Same-Sex Marriage, Marijuana Possession Now Legal in Washington

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(SEATTLE) -- Thursday marks a historic day for Washington state.  Not only is same-sex marriage now legal there, but possessing small amounts of marijuana is no longer against the law.

At midnight, both laws went into effect.  Hundreds of same-sex couples lined up for hours to be part of the historic day.

The first marriage licenses were handed out at 12:01 a.m.  Couples, however, will have to wait until Sunday for their ceremonies.  According to state law, a three-day wait is required after marriage licenses are issued for all couples.

Washington state voters approved same-sex marriage last month on Election Day.  They also passed a referendum legalizing marijuana for recreational use.  The measure legalizes small amounts of marijuana for people over the age of 21.

But as Sean Whitcomb of the Seattle Police Department says, residents shouldn't light-up in public.

"The idea of someone smoking in public?  They shouldn't be doing it, and if we deal with them, they could get a ticket," he says.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle also reminds people that "regardless of any changes in state law, including the change that will go into effect on December 6th in Washington State, growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law."

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Black Friday Frenzy: 2 Run Down in Washington, Man Pulls Gun in Texas

Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Black Friday, one of the most ballyhooed shopping days of the year, has also proven to be hazardous, with incidents including fights between frenzied shoppers and parking-lot robberies.

Two people were run down Thanksgiving night in the parking lot of a Covington, Wash., Walmart by a man police suspected of being intoxicated.

The 71-year-old driver was arrested on a vehicular assault charge after the Thanksgiving incident, spokeswoman Sgt. Cindi West of the Kings County Sheriff's Office said.

The female victim, whose identity has yet to be released, was pinned beneath the driver's Mercury SUV until being rescued by the fire department. She was flown to Harborview Medical Center, where she was listed in serious condition, West said.

The male victim was also taken to Harborview Medical Center, where, West said, he was listed in good condition.

High tension was at the entrances as people lined up outside stores, waiting for the doors to open.

At a San Antonio, Texas, Sears, one man argued with customers and even punched one in order to get to the front of the line, prompting a man with a concealed carry permit to pull a gun, said Matthew Porter, public information officer of the San Antonio Police Department.

"It was a little chaotic. People were exiting the store," Porter said. "Fortunately for us, officers responded quickly and were able to ease the commotion."

The man who allegedly caused the altercation fled the scene and remains at large, Porter said. The shopper who pulled the gun will not face charges, he said, because of his concealed carry permit.

One man was treated at the scene for injuries sustained when people rushed out of the store, Porter said.

In Maryland, there has been at least one report of a parking lot robbery.

A 14-year-old boy told police he was robbed of his Thanksgiving night purchases by five men in the parking lot of a Bed Bath and Beyond store early Friday morning, the Baltimore Sun reported.

And in Massachusetts, Kmart employees tried to locate a shopper over the intercom after a 2-year-old was reported to be alone in a car, ABC News affiliate WCVB-TV reported.

Police arrived to break into the car and remove the child. The boy's caretaker, his mother's boyfriend, denied the incident took place, according to the station, and was not arrested.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Washington Good Samaritan Robbed of $900

ABC News(MARYSVILLE, Wash.) -- After a day at work that began at 5 a.m. Saturday, Peggy Ray was on her way to her daughter's soccer game when she witnessed a car fly through the air and crash into a drainage ditch. Though shocked, Ray then did what any decent person would: She leaped from her car and ran to help the victims.

When the Washington state woman returned to her car an hour or so later, the mother of six was in for another surprise.

While Ray, 36, assisted the badly injured driver and passenger, someone stole $900 from her purse.

"I don't normally have that much cash," Ray of Marysville, Wash., told ABC News, "but I was going to pay the rent."

The money she'd only just gotten from the bank was the last thing on Ray's mind when she went to the victims' aid.

"The car flew through the air like the 'Dukes of Hazard,'" she said. "They were stuck in the car and it was smoking."

Ray's first thought was to get the driver and passenger out before the car caught fire. But the ominous smoke soon stopped pouring from the vehicle because it was filling with water from the ditch.

