Massage therapist accused of sexual misconduct fired from Issaquah clinic
June 17, 2013
NEW — 2 p.m. June 17, 2013
Days after state health officials suspended the license of Newcastle massage therapist Matthew E. Usher, his current employer, Elements Therapeutic Massage Issaquah, terminated him from its staff.
A charge of sexual misconduct with a patient at Newcastle’s Massage Envy led the state agency to immediately suspend his license.
Usher was criminally charged in King County Superior Court with indecent liberties, after he allegedly reached under the draping and touched a patient’s breast during a December 2012 massage treatment. He pleaded not guilty and a subsequent hearing is scheduled for July 11.
Usher began working at the Elements Therapeutic Massage in January, according to owner Glenda Sue Poletti. At the time of hiring, Usher was properly insured and licensed, she said. Read more
Issaquah police nab NFL player for domestic violence
February 5, 2013
Prosecutors could charge Leroy Hill for domestic violence-related crimes, after Issaquah police arrested the Seattle Seahawks linebacker for assaulting and imprisoning a woman.
Leroy Hill
Officers responded to Hill’s Talus home along Cougar Ridge Drive Northwest at about 4 p.m. Jan. 29. Hill’s girlfriend, a 26-year-old Issaquah woman, said he had assaulted her numerous times since about 10:30 a.m. She told police he stood on her head and chest, struck her with a bottle of alcohol and punched her as many as 20 times.
She said Hill, 30, blocked the doorway, did not allow her to leave the home and took her cellphone, court documents state. The woman escaped from the residence when he went to the bathroom.
Police arrest Seattle Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill for domestic violence
January 30, 2013
NEW — 10:15 a.m. Jan. 30, 2013
Issaquah police arrested Seattle Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill on Tuesday for domestic violence at Hill’s Talus home.
Officers responded after a 26-year-old Issaquah woman said her boyfriend, Hill, assaulted her several times and kept her inside his home against her will.
The woman told police Hill blocked the doorway, did not allow her to leave the home and took her cellphone. The woman escaped from the residence when Hill went to the bathroom.
Officers arrested Hill, 30, for domestic violence and assault related to the incident at about 4 p.m. Tuesday. The response to the home in the 60 block of Cougar Ridge Drive Northwest included police and Eastside Fire & Rescue units.
Democrats dominate Issaquah voters’ choices
January 1, 2013
Strong get-out-the vote operation boosts candidates
Democrats dominated Issaquah in the November election.
City voters chose Democrats for every federal and statewide office on the ballot — sometimes by a broad margin and others by a handful of votes.
Issaquah overwhelmingly supported Democrats in the races for president and vice president, U.S. senator and U.S. representative, and every statewide office. Only incumbent Republican Steve Litzow, a 41st Legislative District state senator representing about half of Issaquah, earned support from a majority of voters inside city limits.
How did Issaquah vote?
January 1, 2013
City-level results from the November election show Issaquah voters followed statewide trends on some issues, or occasionally chose another direction.
Unincorporated King County residents avoid $20 roads fee
December 18, 2012
Residents in unincorporated King County — including Klahanie, Mirrormont and Preston in the Issaquah area and more than 200,000 people countywide — no longer face a $20 vehicle-license fee to fund road maintenance.
King County Council members dropped the proposed fee from the 2013 county budget, and approved the spending plan Nov. 13 in a unanimous decision. Instead, officials plan to lobby the state government for additional road dollars — a challenge as the state faces another budget shortfall next year.
In September, King County Executive Dow Constantine proposed a $20 fee to fund road maintenance and storm response in rural and unincorporated areas.
King County Council adopts 2013 budget without roads fee
November 13, 2012
NEW — 4 p.m. Nov. 13, 2012
King County Council members dropped a proposed $20 vehicle-license fee to fund road maintenance and, in a unanimous decision Tuesday, approved the 2013 budget without the fee.
In September, King County Executive Dow Constantine proposed a $20 fee to fund road maintenance and storm response in rural and unincorporated areas. The decision to drop the proposed fee affects residents in unincorporated King County communities, including Klahanie, Mirrormont, Preston and other areas outside Issaquah.
Rather than creating a transportation benefit district in unincorporated King County, officials plan to lobby the Legislature for a comprehensive state transportation package to address road maintenance.
Committee removes $20 roads fee from King County budget
November 8, 2012
NEW — 11:15 a.m. Nov. 8, 2012
The committee responsible for crafting the 2013 King County budget dropped a plan to charge unincorporated-area residents a $20 vehicle-license fee to fund road maintenance, officials announced Thursday.
The proposed $7.6 billion budget contains $685 million for the general fund — the source of dollars for elections, law enforcement and other basic government functions. King County Council budget team members said 73 percent of dollars from the fund go toward public safety and criminal justice programs.
The proposed budget does not dip into cash reserves or the county’s rainy day fund.
In September, King County Executive Dow Constantine proposed a $20 fee to fund road maintenance and storm response in rural and unincorporated areas.
Police: Lovers robbery suspect hit Issaquah, Redmond stores
October 2, 2012
Issaquah police arrested a 42-year-old Issaquah man Sept. 25 for armed robberies at Lovers adult novelty stores in Issaquah and Redmond after a telltale cellphone ring led officers to the suspect.
Police arrested Juan G. Martinez-Casillas, a.k.a. Marco Antonio Suarez-Perez, at the Park Hill at Issaquah apartment complex, about 600 feet from Lovers.
Investigators said Martinez-Casillas robbed the local Lovers, 5614 E. Lake Sammamish Parkway S.E., at gunpoint at about 11:30 a.m. Sept. 20. Then, at about 11:25 a.m. Sept. 25, police said he robbed the Redmond store at gunpoint. In each case, police said Martinez-Casillas demanded for the lone female employee in the stores to partially disrobe.
Rental service shut down for questionable practices
September 4, 2012
The state Attorney General’s Office said a rental property referral service agreed Aug. 30 to stop accepting fees from apartment seekers and provide refunds to customers.
In King County Superior Court, attorneys from the Consumer Protection Division filed a consent decree, or voluntary agreement, with Chad Hurn, owner of Seattle-based Northwest RentPad LLC — also known as Rentpad NW. The company included listings in Issaquah and other cities in the Greater Seattle area.
In signing the consent decree, Hurn is prohibited from directly or indirectly charging or accepting fees from consumers for any service related to providing rental housing, and must also pay $1,000 in attorney fees to the state.
Steele said Hurn charged consumers $350 for referral services and told them the fee was refundable. But customers said Rentpad NW often refused refund requests.
