News Flash

In the aftermath of a crime, the Marysville Police Department is not only focused on bringing those convicted to justice, but also offering an opportunity to maintain sobriety and choose a different path.

“Drugs and crime go hand in hand. Our department is working on the accountability piece as well as the compassion piece. We are working to get people the treatment they need,” said Detective Sergeant Wallace Forslof of MPD’s Property Crimes Unit.

“[Leah Ann Warner] said that she’s not only understanding of the situation but wants to help and is ready to accept the help.” “After she was taken into custody, Warner admitted that if she hadn’t been on drugs at the time, the burglary would not have happened. She told us that using drugs led her on this criminal path, and she is still haunted by the screams of those three children that day,” said Detective Derek Carlile. 

31-year-old Warner was arrested and booked in Marysville City jail back in November 2021, after she and 46-year-old Robert A. Kirkham burglarized a family’s home. Kirkham also smashed the window of the homeowner’s SUV with a hammer while she and her three screaming children were inside. One of the children was only two years old at the time. Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound, MPD’s Property Crimes Unit, the Snohomish County Violent Offender Task Force and Stillaguamish Tribal Police worked together to bring Kirkham into custody soon after the burglary. A few weeks later, detectives located Warner while she was trying to contact him in jail using a store’s Wi-Fi. When Warner expressed her desire to get clean, she was connected with MPD’s Embedded Social Worker Program. Officer Mike Buell and Mental Health Professional Rochelle Long coordinated a plan with Warner’s lawyer to get her fully involved in the rehabilitation program.  

“[Warner] feels like she has a second chance and excited to get her children back in her life,” said Detective Joe Belleme, one of the investigators on this case. “A majority of MPD’s Property Crime Unit cases are linked to drug addiction. If it’s not 100%, it’s just short of it,” said Sgt. Forslof.

“It’s a rare moment when a burglary suspect hugs all the detectives involved in arresting her, but that’s exactly what happened. Warner promised that she would visit us to celebrate her one year clean date." 

The mission of the Law Enforcement Embedded Social Worker (LEESW) program is to help clients navigate the complex social service system and to remove the barriers that exist between addiction, homelessness and mental health issues to sobriety and housing. “Our program is able to meet clients where they’re at. We still have clients years later that are still in touch with us and are sober,” said Long. “We walk alongside them and help our community members navigate the system so that they don’t have to [do it alone]." Since the Embedded Social Worker Program started in 2018, the team has engaged with 2,868 people in the community. Of these encounters, MPD has 472 clients. Many of the clients now have jobs, housing and renewed family relationships. “If community members on this path can get help, then maybe we can break this cycle of crime,” Det. Belleme said.

For more information about MPD’s Embedded Social Worker Program and who to contact, visit https://marysvillewa.gov/1027/Embedded-Social-Worker-Program. To learn more about MPD’s Property Crimes Unit, visit https://marysvillewa.gov/1038/Property-Crimes-Unit. “[Warner] feels like she has a second chance and excited to get her children back in her life,” said Detective Joe Belleme, one of the investigators on this case. 

“A majority of MPD’s Property Crime Unit cases are linked to drug addiction. If it’s not 100%, it’s just short of it,” said Sgt. Forslof. “It’s a rare moment when a burglary suspect hugs all the detectives involved in arresting her, but that’s exactly what happened. Warner promised that she would visit us to celebrate her one year clean date."