Compounding the trouble, the woman in the passenger's seat complained of neck and back pain and the driver was bleeding badly and, Ray said, seemed disoriented. So, while another Good Samaritan helped calm the driver, Ray spoke to the woman.

"I told her to stay calm and I asked her to tell me about her family and what she was doing prior to the accident," Ray said. "They were in bad shape."

Emergency personnel arrived at the scene and relieved Ray. She gave a statement to the police and returned to her car.

"I had left my doors completely open. I saw my purse in there and the envelope was out of it and laying on its side. I thought there was no way that envelope was empty."

The envelope was empty, though.

Ray ran back to police to report the crime. They told her that many people, at least 25, had stopped to catch a glimpse of the scene and believe the perpetrator was among them.

But all is not lost. A bystander at the scene called into a local paper after news of Ray's unfortunate circumstances spread and gave a description of a man whom he saw enter Ray's car, as well as the man's car.

"I just hope karma is paid and this man is caught," Ray said.

Some karma already has been paid, in the form of $750 donated to Ray and her family by the firefighters from the scene of the accident. Ray has also received money from a radio station, as well as from individuals and customers from the Starbuck's she manages.

Any money above the $900, Ray and her husband plan to give to charity. Ray also plans to react the same way if she ever happens upon another accident.

"The question I keep getting is, would I do it again? Absolutely," she said. "Only, I would lock my doors first."

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Washington Voters Approve Same-Sex Marriage

Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(OLYMPIA, Wash.) -- Washington State voters have joined Maryland and Maine in approving same-sex marriage referendums that were put on the ballot on Election Day.

The delay in the Washington outcome was due to the closeness of the vote.  It wasn’t until Thursday that opponents of Referendum 74 conceded they had lost.

Last February, Washington technically became the seventh state in the nation to permit gay and lesbian weddings after Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a measure passed by the Legislature into law.

At the time, Gregoire declared it was "a day that historians will mark as a milestone for equal rights."

However, same-sex marriage opponents managed to accrue 240,000 signatures to put the matter up for a vote.

Washington, which passed a Defense of Marriage Act in 1998, has been more open toward gay rights since then, instituting a Domestic Partnership law five years ago.

Same-sex marriage is now legal in New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Marijuana Legalization Celebrations May Be Premature, Lawmakers and Experts Say

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- As marijuana supporters across the country rejoice at Colorado and Washington becoming the first states to legalize the drug recreationally, experts and lawmakers warn that the celebrations may be premature.

"I think this is the beginning of the conversation on legalization, not the end," former Obama Drug Policy Advisor Dr. Kevin Sabet told ABC News Wednesday.

"When you have the governors of both states [opposing it] as well as the president and Congress, who has already determined that marijuana is illegal, this is not going to be a walk in the park for marijuana enthusiasts," Sabet said.

In a groundbreaking move, Colorado and Washington voters passed referendums legalizing marijuana for recreational use. The drug is still banned under federal law.

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Colorado's Proposition 64 to the state's constitution makes it legal for anyone over the age of 21 to possess marijuana and for businesses to sell it.

"The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will," Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said in a statement. "This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don't break out the Cheetos or Goldfish too quickly."

A similar measure on the ballot in Washington state legalizes small amounts of marijuana for people over 21.

Even though the measures have passed, they are likely to meet legal challenges very quickly.

Sabet predicted that the federal government would find a way to make clear that the passage of the amendments violates federal law and they won't "take this lying down."

"I wouldn't advise anyone to toke up just yet. This is going to be caught up in the courts. This is a to-be-determined situation," Sabet said. "The government has multiple avenues. They can wait until it's implemented, take action before it's implemented, reiterate what federal law is, send warning letters."

The avenue the federal government will choose remains to be seen, Sabet said, especially since the passage is unprecedented.

"If you look back, the only precedent is the medical marijuana situation," he said.

In 2005, the Supreme Court by an 8-0 margin struck down a California law that legalized medical marijuana in the state. The Court said Congress had the power to criminalize marijuana under the Commerce Clause.

He said that it may take a state's move toward implementation to spur the federal government into intervening.

"I think you're going to see very soon a response from the administration," he said. "It's completely premature for any legalization advocate to be celebrating at this point."

Nevertheless, the amendment's strongest proponents in Colorado celebrated the win.

