See something others should know about? Email CHS or call/txt (206) 399-5959. You can view recent CHS Crime coverage here.
- DUI: Chop Suey talent booker Jodi Ecklund has pleaded not guilty to charges of driving while intoxicated and reckless driving after her arrest earlier this month in the Pike/Pine neighborhood. According to court records, Ecklund pleaded not guilty to the charge after being arrested early Thursday, March 12th near 10th and Pike.
Police say Ecklund, 41, briefly attempted to flee on foot after being pulled over on 10th Ave around 2:30 AM.
Ecklund declined to comment on the record about the case but said she is able to continue working at Chop Suey and plans to fight the charges. As part of her release on $2,500 bail, Ecklund agreed to a list of conditions including abstaining from liquor or drugs including “marijuana prescribed or non-prescribed,” and not operating a motor vehicle. Ecklund’s lawyer Jonathan Morrison declined comment. Her case continues next month with a pre-trial hearing.
Chop Suey reopened earlier this month under new management with Ecklund returning to her longtime post as the club’s booker. - Amazon Fresh ripoff: A neighbor living near Volunteer Park writes —
A number of our neighbors have had things stolen from their porches in the last few weeks. We set up a dropcam on our porch, and, lo and behold, we got a thief in action this morning. Could you post this so others can see her and be on the lookout? -
Craigslist bust: SPD has recovered “dozens” of bikes in a bust of a brazen Craigslist thief. You can check to see if your stolen ride is in the booty:
If you recognize your bike in any of these photos, please email Detective Scotty Bach at [email protected]. In order to claim your bike, you will need to provide proof of ownership, like a purchase receipt, case number related to the bike or photo clearly showing you with the bike. -
Gatsby burglar: Here’s another Capitol Hill thief caught on video if not by police. Q13 reports this gentleman is allegedly a burglar who used a “master key” to break into the Gatsby:
Police are trying to figure out how a thief was able to get into an apartment building on Capitol Hill. It appears he had a master key that let him into the lobby. He then broke into an emergency lock box, and stole more keys.
Jodi is a pillar of the community who puts her blood sweat and tears into this community daily. Shame on you for publicly humiliating her. Sometimes it’s better to let people deal with their personal issues personally rather than drag their good name through the mud. Nothing else interesting going on in the Hill to write about, Justin?
DWI is a serious allegation we’ll continue to write about.
Right-on, Justin!
Thank you!
It really isn’t. It’s basically cheap local celebrity gossip.
Celebrity? Wow, ego much? I’ve never heard of this Jodi person before but I’ve only lived her 20 years.
If you drive your car on a public road where you could injure others, that is public behavior, and you give up your right to privacy. DUI is a sociopathically selfish act, and anyone who engages in it is no pillar of my community.
This. If I had a friend who did this I’d be trying to get them medical help or rethinking the friendship (depending on their prior behavior), not filling up a blog’s comments section with excuses and deflections.
Yeah, no, this is not a private matter. That ended the moment they decided to endanger the lives of members of our community with their selfishness. Keep on keeping on, jseattle.
If this Jodi you so adore chose to drive drunk, she deserves all the shame that can be dumped on her. Sadly she likely doesn’t give a rat’s ass about others.
If she had killed a pedestrian or another motorist, would you still be defending her?
lol you cant be serious.
Yeah, keep on keepin’ on, jseattle. Keep on writing sensationalist bullshit to draw attention to a problem which is already being dealt with, legally. Drinking and driving is a serious offense and it’s obviously nothing to sneeze at. It’s also one with serious, built-in repercussions under the law. I’m sure Jodi is already being dragged through every bit of mud a person can be under these circumstances without some crack journalist shouting it on the mountaintops and making it absolutely everyone’s business.
And how, exactly, does drawing all this attention to her ensure anyone’s safety? Jodi is a talent booker at a club (and a damn good one). She’s not a public official or a city leader. She books rock shows. She’s already probably forbidden from driving and she’s abstaining from liquor or drugs. Were you trying to get her fired? Good fucking luck with that, chief
I’d have more respect, and empathy for Jodi if she simply took responsibility for her actions rather than have her minions come on here and attack the messenger. She did something wrong, really wrong, that’s on her, not Justin. He’s reported the police blotter for years. He didn’t single her out.
Sensationalist bullshit? Come on. This was about as factual and restrained as it gets.
Arrests are public record (for the most part) and the media has a lengthy history of pulling out this type of information and reporting it. Just 150 miles north of here DUI is a felony charge. Its a serious offense. Fleeing the scene is considered serious as well. As to whether these things should be reported is one debate among many regarding media. Given the current day societal awareness about impaired driving and the options available in an area like Capitol Hill (Uber, bus, taxi, firedns…) its puzzling that anyone would risk getting behind the wheel under the influence.
