to the murders, Decker Google-searched for available jobs in Canada and how to relocate to Canada. Crider is convinced Decker deleted any social media accounts he may have had in an attempt to go off the grid as much as possible.

The search for Decker enters its fourth week

Last week, new helicopter searches for Decker centered near the mountains near the town of Cashmere and further south in the foothills of the Teanaway Valley—just five miles from Cle Elum.

Last week, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told ����Xվ Newsradio he believes Decker is still alive and might be accessing multiple caves and old mine shafts throughout the mountains of Chelan County to hide or seek shelter from the elements.

“I do believe he’s still alive, and until I find something that would prove otherwise, we’re going to consider that he is alive,” Morrison said. “We have not found a body. And at this point, I figured if that had been the case, just the amount of people who do come and recreate here in Chelan County, that we would have found something that we’re going to continue to take into account that we’ll either find him in one state or the other.”

Community gathered to honors the girls Friday

Friday, hundreds of friends, family, and community members gathered for a public memorial for Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia at Rocky Reach Park, located just north of Wenatchee. Many people wore purple, pink, and green, which were the girls’ favorite colors, while their mother, Whitney Decker, spoke publicly for the first time since their murders.

“You all look beautiful, and I know that Evelyn would have loved to ‘ooo’ and ‘awe’ over all of your outfits,” Decker said. “She would have been amazed by all the color out there and just thought you all looked fantastic. Thank you everyone for being here tonight and for the outpouring of love that you have shown me and my family over the past few weeks. I truly hope that the legacy of the girls’ lives in everyone’s hearts forever—they were incredible.”

Moving forward in their search, Crider reiterated that they are hoping Decker makes a mistake or resurfaces to obtain food and other supplies.

“The fugitive has to be lucky every single day. We just have to be lucky one day, so he eventually he’s going to have to surface for resupply,” Crider said. “Eric Rudolph was caught rummaging through a dumpster in order to try and get food and some other supplies so I think as the trail grows colder it just makes it much more difficult, but as long as we keep the word out, and people are keeping an eye out for this individual, somebody will spot him somewhere.”

Authorities have so far scoured hundreds of square miles of mountainous terrain, lakes, and rivers near Leavenworth and the Enchantments—a popular, rugged area of tall peaks and picturesque alpine lakes. While the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it has handed over all active search operations to federal agencies, while local deputies and prosecutors remain in charge of the criminal investigation.

Crider said he gave Sheriff Morrison some advice.

“The main thing when I talk to the sheriff up there is you can do all the profiling you can do all the research you want,” Crider said. “When the trail goes cold and you’ve exhausted every lead that you can and turned over every stone that you can think of, at this point it’s just remaining vigilant…and getting the word out so that every citizen is a pair of eyes for you out there, and hopefully somebody will spot him or spot something suspicious, and we’ll get that tip, and that will lead to hopefully an uneventful arrest.”

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����Xվ Newsradio asked Cristin Flynn Goodwin, a cybersecurity expert who worked for Microsoft for two decades, tracking some of the world’s most notorious hackers, including groups connected to the Israeli and Iranian militaries, about the fallout of a potential cyber war.

Israel-Iran cyber warfare

“We have seen years of cyber war back and forth between these two states. The Israeli Army is well known for its cyber capabilities, and its Unit 8200 is world-class,” Goodwin said. “The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, and its Mabna Institute are also very well known.”

Since Israel launched its initial missile attack on Tehran last week, it appears both sides have unleashed a new round of cyberattacks, potentially leading to lethal consequences. Ragnar Cybersecurity estimated Iranian cyberattacks have increased 700% against Israeli targets.

Last week, Iranian hackers reportedly sent text messages to thousands of Israelis threatening terror attacks. And days ago, two leading cyber firms urged American companies to bolster their cyber defenses, noting a history of Iranian state-sponsored hackers targeting U.S. infrastructure during previous conflicts.

“Cyber warfare can be dangerous,” Goodwin said. “Should a nation-state choose to escalate and use its tactics to go after a piece of critical infrastructure like operational control in heating or electrical systems all around our country, or if they wanted to get into a water system?”

In 2023, according to the FBI and NSA, cyber criminals linked to the Iranian military hacked into Israeli-made controls used to run “multiple” water systems at facilities across the U.S.

Last September, the Israeli government was blamed for communications devices dramatically exploding across Lebanon, including phones and pagers, used by the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah.

