 |
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
No charges in death of woman at airport
The mystery surrounding the death of Desseria Whitmore last year at Sea-Tac Airport still looms, but some questions may have been put to rest yesterday when King County prosecutors announced that they will not pursue charges against the Port of Seattle police officers who detained her.
Police say that on Oct. 25, 2003, Whitmore -- a churchgoing Bank of America executive who lived on Capitol Hill -- tried to evade them after security screeners discovered a drug pipe and a small amount of marijuana in her purse and carry-on luggage at the airport's north checkpoint.
Whitmore, 52, tried to walk away, and resisted when an officer grabbed her arm, airport officials said at the time. It took three officers to subdue and handcuff her, after taking her to the floor and pinning her down.
During the melee, officials said, Whitmore swallowed a small plastic bag filled with cocaine.
The bag lodged in Whitmore's windpipe, causing her to choke. Whitmore was taken to Highline Hospital, but was pronounced dead there.
According to the King County Medical Examiner's Office, she died of asphyxia and acute cocaine intoxication.
Friends and family expressed disbelief that Whitmore -- seemingly a contented worker, community member and youth mentor with a clean criminal record -- could die the way she did.
King County prosecutors held a one-week inquest in September -- a mandatory procedure used to help determine the facts of the case so that prosecutors can better decide whether criminal negligence or intent may have contributed to a police-involved death.
At the end of the inquest, the eight jurors had mixed responses to questions about whether they thought Whitmore had tried to leave the scene, or whether she had swallowed something or died of a cocaine overdose.
In their brief statement, prosecutors said that the inquest helped show that "there is no evidence of any criminal negligence on the part of the Port of Seattle police officers. Accordingly the matter has been reviewed and declined for charges."
Whitmore's sister, Bernadine Anderson of California, said she attended the entire inquest, and that she had never concluded the officers meant to harm her sister. So yesterday's announcement, she said in a telephone interview, doesn't disturb her.
"We agree with the prosecutors that there didn't appear to be any criminal intent," Anderson said.
But Anderson quickly added that it is her belief -- bolstered by inquest jury members who spoke after the proceedings -- that poorly trained and poorly supervised Port of Seattle police may have been partly to blame for the death.
She said she may sue the Port of Seattle and will decide the matter within the next few months.
Port of Seattle Deputy Police Chief John Batiste said he "couldn't be more pleased" with yesterday's announcement. The officers involved in the incident, he said, "acted with good faith, and according to their training."
More headlines and info from SeaTac.
My web site
My Yahoo!
Google
 Day in Pictures China's Yangma Festival and more |
 David Horsey It's a wonderful life ... 2008 |
 The week's best photos Great shots from the P-I staff |
· There's no stairway to heavens? Take the elevator
· Woman gets 5 years for UW lab arson
· Arrest made in deadly Federal Way shooting
· Woman cut out of crashed car with 'jaws of life'
· Theft of old-growth cedars gets man 1 year in prison, plus fine
· Air Force sergeant dies in Iraq
· No more zigzag for pedestrians crossing Boren at Pine
· Pesticide data pulled from county Web site
· Articles of Faith: Responsibility should be tempered with mercy
more· Bedard may be out until August
· Storm wins 7th straight, 65-59 over Fever
· Sizemore comes home as HR leader
· Gates Foundation Trust doesn't support Republic purchase
· Idaho officials, wolf advocates react to ruling
more· U.S. missile defense sensor test called successful
· Judge restores protections for N. Rockies wolves
· Dead whale causes final problem: smelly street
· Alaska volcano sends out more ash
· Ore. backs restoring salmon to Upper Klamath Basin
more
The Big BlogBy Monica Guzman and other P-I editors and staff
· How the Obamas fell for Seattle's Fran's Chocolates
· How our photog got that awesome moon pic
· Seattle father ran with the bulls and lived
Strange BedfellowsP-I staff on Seattle politics
· McCain leads Obama in Alaska poll
· Gregoire, Rossi close in new poll
· Connelly: A gaseous Gary Locke
Seattle Real Estate NewsWith the P-I's Aubrey Cohen
· Seattle-area house values down
· Wood
· Inventories falling elsewhere
Seattle TrafficBy Reporter Larry Lange and other P-I staff
· No retrofit? Make the case, viaduct group says
· Sound off about a new viaduct interchange
· Council members review Metro bus hike Wednesday
101 Elliott Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 448-8000
Home Delivery: (206) 464-2121 or (800) 542-0820
seattlepi.com serves about 1.7 million unique visitors
and 30 million page views each month.
Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
Send investigative tips to iteam@seattlepi.com
©1996-2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Terms of Use/Privacy Policy