Drinking and driving is a serious offense. No one is debating that. But whether Jodi is taking responsibility for her actions or not is between Jodi, her lawyer and the judge. And since it’s now public knowledge, how about we let her go through all her due process before we all decide what she should be taking responsibility for?
Also, she didn’t sick her “minions” on anyone. Jodi has a lot of well earned respect and love around the neighborhood. Just because she doesn’t want to dignify all of this with a response doesn’t mean her friends can’t stick up for her. And Justin absolutely did single her out. Unless he’s in the business of reporting all the DUIs on Capitol Hill, of which there are many I’m sure, this is pretty much a definitive example of singling someone out. If someone wants to take it upon themselves to find this information, that’s what public record is good for. But writing a big, fat article about it is nothing more than perpetuating pointless gossip.
She’s not the victim here and I think your outrage is misplaced. Arrests are often public record and the media reports on them. If you don’t want your name in the press, don’t break laws. If Jodi and her friends are upset they should be upset at what she did which is to get behind the wheel drunk and take the risk of harming or even killing someone in this community.
If you keep digging that hole any deeper, you’ll never get out.
If anyone else was involved in a DUI on Capitol Hill and attempted to flee on foot, that would be reported just the same– regardless of who they are. Just a day or so ago I recall people calling for prison time for the guy who (allegedly) tried to kill trees in Chelan. And nobody rose to his defense, or whined he was being singled out. That was for killing trees. Driving drunk can kill people. I’m pretty sure it would be worse to kill people.
Maybe if you and others in Jodi’s circle weren’t so quick to forgive and make excuses for an absolutely unacceptable act, your friend would have had her little think about how terrible driving drunk was before she got behind the wheel. My sympathy is for the innocent victims of these selfish assholes. There needs to be one hundred times more public shaming of these idiots if that’s what it takes to get them to stop forever. Also, I am guessing that Jodi has endangered others with her impaired driving hundreds, if not thousands, of times before, and she didn’t learn enough from that to stop. Maybe seeing feedback from people who aren’t as enabling as you will make her understand that she has no right, ever to drive drunk, even if she is one of those super-duper valuable members of society that we call “rock bookers.” Jesus.
There was a small discussion recently about the contribution of clubs in the Pike/Pine area who overserve customers to the overall security problems in the area. How are we to believe that clubs have any real desire to prevent making a profit off of getting people to an antisocial level of drunkenness if their own employees are driving home drunk, the ultimate in antisocial drunkenness?
Anyone ever heard of the concept, innocent until proven guilty?
This is true– however if you read the protestations, nobody seems to be disputing whether she was really DUI. They’re excusing it away if she was. And while we’re at it– if you weren’t DUI, would you feel the need to attempt to flee on foot? I’m thinkin’ not.
Innocent until proven guilty is the standard met in court. Not in the news. She most likely drove drunk. Its ok to report on that, she’s not immune.
Were all these people freaking out about this notice equally appalled when CHS posted about the owner of Cafe Vita getting a DUI?
Seriously….most people who go to (or work at, I guess) bars imbibe, and then trust themselves to know what their limit is. Sometimes people are wrong. A DUI is far better than an accident – and I think publicizing arrests creates awareness that cops are in force and arrest is possible/probable. That could make someone either refuse that last call drink or call a cab/uber. So I do feel that these notices increase safety.
Listen, no one is excusing drinking and driving. No one. I think the point here is that we have laws, and if broken, there are consequences. Jodi is suffering those consequences, and will continue to suffer those consequences, not the least of which is the shame and guilt associated with this. I don’t understand why people feel the need to pile on? This was a gigantic mistake. Consequences are being suffered. Let’s move on.
But legal consequences aren’t the only result of DUIs. People who act like inconsiderate jerks and endanger others deserve to be publicly shamed and humiliated, because drunk driving is not acceptable at all. It causes huge damage.
Sometimes people lose their jobs, friends, spouses, etc. because of DUIs.
These are consequences of acting so stupidly.
Consider this. You may say that no one is excusing drinking and driving, but there is a level of cultural acceptance of drunk driving in this country that is completely out of line with most of the civilized world. In addition, most people who get a DUI have already driven drunk many, many times before getting caught and facing any consequences whatsoever, and there are many who never get caught but are still endangering the rest of us who aren’t so stupid and selfish. So public shaming can work in addition to the legal system, which cannot catch everyone who does this. We need to shame until everyone understands that anyone who drives after drinking any more than a very small amount IS driving impaired, even if that person doesn’t reach whatever the current legal definition of impaired. And everyone who drives impaired, ever, is an asshole, period.