On Monday, an Israeli hacking group called Predatory Sparrow was credited for a cyber-attack that destroyed the data of Bank Sepah. They claimed the bank is an institution used by the Iranian government to circumvent international sanctions and fund terrorist proxies, its ballistic missile program, and its military nuclear program.

Goodwin, who is a managing partner at Advance Cyber Law and works closely with former White House cyber experts, said both Israel and Iran are hacking into each other’s systems to survey damage caused by their own missile attacks.

However, she said it is unlikely either side is planning a massive cyber-attack to damage critical infrastructure. “I think it’s too early to tell, and I can’t really speculate what that will look like,” Goodwin said.

Instead, she warned people should make sure the security on their computers and mobile phones is up to date. “If you’ve got devices that haven’t been updated in a while, now is the time,” Goodwin said. “Geopolitical turmoil is usually a good reminder to check your cyber windows and door locks, and make sure your devices are updated and ready to withstand any incoming hits.”

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Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison is also working with a U.S. Marshals psychologist on site in Wenatchee to better understand what Decker might be thinking, in addition to using tips from psychics with federal agents.

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison spoke with ����Xվ Newsradio about the ongoing search for the homeless, former soldier, Travis Decker, who has been at the center of a three-week manhunt in central Washington.

Wednesday afternoon, there was a new helicopter search in the mountains near the town of Cashmere in Chelan County. Flight tracking data showed a government-owned UH-72A Lakota Eurocopter circling the area around Mission Creek Road, in some spots that were less than a mile from Cashmere.

Decker still alive, according to Chelan County sheriff

Morrison said he believes Decker is still alive and might be accessing multiple caves and old mine shafts throughout the mountains of Chelan County to hide or seek shelter from the elements.

“I do believe he’s still alive, and until I find something that would prove otherwise, we’re going to consider that he is alive,” Morrison said. “We have not found a body. And at this point, I figured if that had been the case, just the amount of people who do come and recreate here in Chelan County, that we would have found something that we’re going to continue to take into account that we’ll either find him in one state or the other.”

Morrison also explained that they have consulted with behavioral experts from the FBI, and have a U.S. Marshal’s psychologist on site in Wenatchee to help understand what Decker might be thinking and where he may go next. Morrison said he recently contacted investigators who conducted other high-profile fugitive cases, including the 21-day search for Jorge Alcantara-Gonzalez, the 2020 murder suspect who hid in the woods of Kittitas County. Alcantara-Gonzales survived by breaking into cabins and stealing food from campsites. Morrison said he also recently chatted with a former FBI Special Agent who worked on the 1996 case and five-year manhunt for Centennial Olympic Park bomber, Eric Rudolph.

“He told me, he’s like, hey, that was a five-year effort. And it really was that patrol deputy on the road that saw a subject dumpster diving, contacted him, and there was Eric Rudolph,” Morrison said. “He was taken into custody.”

Wednesday, Morrison said investigators have tracked down tips from psychics who claimed to have information that could lead to Decker’s whereabouts.

“Our agency has received tips from individuals identifying as psychics and, like all tips, we have reviewed the information provided,” Morrison said. “We’ve shared relevant details with our federal partners and followed up when appropriate. These tips are treated the same as any other incoming leads.”

TikTok rumors debunked by authorities

Tuesday, Chelan County Undersheriff Dan Ozment also dispelled recent rumors circling social media that Decker has been captured.

“Our office was notified of a TikTok video that was released, which portrays Sheriff Morrison and claims Mr. Decker has been taken into custody after a long standoff,” Ozment explained in a press release. “To be clear, Mr. Decker is not in custody and CCSO had no part in making the video.”

While it’s unclear what specific video Ozment referred to, ����Xվ Newsradio found dozens of videos on TikTok that falsely claimed Decker was captured or arrested at the Canadian border or other areas in Washington State.

Also on Tuesday, a federal helicopter conducted a search of the foothills of the Teanaway Valley in Kittitas County and the Enchantments in Chelan County. That helicopter made multiple circles in a specific area just north of the intersection of state highway 97 and route 970, which is about five miles from Cle Elum, Roslyn, and Suncadia, between 8:30 p.m. Monday and 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.

