Charges filed by KCPAO in December 2022

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed at least 697 criminal charges in December — a month that included holiday and weather-related court closures. Violent crime and repeat property crime are the bulk of the cases we handle, and prosecutors typically file between 20–30 cases daily.

Our ability to file charges is based on the number of case referrals by police investigators.

Here is a breakdown of charges filed during the 20 business days in December:

• King County prosecutors filed 118 assault or attempted assault charges in December, including armed assaults.
• There were 37 robbery and attempted robbery charges filed by King County prosecutors in December, including armed robberies.
• King County prosecutors charged 54 burglaries and attempted burglaries in December, including 31 commercial burglaries.
• In addition to armed assaults, armed robberies, and murders involving guns, King County prosecutors charged 42 additional gun crimes in December, such as unlawful gun possession (58).
• King County prosecutors filed 86 theft or attempted theft charges in December. That includes 9 organized retail theft charges. (Most shoplifting cases are not felony thefts, they are misdemeanor cases referred to individual city attorney’s offices.) By the end of December, King County prosecutors had filed 83 cases involving Organized Retail Theft. That’s more than double the number of Organized Retail Theft cases in all of 2021 (37).
• Stolen vehicles are the most common type of property crime prosecuted. King County prosecutors filed 86 stolen vehicle related charges in December.
• In December, the KCPAO filed 2 murder charges and 1 vehicular homicide charge — based on referrals from police investigators. Many murder investigations are still ongoing.
• Drug possession cases — even cases of people using meth and heroin on the streets — have not been felony crimes since the State Supreme Court’s Blake decision in February 2021. However, King County prosecutors still charge drug dealers, most often fentanyl dealers. King County prosecutors filed 47 drug-dealing related charges in December, including 22 involving fentanyl charges and 14 meth charges (possession with intent or drug delivery). Those numbers include six Conspiracy to Commit VUCSA charges (possession with intent).
• In the last five months of 2022, King County prosecutors filed 67 fentanyl dealing charges and another 46 meth dealing charges (including six Conspiracy to Commit VUCSA charges). Another way to say that is, nearly 70% of all drug dealing charges filed by King County prosecutors involve fentanyl or meth (39.6% and 27.2% respectively, including the Conspiracy to Commit VUCSA charges).
• Domestic violence remains the most common crime type in King County: 18% of all charges filed in December were domestic violence related (125 of at least 697 charges).

The overwhelming majority of these 697 charges are from felony cases in Superior Court, but that number also includes a few expedited and fugitive cases in District Court. Juvenile cases filings are in addition to the 697 number.

Click here to see a daily breakdown of charges filed by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Specific crimes charged in December 2022 by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office:

· Animal Cruelty in the First Degree (1 charge)

· Arson In The First Degree (1 charge)

· Arson In The Second Degree (1 charge)

· Assault In The First Degree (2 charges)

· Assault In The Second Degree — Domestic Violence (42 charges)

· Assault In The Second Degree (26 charges)

· Assault In The Third Degree — Domestic Violence (2 charges)

· Assault In The Third Degree (19 charges)

· Assault In The Fourth Degree (1 charge)

· Assault In The Fourth Degree — Domestic Violence (7 charges)

· Attempted Assault In The First Degree — Domestic Violence (1 charge)

· Attempted Assault In The Second Degree — Domestic Violence (2 charges)

· Attempted Burglary In The Second Degree (1 charge)

· Attempted Commercial Sexual Abuse Of A Minor (2 charges)

· Attempted Identity Theft in the First Degree (2 charges)

· Attempted Kidnapping in the Second Degree — Domestic Violence (1 charge)

· Attempted Residential Burglary (2 charges)

· Attempted Robbery In The First Degree (1 charge)

· Attempted Robbery In The Second Degree (3 charges)

· Attempted Theft In The Third Degree (1 charge)

· Attempted Theft Of Motor Vehicle (4 charges)

· Attempting To Elude A Pursuing Police Vehicle (20 charges)

· Being A Fugitive From Justice (8 charges)

· Burglary in the First Degree — Domestic Violence (1 charge)

· Burglary In The First Degree (9 charges)

· Burglary In The Second Degree (31 charges)

· Child Molestation in the First Degree — Domestic Violence (4 charges)

· Child Molestation In The First Degree (2 charges)

· Communication With a Minor For Immoral Purposes (2 charges)

· Conspiracy to Commit Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act (2 charges: possession with intent — meth)

· Conspiracy to Commit Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act (6 charges: possession with intent — fentanyl)

· Criminal Mistreatment In The Second Degree (1 charge)

· Criminal Trespass In The Second Degree (3 charges)

· Custodial Assault (4 charges)

· Dealing in Depictions of Minor Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct in the First Degree (1 charge)

