By Steve Pomper
Let’s begin with a heads-up for any leftist virtue signalers who place the welfare of criminals over innocent victims: Don’t try to use the excuse “but this crime (criminal or victim) is different (or worse) than others” to justify your anger because some aspects of the crime provide you an exception to your stated anti-criminal justice sensibilities.
Ask yourself what kind of people you’re choosing to run your federal, state, and local criminal justice systems. Who you select has real-life consequences for real people. Like 80-year-old Ruth Dalton who reportedly fell victim to an eight-time convicted felon.
This heartrending crime stands out for several reasons—although I don’t know if #3 truly stands out anymore.
- Murder/carjacking/animal cruelty victim is an elderly woman dog walker.
- Suspect also allegedly brutally killed and then tossed her dog into a dumpster.
- Suspect has repeatedly benefitted from an imbalanced criminal justice system.
Remembering Ruth Dalton Facebook
If you typically express more sympathy, empathy, and concern for the accused, convicted, and incarcerated than for the brave cops and innocent crime victims, save it. You’re part of the problem. And you don’t get off the emotional hook because you believe a particular victim warrants your sympathy or criminal your rage.
According to KOMO 4 News, “Seattle Police responded to a report of a carjacking on Wednesday and found a citizen giving aid to a woman who was down on the road.” This was at 10 a.m. Yes, in broad daylight.
Dalton, a vigorous octogenarian, has owned a dog-walking business in Seattle’s Madison Valley neighborhood for decades. There was an outpouring of love from the community, and neighbors are understandably outraged.
X-Post Link People are understandably outraged.
According to the Remembering Ruth Dalton Facebook page, “Most of you know that Grandma had 6 dogs in her car on Tuesday morning…. 5 clients plus her very own Prince. 4 doggies went home safely that day, but poor little Maisie was hit by a car. We are unsure if the car was Grandma’s, or another car, as the dogs scattered.” No doubt concerned for the dogs, one of them hers (Prince), the elderly woman tried to fight off the piece of filth who allegedly did this.
Also posted, “Maisie has had 3 surgeries since that terrible day. Her mom tells me that she was eating well today…… and I am so happy to report that she will be returning home to her parents on Monday!!!! I can hear my grandma’s voice saying, ‘PRAISE GOD, THANK YOU JESUS!’ at that news!”
After he reportedly forced her out into the street, the suspect allegedly struck Dalton (and one dog, which is recovering) with the car and fled. The other dogs escaped. Sadly, Prince, remained trapped in the car. According to police, the suspect later allegedly stabbed the dog to death. Prince’s body was found in a dumpster near where police located Dalton’s car.
At the scene, neighbors, police officers, and fire department personnel subsequently, vigorously attempted to render medical aid, but Dalton succumbed to her injuries and died at the scene.
This vicious crime has shocked the community, which is saying something for Seattle these days. The Madison Valley was a part of my patrol area for over two decades. I’d call the ordinary American neighborhood a sort of “buffer zone” between the more affluent Madison Park and Washington Park neighborhoods and the high crime area known as the Central District.
It is a primarily residential neighborhood, with an active business district, primarily populated by decent, law-abiding people.
Though some crime in not unusual here, this kind of murder, especially of an 80-year-old woman, is quite rare anywhere. As KVI 570 AM radio reported, “Seattle hits a new all-time low for callous, brazen violent crime.”
Some media initially assumed Dalton walked dogs for extra money in retirement. But, according to The New York Times’ Sara Ruberg and Alexandra E. Petri, Dalton had established Grandma’s Critter Care in 1989 “to help send her granddaughter [Melanie] to a private Christian school.”
After Melanie graduated, she said her grandmother “fell in love with the work and the people and the community, and she kept going….”
I’d like to say that I have specific memories of her walking her dogs. But, though, I must have seen her, I saw numerous dog walkers over the years. And Dalton hadn’t yet become the neighborhood icon she eventually would.