On social media, the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office stated that their deputies and tactical teams are actively searching for Decker. They are asking residents to be alert for a suspicious person or circumstances, especially in the Teanaway Valley and Blewett Pass areas, including Red Bridge Road, Teanaway, Swauk, Lauderdale Junction, and Liberty.

The renewed helicopter search comes nearly three weeks after the bodies of three young girls were discovered at a remote campground west of Leavenworth. The once-intense search for Decker, the girls’ father, appeared to have slowed its fervent pace over the weekend. So far, our emails to the U.S. Marshal’s Office, which recently took over search operations, have gone unanswered.

Last week, the U.S. Forest Service reopened multiple trails in and around that area of the Cascade Mountain Range. Last week, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said more hikers will mean more eyes to possibly spot Decker or other evidence and more tips for law enforcement to respond to quickly.

Morrison said, at some point, he expects Decker will need to resurface to get more supplies.

“The struggle is real. I mean, you can get water and you can build shelter, but you start getting into the challenges of providing food for yourself. That becomes more taxing,” Morrison said. “We believe that if he is out there and he hasn’t prepared and put himself out there to a point where he’d have supplies readily available, he’s going to start coming back in towards civilization. I would hope he has no friends or allies out here in society, and I think that’s going to make it tougher for him to evade us.”

Search for Decker enters its third week

Monday marked the beginning of Week Three in the official search for Decker, a former Army Ranger believed to have received survival training during his military service. Authorities have scoured hundreds of square miles across mountainous terrain, lakes, and rivers near Leavenworth and the Enchantments—a popular rugged area of tall peaks and picturesque alpine lakes. While the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it has handed over all active search operations to federal agencies, while local deputies and prosecutors remain in charge of the criminal investigation.

Details released last week shed light on the crime scene. Autopsies confirmed that the three girls—discovered at a secluded campsite 18 miles west of Leavenworth—died by suffocation. Investigators classified the case as a triple homicide. Deputies reported finding each girl with a plastic bag over her head, along with more plastic bags strewn around the campsite and inside Decker’s abandoned truck.

Authorities said they recovered personal items from Decker’s vehicle, and blood samples taken from the site matched his DNA. Other samples collected were determined to be non-human. Decker’s dog was also found at the campsite and has since been turned over to a local humane society.

Flight tracking data from Sunday, a week ago, showed a Washington State Patrol Cessna circling the Enchantments—an isolated alpine region south of the crime scene—from about 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. The next morning, helicopters from King County and the Washington National Guard resumed sweeps of the area, which remained closed to the public for more than a week. Still, the frequency and visibility of such flights have declined from earlier in the search, when air activity was nearly constant day and night.

At one point, investigators said Decker may have been planning to flee the country. A federal affidavit filed by U.S. Marshals revealed Decker had recently searched Google for how to “relocate to Canada” and looked up jobs there just four days before picking up his daughters from their mother’s home in Wenatchee.

Decker was supposed to return the girls that same day, but he never showed up. A judge had revoked his overnight custodial rights in September 2024 due to homelessness and unpaid child support. Authorities launched a search when the family reported the girls missing, leading to the discovery of their bodies the following Monday.

“We have not given up,” Morrison said. “We remain committed. We will not stop.”

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DSA Spokesperson James Sido said last fiscal year, the 165 ambassadors welcomed more than a million visitors to downtown, helped 47,000 tourists with directions, cleaned up more than a million gallons of trash, and removed nearly 49,000 graffiti tags and stickers.

“You can feel it, and you can see the street and the sidewalks filling with vibrancy and activity,” Sido told ����Xվ Newsradio. “It’s a really good time to be down here, right now.”

You can’t miss the ambassadors along Seattle’s downtown streets, wearing green and blue vests and giving tourists directions while keeping the city clean.

“We need to step on the gas when it comes to taking advantage of the momentum we have and make sure that it remains a delightful experience for people,” Sido said. “These men and women are going out there, day in and day out. They’re really taking care of this place, and they’re doing a great job.”

Seattle’s Downtown Ambassador program has been in place since 1999.

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“They’ve reached out, and they’ve given some theories,” said Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison in a recent interview with radio station WTMJ in Wisconsin. “And of course, we’ve made an effort to look into some of those, and we appreciate them just being willing to offer their services.”

Psychics aid in the Travis Decker manhunt

Morrison made the comments during a recent interview with WTMJ. ����Xվ Newsradio emailed Morrison with follow-up questions, including added context around how much weight search teams have been placing on leads generated from psychics.

