Not Wanted For Burglary -- Police Mistake Besmirched His Name

Jerrimi Olsen has discovered it's "scary as hell" to be a fugitive, wanted by the criminal-justice system.

Because of a shoddy investigation by a King County Police detective, the 20-year-old first-year community-college student was mistakenly charged with burglary. He was identified as a fugitive and his name and photograph were widely circulated.

"It was an error on the part of the detective," acknowledged Jerrell Wills, a spokesman for King County Police. He said the department will review its procedures to make sure it doesn't happen again.

The prosecutor's office intends to ask that the charges against Olsen be dismissed, but only because the witness who supplied his name can't be found, not because he was charged by mistake.

The witness gave King County Police Detective Mike Hartman a name similar to Olsen's. Hartman tracked down Olsen's driver's license address and charges were filed. A summons never reached Olsen because he had married and moved to Mountlake Terrace, so a bench warrant was issued.

Conviction on the charge could have resulted in three to nine months in jail.

Olsen's picture was in "Crime Report," a locally published, free booklet that lists people who have been charged with crimes but remain at large. His driver's license photo repeatedly was flashed on community-service TV.

"Initially, I was frustrated and upset. I was very fearful at first. I didn't know what to expect," he says.

The fear was turned up a notch when an FBI agent, Sean Zelka, a member of a local fugitive task force, tried to arrest Olsen at the Safeway store where he works. Olsen wasn't working at the time.

Olsen says he spent $3,000 to hire an attorney and temporarily left work because he was afraid of being arrested there.

Sharon Diel, Olsen's mother-in-law, says it's shocking the charges resulted from such scanty evidence. "It's surprising they could be so negligent, . . . just pull anyone out of the hat, so to speak."

Bob Sheler, Olsen's supervisor at Safeway, was flabbergasted when Olsen was accused. He says Olsen is an excellent employee. Wills said that if a photo montage had been shown to the witness before the charge was filed, it would have eliminated the possibility of mistaken identity. But the detective made a good-faith decision not to use one, he said.

Margaret Nave, deputy prosecutor, said it is common for detectives to skip a montage when the victims or witnesses know a suspect.

Now the witness can't be found. Hartman, the detective, has made repeated efforts, a patrol officer has been sent by, and Nave even has called, she said.

The case started Nov. 17, 1994, when a Burien garage that had been converted into living quarters was burglarized by three teenagers who kicked in a door, according to papers filed by the King County prosecutor's office.

The witness told police he recognized two of the young men. One name he provided was similar to Olsen's. The witness said the suspect attended a Highline District high school.

Hartman told Wills he got Olsen's name and old Burien address from the high school. But Olsen says that's impossible because he never attended the school. The principal yesterday said school was out and she couldn't find anyone who had talked to Hartman.

Jan Olson, Olsen's attorney, says several red flags were ignored. Jerrimi's first name is very different from the name police were given, and Jerrimi is 20, not a "kid" as the witness said.

Olsen knew nothing of the charge or the bench warrant for "failure to appear" until May 15, when a co-worker called him at home, saying a customer had shown him Olsen's picture in the Crime Report booklet.

The episode has left Olsen shaken and has destroyed his faith in the criminal-justice system. "The whole case was handled with a lack of care and a lack of professionalism. . . . The amount of power he (the detective) has, it seems kind of scary," he said.

Even though the mistake is going to be corrected, the stigma persists. "People who see this picture (in the crime booklet) will wonder about me, probably forever," he said.