After all, she was still in her 40s when I began my career and in her late 60s when I retired many years ago. Still, it troubles me that this happened in a neighborhood I patrolled for so long.
Fortunately, police have apprehended the suspect, and he is off the streets—for now, anyway.
Caitlyn Freeman and Lauren Girgis of The Seattle Times reported, “Seattle police announced Wednesday they made an arrest in a Madison Valley neighborhood carjacking that killed an 80-year-old woman.”
This is so typical of legacy media reporting. Apparently, a carjacking, not a carjacker, murdered the poor woman. You know, like the victim was killed by a gun, or a car ran over the victim. Anyway, I digress.
The suspect “was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of homicide and animal cruelty.” Police identified the suspect after lifting fingerprints from Dalton’s cell phone found in her abandoned car. The suspect also possessed a bloody knife and Dalton’s car keys when police arrested him.
Now, sorry for getting a bit soapboxy here, but it gets me that the people in this community, many who’ve likely supported to one degree or another (or at least didn’t actively oppose) the anti-police, anti-law-and-order policies of Seattle/Washington government, act shocked at such crimes. Take a look in the mirror, folks. Ruth Dalton did not deserve what happened to her allegedly by a multi-repeat felony offender beneficiary of lax, anti-cop law enforcement policies and laws passed by the people’s representatives.
And, you know what? The next victims of repeatedly released violent felons won’t deserve it either.
According to KVI radio host Ari Hoffman, “Sources tell me that Jahmed Haynes, the prolific offender who is accused of killing 80 year old dog walker Ruth Dalton was a resident of a nearby ‘wet house’ that gives drugs/alcohol to homeless residents like room service, all funded by Seattle.” Also, typical of Seattle.
I may come off as angry (okay, there’s some of that, too), but I’m much more frustrated than angry. Especially when people who fall for the extremist defund the police and other insults to justice become upset at crime increases but continue to choose leaders who support these policies. Maybe that will finally change, but it’s too late for Ruth Dalton. Make the connection, folks.
In conclusion, let’s place this travesty in a broader context. Crime increases are not unusual for soft-on-crime jurisdictions like Seattle. They haven’t been for a long time, and an anti-cop state legislature has just made it easier for criminals (but that may be changing).
KIRO 7 News reported a few days ago, “Three teenagers from Seattle were arrested after a police chase in a stolen car and a failed attempt to run away, according to Kent Police.”
Police in Kent, about 20 miles south of Seattle, located an occupied stolen vehicle. The driver, with two passengers, attempted to elude police. A K9 officer had joined the pursuit. The lead officer was able to employ a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle.
All occupants bailed out of the car and ran. Oh! Remember the K9 I mentioned? The dog-assisted officer made short work of the chase, quickly capturing the 16-year-old male driver. A short time later, other Kent PD officers caught the remaining two passengers, a 15-year-old female, and a 13-year-old boy.
Though this was “just a stolen car” and not a carjacking, the story is important because it illustrates the folly of the state’s recent anti-police laws. The thieves may likely have escaped unscathed if those laws hadn’t been repealed by the state’s lame duck cop hater-in-chief, Governor Jay Inslee. He’d initially signed legislation that, among other extremist idiotic legislation, dramatically curtailed when police could pursue criminals (even felons) in vehicles.
Earlier this year, the not-surprising rise in crime forced Inslee to sign laws amending or repealing some of the anti-police legislation that cops had implored him not to sign, assured him would not work, and said would make the state more dangerous, not less.
The type of officials, people choose to run their federal, state, and local governments is critical for public safety. While these same people repealed the legislation, they’d initially enacted, how many victims would not have suffered or died if the legislature had been pro-police and pro-law-and-order instead of filled with anti-cop extremists?
This is not a rhetorical question. It needs to be answered by every person in every community when choosing the people who will represent them and will pass and enact the public safety policies through which the police will protect (or not be allowed to protect) their communities.
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