N.W. Discount World fire

November 23rd, 2008, Greenwood. Plenty of stores and buildings all around local businesses new and old, coffee shops and writing workshops, mini marts and veterinarian offices, restaurants small and big.

November 23rd, 2009, Greenwood. More than 10 businesses from a guitar store to a pho restaurant have been burned, either to a smoking pile of rubble or, for some of the luckier businesses, just half of the establishment.

Who is responsible for this? On November 9th, 46 year-old Kevin Swalwell, a homeless man with a history of arson was picked up in Shoreline at a bus stop near one of the fires, as it was ablaze.

On Tuesday November 17th, Swalwell was charged with arson and burglary and is being held in prison on $1 million bail.

He was charged with eight counts of second-degree arson and three counts of first-degree arson. One of these fires injured a man. He was also charged with second-degree burglary for breaking into the Green Bean before he started the fire.

Swalwell pleaded not guilty on his Tuesday hearing. If convicted, Swalwell will face between 9 to 12 years in prison but the prosecutors say they are going to try and seek a sentence of more than 30 years.

The fire that resulted in his capture is said to have caused more than $700k in damages. The fire that was the most damaging was the one that burned down the Green Bean Coffee House and the three adjacent businesses causing what prosecutors say is over two million dollars in damages.

Though he is charged with only 11 of the fires, authorities believe Swalwell has caused more than 14 recent fires.

Swalwell has been convicted of arson in the past. His criminal record shows that he was convicted of five counts of arson in 1983 and one count of arson in 1995. He was also convicted of a slew of other crimes including theft.

List of Burned Buildings:

-Second-degree arson charges

• The former OK Corral restaurant at 8733 Greenwood Ave N on June 19
• Behind a building housing Moonphoto and Wish at 7708 Greenwood Ave N on Aug 12
• A building housing O-Rings West at 1111 N 98th St on Aug 13
• CPA Seattle at 338 NW 85th St on Nov 5
• Rosewood Guitar at 8401 Greenwood Ave N on Nov 5
• Moonphoto at 7704 Greenwood Ave N on Nov 8
• Olive You at 8516 Greenwood Ave N on Nov 9
• Greenwood Quickstop at 8102 Greenwood Ave N on Nov 9

-First-degree arson charges

• The house fire at 108 NW 84th St on Aug 13. That fire seriously burned one man and displaced another family.
• Setting fire to the Green Bean Coffeehouse, 208 NW 85th St., Oct. 23. Three other businesses were destroyed and several others seriously damaged.
• The massive blaze at NW Discount in Shoreline on Nov 12

sources

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010287994_webarsons17m.html

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/412402_arson18.html?source=mypi

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/archives/185434.asp

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010396257_webarsons01m.html

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/feeling-burned/Content?oid=2823372

http://www.phinneywood.com/2009/11/17/swalwell-charged-with-arson-burglary/

http://www.phinneywood.com/images/shoreline_fire.jpg