Tag Archives: Auburn

Crime and punishment in King County, Washington

Between the Defund the Police movement, Soros-backed candidates, and  “racial justice” platforms of many democrats, it’s not very safe to live in blue cities/counties/states these days.

But it’s definitely a positive for the criminals. Take this guy for example:

Screenshot of man attempting to abduct a barista through a drive-in window.

In January of this year Matthew Darnell tried to zip-tie and kidnap a bikini-clad barista at a drive-up window at an Aburn coffee shop.  The barista was able to fight off the attacker and he was later arrested and charged on a kidnapping charge.

Flash forward seven months later and Darnell is already out of jail. From the NY Post:

“A Washington state man who tried to zip-tie and kidnap a bikini-clad barista at a drive-up window in a shocking caught-on-video attack is now back behind the wheel — to the dismay of victims’ rights advocates.

Matthew Darnell, 39, was busted after trying to yank the victim through the window at Beankini Espresso in Auburn on Jan. 16, but was freed Saturday after prosecutors cut a plea deal that called for a mere 50-day sentence.

Darnell lives just two blocks from the coffee shop.

“It raises the question of why should people bother to report [assaults],” Mary Ellen Stone, CEO of the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, told the outlet.

“We see that all the time,” she continued. “There are a variety of reasons why that happens, but the message it sends to victims is what happens to you wasn’t important. The other thing it does is that it says people that are behaving in this way, not that big a deal. You’re not going to be held accountable.

Read the whole story here.

King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion

King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion (who was sworn in 1/9/23 and is the first woman and person of color to hold the job) sure made it sound like public safety was a priority saying, I am committed to protecting public safety and increasing community health.”

She also stated on her priorities page, “Supporting victims and survivors of crime is a critical responsibility. The racial and ethnic diversity of King County has changed, and victim advocates face new and complex challenges in providing effective and culturally sensitive services.”

Manion’s promises were endorsed by all sorts of democrats, labor unions, and the REAL Justice WA PAC. REAL Justice has helped elect (with Soros money) the likes of George Gascon (LA), Kim Gardner (St. Louis), Kim Foxx (Cook County), and Chesa Boudin (SF, recalled last year).

King County voters had a choice last year between Manion and Jim Ferrell. Ferrell was a republican and switched to the democrat party in 2012 so I guess the voters didn’t have much to choose from. At least Ferrell did have the support of many police associations as he claimed one of his priorities was this: “Let me be clear: I will hold offenders accountable. We need justice for the victims of crime.”

But I guess King County voters got the prosecutor they deserve: The first woman, mother and person of color to hold that position who will “craft innovative solutions to fight and reduce crime through broad coalitions, and create positive change.”

Positive change for perps but not so much for baristas.

DCG