UPDATE | Charges expected for suspect in stabbing on Vashon

A judge has set bail at $650,000 for a suspect in a stabbing on Vashon and determined there was probable cause for attempted murder in the first degree in the case.

By Elizabeth Shepherd • February 9, 2023 6:00 pm
A house in Vashon’s Fir Ridge neighborhood, on the block where deputies say the crime took place, was sealed off with crime tape on Thursday afternoon. (Elizabeth Shepherd Photo)
A house in Vashon’s Fir Ridge neighborhood, on the block where deputies say the crime took place, was sealed off with crime tape on Thursday afternoon. (Elizabeth Shepherd Photo)

A Vashon man, arrested on Feb. 9 in connection with a stabbing that took place on the island, appeared in court for the first time on Friday, Feb. 10, where prosecutors argued he was a danger to the community and should be held on $650,000 bail.

The judge in the case set bail at that amount, and determined there was a probable cause for attempted murder in the first degree in the case, said Casey McNerthney, spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

The man has not yet been charged with the crime, McNerthney said, because required documents from King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) are routinely sent to the prosecutor’s office by investigators after a first appearance hearing. McNerthney said he expected the prosecutor’s office to act immediately after the case is referred to them by investigators, which would likely happen by next Tuesday.

The suspect is expected to remain in King County Jail, McNerthney added.

A day of heavy police presence on Vashon began just before 8 a.m. Thursday, when King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) received a 911 call reporting a stabbing in the 19000 block of 87th PL SW, in the Fir Ridge neighborhood of Vashon.

Deputies responded to the call and found a male adult victim had sustained multiple stab wounds during an altercation. According to the court documents provided by McNerthney, the victim had known the person who stabbed him and said the altercation began over a financial dispute.  

Vashon Fire & Rescue also responded to the 911 call to provide aid, and the victim was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center, said Fire Chief Matt Vinci.

According to court documents, the victim received a blood transfusion during his helicopter transfer to the hospital.

Throughout Thursday, deputies and other law enforcement personnel who were dispatched to Vashon searched for the suspect and actively investigated the case.

The suspect was arrested on Vashon at around 4 p.m. that day, according to Sgt. Corbett M. Ford, spokesperson for KCSO.

Employees of Euphorium Vashon, a cannabis shop in Vashon’s town center, believe they witnessed the arrest taking place on Vashon Highway at around 3:15 p.m., when multiple police vehicles converged, and officers jumped out and tackled a man who was walking near the 18000 block of Vashon Highway SW. the Highway, just south of the shop.

Earlier on Thursday afternoon, a Beachcomber reporter drove to the 19000 block of 87th Pl. SW, and observed KCSO personnel entering a blue house on the block which was taped off as a crime scene.  

The case number for this investigation is C23004623. People with information about the crime can submit tips online at www.p3tips.com or via the P3Tips app.

According to Ford, the victim was expected to survive, as of Thursday.