DUI is a serious crime and offenders deserve the strict laws and repercussions that are in place to deal with such actions. If guilty, Jodi deserves those consequences.
However, reality is that you are reporting on her arrest purely as she is more visible in the public and that equals more clicks. DUI is a serious offense, it endangers lives, and a despicable act, but you are not reporting on Jodi because you care about any of that. You are reporting on her because people know who she is and this drives your traffic.
She is not a government official, or a business owner, or prominent anything. Instead Jodi is just like a lot of people on the hill, working class, and getting squeezed in every direction.
Care about drinking and driving? There needs to be safe, affordable options for working class folks and/or women in this town to get home safe. As our Capitol Hill’s population explodes public transportation is getting cut and the city is not doing enough to address these issues.
Care about drinking and driving? Report the names of these other people coming to our neighborhood and beating up gays, fighting, leaving trash, getting DUIs, beating women, making it unsafe to walk home after dark. Why not those who bring all the bad here, don’t live here and don’t contribute. Your don’t report cause you don’t have the resources? Or is it because they pay for your resources?
Bullshit. There are lots of options for drunk people to get home without driving.
I’ve used them.
If you care about drinking and driving, don’t tolerate the assholes that do it, or their asshole friends who defend them.
Double bullshit.
“Care about drinking and driving? Report the names of these other people coming to our neighborhood and beating up gays, fighting, leaving trash, getting DUIs, beating women, making it unsafe to walk home after dark.”
He totally does. All the time. You want to move on? You should all stop making excuses for her and move on yourselves.
Only one example but I don’t think your comment should go unchallenged. I’m pretty sure we’re the only news outlet in the city to report these cases and names:
http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2014/12/two-capitol-hill-anti-gay-hate-crime-cases-heading-towards-trial/
You should stop and consider why you see so little courts reporting from the major news outlets. It’s extremely difficult, extremely important work that nobody working for CHS takes lightly.
We have plenty of other coverage I can point to.
I just want someone to bust that girl that keeps taking things from peoples steps! Everytime I see her face on one of those drop cams, I amazed that she hasn’t been found laying in a pile of her own satisfaction in Cal Anderson Park.
I just want someone to bust that girl that keeps taking things from peoples steps! Everytime I see her face on one of those drop cams, I amazed that she hasn’t been found lying in a pile of her own satisfaction in Cal Anderson Park.
RE: Amazon Fresh ripoff:
I manage an apartment complex on Capitol Hill. I have caught this young lady prowling for unattended packages 2 out of the 3 times she has been spotted on the property. I confronted her, warning her she was trespassing and that I knew what she was up to. The second time I caught her I called SPD. She eluded the police. SPD Incident #14-415675. I gave the responding officer a clear 8×10 colour print identifying her.
Since the Thursday evening Q13 News report and new video, Q13 was notified and photos of her were eMailed to their tip hotline. Friday morning I again notified SPD East Precinct of the clear photos and incident#. I have not heard back from anyone yet.
After seeing the clip on the blog, an officer reached out to me. I just talked to him. He said he knows exactly who this woman is, and he’s arrested her 10 times already. He said she likes to break into garages and prowl cars, and that she has broken into buildings as well. He knows where to find her and can arrest her again. But it doesn’t seem to be very effective.
Sheesh, if she’s been arrested that many times, why isn’t she in prison?
I asked the officer the same question, and he said, “This is King County.”
RE: Amazon Fresh ripoff:
I manage an apartment complex on Capitol Hill. I have caught this young lady prowling for unattended packages 2 out of the 3 times she has been spotted on the property. I confronted her, warning her she was trespassing and that I knew what she was up to. The second time I caught her I called SPD. She eluded the police. SPD Incident #14-415675, Dec. 12, 2014. I gave the responding officer a clear 8×10 colour print identifying her.
Since the Thursday evening Q13 News report and new video, Q13 was notified and photos of her were eMailed to their tip hotline. Friday morning, Mar. 27, 2015 again I notified SPD East Precinct of the clear photos and incident#. I have not heard back from anyone yet.
I think the grocery thefts may also be happening in the CD. When walking home from work on Wednesday, I noticed an Amazon Fresh bin in someone’s yard. It was tipped on its side and there was some empty packaging strewn around it on the lawn. This was on Columbia.
This also looks like the woman who “grocery shops” in my P-Patch.
What is her name? Is that available anywhere?
A lock box outside my apartment was stolen not long ago. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was stolen by the same bipedal sack of garbage.