Pal who helped man kill ex-wife sentenced

A man who pleaded guilty to helping kill a friend's ex-wife in 1988 was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison.

Frederick James McKee, 45, was sentenced by King County Superior Court Judge Robert Alsdorf to four years more than the 16-year sentence recommended by prosecutors for his part in the killing of 33-year-old Cheryl Pitre of Port Orchard.

McKee, who was in prison on unrelated convictions when he was charged in the slayings last year, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in October.

Pitre's ex-husband, Roland A. Pitre Jr., 52, and McKee were charged with the murder of the young mother last year after advanced DNA techniques linked McKee to the crime.

Seattle

Father charged in daughter's death

A man who allegedly confessed to a church friend that he killed his 11-month-old daughter two years ago was charged Friday with homicide by abuse.

King County prosecutors said in charging papers that Ryan Muench, 25, of Renton tried to suffocate his ailing daughter several times before finally succeeding.

According to charging papers, police began investigating the child's August 2002 death last year after Muench allegedly confessed to a member of his church that he killed his child to end her suffering.

The girl, who had weighed less than 2 pounds when she was born about 13 weeks prematurely, suffered from some health problems, but she also was found to be "alert and interactive" at her doctor's appointments, court documents say.

The child's body, which had been buried without an autopsy after her death was ruled to be related to complications of premature birth, was exhumed. An autopsy showed injuries from several apparent suffocation attempts, court documents say.

Seattle

Panel OKs beach fires, with some provisos

Beach fires should be allowed to continue in designated pits at Alki and Golden Gardens, the Board of Parks Commissioners decided last week. But commissioners recommended increased education and enforcement of beach-fire rules.

Parks Superintendent Ken Bounds will consider the board's Thursday recommendations and make a final decision on beach fires.

Commissioners considered a proposal to ban beach fires after the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency found illegal materials, such as chemically treated wood and particle board, were being burned at Alki Beach. The Parks Department stepped up its education efforts but still reported that about 177 tons of illegal materials were burned at city beaches last year.

Coos Bay, Ore.

Port of Coos Bay hires Tacoma port official

After a yearlong search, the International Port of Coos Bay has hired a new general manager.

Jeffrey Bishop, industrial-development manager at the Port of Tacoma for three years, was the unanimous selection of the Port of Coos Bay board of commissioners.

"We had a strong group of candidates, which made it difficult for us," Commissioner Caddy McKeown said Thursday.

The search had begun shortly after the new port board was appointed in January after the resignation of general manager Allan Rumbaugh in November 2003.

The Port of Tacoma is the fifth-largest container port in the United States, behind Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland in California, and New York City.

Bishop told The World newspaper that he sees potential for growth in Coos Bay.

"I think the key is to be ready, both physically and by reputation," he said. "Ports don't make private industry profitable, private industry makes private industry profitable. The key is to be ready."

Bishop was hired to a two-year term with an initial salary of $100,000 per year.

Marvin Caldera, president of the local chapter of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and a member of the search committee, said he was impressed by Bishop and his work in Tacoma.

"I've worked at the Port of Tacoma. They're a very aggressive port. They do a very good job handling cargo," Caldera said.

Seattle

Apartment damaged by Capitol Hill fire

A fire broke out in a basement apartment early yesterday morning on Capitol Hill, causing nearly $80,000 damage to the building and its contents, Seattle Fire Capt. Reba Gonzales said.

Fire investigators said the fire, at 1515 E. Union St., broke out in a bedroom. Crews used a ladder truck to rescue one of the occupants from a third-floor unit, but no one was seriously injured in the fire, the spokeswoman said.

Kent

Argument escalates, gunshot wounds man

A man was grazed by a gunshot to the head late Friday night after getting into an argument with another man at a gas station near South 272nd Street and Military Road South, police said.

The two men had been arguing near the gas pumps when one of them pulled out a .22-caliber handgun and fired a round at the other. The victim was treated at Harborview Medical Center and released.

Police later arrested a suspect at his home in Des Moines. He was booked into the King County Regional Justice Center in Kent on suspicion of attempted murder and firearms violations, police said.

Times staff and news services