Tyler Stumpf (l) is the manager of the Fred Meyer store on Evergreen Way. David Webster (r) manages the Fred Meyer at 132nd and the Bothell-Everett Highway.
The empty bank building in front of the Evergreen Way Fred Meyer.
The bus stop at the southwest corner of the Fred Meyer on 128th. (the store is within the Everett City limits)
EPD Deputy Police Chief John DeRousse speaks with the two managers after they addressed the Everett City Council.
That’s the message David Webster, who identified himself as the manager of the Fred Meyer store at 12906 Bothell-Everett Highway gave during the public comment portion of the City Council meeting in Everett, Washington today.
He also told the council that at his store near the Mill Creek – Everett City limits associates have had their cars stolen, vandalized, even one associate was abducted. He said the bus stop on the southwest portion of their property has become very unsafe and has become a place where thieves stuff their stolen products from his store in backpacks, discard what’s left and leave the bus stop in a shambles.
Tyler Stumpf told the City Council that he’s been manager of the Fred Meyer store at 8530 Evergreen Way in Everett for the past two months.
“At our store we have an open-air drug market that is on the corner of Evergreen Way and Casino Road at an abandoned bank,” Tyler said. “What happens is the drug dealers shows up in their cars, they give the users a list of what they need to come in and steal and they come in and steal. They leave drug paraphernalia all over the store whether its needles, foils with fentanyl, they also use our restrooms as a place to shoot up or do fentanyl, we just need some help.”
After they described their issues to the City Council Mayor Cassie Franklin told the managers the City of Everett’s team is well aware of these areas and the associated problems. She asked Executive Director Lori Cummings to make contact with the managers. Also Assistant Everett Police Chief John DeRousse met briefly with both men outside of the city council chambers.
After the three spoke, Deputy Chief DeRousse outlined to MyEverettNews.com the plan moving forward:
“We have and will continue to work with businesses in the City of Everett that are dealing with issues like these. Many of the problems that we have seen with the visibly homeless, addicted and/or mentally ill population is interrelated to the issues the Fred Meyer’s managers expressed today. I connected them with our south administrative sergeant after the meeting to make sure we are not missing anything that they need help with. We have scheduled on-going pro-active patrols in the area of their stores, to include the nearby properties where people are congregating. Our patrol officers are also aware of this problem.”
During their testimony to the city council, the manager of the Evergreen Way store related how they called 911 about someone with with two knives and they received a response via text from 911 that Everett Police were busy. Deputy Chief DeRousse also addressed that for us:
“We are looking into this call today involving knives, and our police response. We use a program that automatically sends text messages to 911 callers. I heard the call getting dispatched today and thought there was an immediate response, but it may have been delayed for some reason unknown to me.”
Finally we asked Deputy Chief DeRousse his response to the managers coming to the city council and if this situation had been discussed with EPD before? Deputy Chief DeRousse told us:
“I don’t think we have had direct dialogue with these managers before, but they are now connected with a police resource that will be a direct point of contact for broader issues like the ones they shared with City Council today.”
Earlier this month Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin joined more than a dozen other Mayors in Snohomish County in forming a county-wide public safety coalition to address crime and public safety.
October 26, 2022
Police Blotter