Chelan Undersheriff Dan Ozment told ����Xվ that their department has received hundreds and hundreds of tips from around the country concerning their ongoing search for Decker.

“We recognize that any bit of information that comes in, we’re going to process it, assess it, and continue to do what we can to make the best effort possible to bring this case to a close,” said Morrison.

Tuesday, Ozment also dispelled recent rumors circling social media that Decker has been captured. “Our Office was notified of a TikTok video that was released, which portrays Sheriff Morrison and claims Mr. Decker has been taken into custody after a long standoff,” Ozment explained in a press release. “To be clear, Mr. Decker is not in custody and CCSO had no part in making the video.”

While it’s unclear what specific video Ozment referred to, ����Xվ Newsradio found dozens of videos on TikTok that falsely claimed Decker was captured or arrested at the Canadian border or other areas in Washington State.

Travis Decker manhunt details

On Tuesday, a federal helicopter searched the foothills of the Teanaway Valley in Kittitas County and the Enchantments in Chelan County. The Kittitas search included a government-owned UH-72A Lakota Eurocopter that made multiple circles in a specific area just north of the intersection of state highway 97 and route 970, which is about 5 miles from Cle Elum, Roslyn, and Suncadia, between 8:30 p.m. Monday and 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.

On social media, the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office said their deputies and tactical teams are actively searching for Decker. They are asking residents to be alert for a suspicious person or circumstances, especially in the Teanaway Valley and Blewett Pass areas, to include Red Bridge Road, Teanaway, Swauk, Lauderdale Junction, and Liberty.

The renewed helicopter search comes nearly three weeks after the bodies of three young girls were discovered at a remote campground west of Leavenworth. The once-intense search for Decker, the girls’ father, appeared to have slowed its fervent pace over the weekend. So far, our emails to the U.S. Marshal’s Office, which recently took over search operations, have gone unanswered.

Last week, the U.S. Forest Service reopened multiple trails in and around that area of the Cascade Mountain Range. Last week, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said more hikers will mean more eyes to possibly spot Decker or other evidence and more tips for law enforcement to respond to quickly.

“Our tactics continue,” Morrison said during a recent press conference. “We’re just heading in a different direction.”

Monday marked the beginning of week three in the official search for Decker, a former Army Ranger believed to have received survival training during his military service. Authorities have scoured hundreds of square miles across mountainous terrain, lakes, and rivers near Leavenworth and the Enchantments—a popular rugged area of tall peaks and picturesque alpine lakes.

While the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it has handed over all active search operations to federal agencies, local deputies and prosecutors remain in charge of the criminal investigation.

“All we need is one mistake and one favor—I hope he’s watching,” Morrison said. “Mr. Decker is going to be the one to determine how this is going to end. We’ve encouraged him time and time again to give up and to give up peacefully.”

Travis Decker’s crime scene

Details released last week shed light on the crime scene. Autopsies confirmed that the three girls—discovered at a secluded campsite 18 miles west of Leavenworth—died by suffocation. Investigators classified the case as a triple homicide. Deputies reported finding each girl with a plastic bag over her head, along with more plastic bags strewn around the campsite and inside Decker’s abandoned truck.

Authorities said they recovered personal items from Decker’s vehicle, and blood samples taken from the site matched his DNA. Other samples collected were determined to be non-human. Decker’s dog was also found at the campsite and has since been turned over to a local humane society.

Flight tracking data from Sunday, a week ago, showed a Washington State Patrol Cessna circling the Enchantments—an isolated alpine region south of the crime scene—from about 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

The next morning, helicopters from King County and the Washington National Guard resumed sweeps of the area, which had remained closed to the public for more than a week. Still, the frequency and visibility of such flights have declined from earlier in the search, when air activity was nearly constant day and night.

At one point, investigators said Decker may have been planning to flee the country. A federal affidavit filed by U.S. Marshals revealed Decker had recently searched Google for how to “relocate to Canada” and looked up jobs there just four days before picking up his daughters from their mother’s home in Wenatchee.

Decker was supposed to return the girls that same day, but he never showed up. A judge had revoked his overnight custodial rights in September 2024 due to homelessness and unpaid child support. Authorities launched a search when the family reported the girls missing, leading to the discovery of their bodies the following Monday.

“We have not given up,” Morrison said. “We remain committed. We will not stop.”

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