· Domestic Violence Felony Violation Of A Court Order (25 charges)

· Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Violation Of A Court Order (3 charges)

· Driving While License Suspended/Revoked In The Third Degree (1 charge)

· Driving While Under the Influence (1 charge)

· Driving with a Suspended License in the Third Degree (1 charge)

· Escape In The First Degree (1 charge)

· Escape In The Second Degree (2 charges)

· Extortion In The Second Degree (1 charge)

· Failure to Register as a Sex Offender (12 charges)

· Felony Cyber Harassment (1 charge)

· Felony DUI (2 charges)

· Felony Harassment — Domestic Violence (21 charges)

· Felony Harassment (10 charges)

· Felony Stalking (1 charge)

· Forgery (2 charges)

· Fraudulent Insurance Claim — Felony (1 charge)

· Hate Crime (2 charges)

· Hit And Run — Attended Vehicle (4 charges)

· Hit And Run — Felony (5 charges)

· Hit And Run (3 charges)

· Identity Theft in the First Degree (8 charges)

· Identity Theft in the Second Degree (19 charges)

· Indecent Exposure (1 charge)

· Indecent Liberties (3 charges)

· Interfering With Domestic Violence Reporting (3 charges)

· Kidnapping In The First Degree (4 charges)

· Kidnapping In The Second Degree (1 charge)

· Making A False Or Misleading Statement To A Public Servant (2 charges)

· Malicious Mischief In The First Degree (8 charges)

· Malicious Mischief In The Second Degree (6 charges)

· Malicious Mischief in the Third Degree — Domestic Violence (3 charges)

· Malicious Mischief In The Third Degree (1 charge)

· Money Laundering (2 charges)

· Murder In The Second Degree (2 charges)

· Obstructing A Law Enforcement Officer (6 charges)

· Organized Retail Theft In The First Degree (3 charges)

· Organized Retail Theft In The Second Degree (6 charges)

· Possessing Stolen Property In The Second Degree (6 charges)

· Possessing Stolen Property In The Third Degree (1 charge)

· Possession of Depictions of Minor Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct in the First Degree (6 charges)

· Possession of Depictions of Minor Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct in the Second Degree (1 charge)

· Possession Of Stolen Vehicle (64 charges)

· Rape in the First Degree — Domestic Violence (1 charge)

· Rape in the Second Degree — Domestic Violence (1 charge)

· Rape In The Second Degree (3 charges)

· Rape in the Third Degree (4 charges)

· Rape of a Child in the First Degree — Domestic Violence (4 charges)

· Rape of a Child in the First Degree (2 charges)

· Rape of a Child in the Second Degree — Domestic Violence (1 charge)

· Rape of a Child in the Third Degree (3 charges)

· Reckless Burning In The First Degree (1 charge)

· Reckless Driving (5 charge)

· Reckless Endangerment (2 charges)

· Residential Burglary (10 charges)

· Resisting Arrest (2 charges)

· Robbery In The First Degree (26 charges)

· Robbery In The Second Degree (7 charges)

· Taking Motor Vehicle Without Permission in the Second Degree (2 charges)

· Tampering With A Witness (1 charge)

· Theft From a Vulnerable Adult In The First Degree (1 charge)

· Theft In The First Degree (11 charges)

· Theft In The Second Degree (10 charges)

· Theft In The Third Degree (2 charges)

· Theft Of A Firearm (3 charges)

· Theft of Motor Vehicle (16 charges)

· Trafficking In Stolen Property In The First Degree (2 charges)

· Trafficking of Food Stamps (8 charges)

· Unlawful Imprisonment (1 charge)

· Unlawful Imprisonment — Domestic Violence (3 charges)

· Unlawful Issuance Of Checks Or Drafts Unlawful Issuance Of Checks Or Drafts (1 charge)

· Unlawful Possession of a Firearm in the First Degree (22 charges)

· Unlawful Possession of a Firearm in the Second Degree (15 charges)

· Unlawful Possession Of A Short-Barreled Firearm (1 charge)

· Unlawful Possession Of A Short-Barreled Shotgun (1 charge)

· Vehicular Assault (12 charges)

· Vehicular Homicide (1 charge)

· Violation Of Anti-Harassment Order (1 charge)

· Violation of Ignition Interlock (1 charge)

· Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act (39 charges)

• Possession with intent — fentanyl (11 charges)
• Fentanyl delivery (4 charges)
• Possession with intent — meth (10 charges)
• Meth delivery (1 charge)
• Possession with intent — heroin (3 charges)
• Possession with intent — fentanyl, meth, and cocaine (1 charge)
• Possession with intent — Oxycodone (1 charge)
• Possession with intent — cocaine (7 charges)
• Possession with intent — marijuana grow operation (1 charge)