"The people of Colorado have rejected the failed policy of marijuana prohibition," said Brian Vicente, co-director of the Yes on 64 campaign, according to ABC News Denver affiliate KMGH. "Thanks to their votes, we will now reap the benefits of regulation."

"It would certainly be a travesty if the Obama administration used its power to impose marijuana prohibition upon a state whose people have declared, through the democratic process, that they want it to end," Vicente said.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) declined to discuss their plans moving forward.

"The Drug Enforcement Administration's enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act remains unchanged," the DEA said in a statement Wednesday. "In enacting the Controlled Substances Act, Congress determined that marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance. The Department of Justice is reviewing the ballot initiatives and we have no additional comment at this time."

A similar ballot issue to legalize marijuana in Oregon did not pass. In Massachusetts, voters approved legislation to allow marijuana for medicinal reasons, joining 17 other states that allow it.

When asked if the federal government may try to quickly quash the amendments as a way to prevent a potential future domino effect of other states following in the footsteps of Colorado and Washington, Sabet said a failed legalization could actually set the movement back.

"A lot is going to ride on what happens next in these two states," he said. "This very well may backfire because if this does not turn out so well, if implementation does not happen, the donors and millionaires that donated for this to happen may pause when doing it in other states."

"I think people should just pause before celebrating this," Sabet said. "The story is just beginning."

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Transgender Student in Women’s Locker Room Raises Uproar

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- The decision to allow a transgender 45-year-old college student who identifies as a woman but has male genitalia to use the women’s locker room has raised a fracas among  parents and faith-based organizations, who say children as young as 6 years old use the locker room.

The locker room at Evergreen College in Olympia, Wash., is shared with the Capital High School swim club and a children’s swim academy, along with the students at Evergreen.

“The college has to follow state law,” Evergreen spokesman Jason Wettstein told ABC News affiliate KOMO. “The college cannot discriminate based on the basis of gender identity. Gender identity is one of the protected things in discrimination law in this state.”

But according to parents, the fact that the student has exposed her male genitalia, in one instance in the sauna, is cause for concern.

“[A mother] reported her daughter was upset because she observed a person at the women’s locker room naked and displaying male genitalia,” said a police report filed in September by a mother on behalf of her 17-year-old daughter.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, an Arizona-based religious liberties group, sent a letter to Evergreen College on Friday, warning it that the decision to allow the transgender student to continue using the locker room could put the school in jeopardy.

“The fact that this individual was sitting in plain view of young girls changing into their swimsuits puts you and Evergreen on notice of possible future harm,” David Hacker, senior legal counsel, wrote.

The college has installed privacy curtains, and said it would not change its policy for now.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Washington Girl, 10, Foils Burglary in Her Home

ABC News(NEW YORK) -- A 10-year-old Washington State girl is being hailed by police as the modern day version of Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin after she dialed 911 when three burglars entered her home.

Paityn Mock of Camas, Wash., was home sick from school on Oct. 16 when the burglars cut through a window screen and entered the house.  The fifth grader hid in the pantry and dialed 911.

“I’m at my house, my mom’s at the grocery store and someone got into my house,” Mock told the dispatcher.

The dispatcher asked the little girl if she was able to safely exit the house.  Mock frantically told the dispatcher that she would try, but she heard the men talking inside the house.

“OK, now I actually know they’re planning something so I was pretty scared,” Mock told ABC News.

Following the directions of the 911 dispatcher, Mock decided to make a break for it and leave her home.  She says she wasn’t scared when she escaped because it was her only option.

“… I didn’t really care at that moment cause I was just trying to get out of the house as quickly as I could,” said Mock.

Still on the phone with 911, Mock hid behind a tree in the backyard.

“Just keep trying to hide.  You’re doing good, OK?” the dispatcher reassured her.

The dispatcher continued to stay on the phone with Mock, who was breathing heavily.  After 10 minutes of hiding in the backyard, Mock noticed her mother arrived home from the grocery store.

“Mommy!  Mommy!  No!  Don’t go in there,” yelled Mock on the 911 call.  “My mom went inside.”

“I was hoping they didn’t have guns or anything that they could have hurt my mom,” Mock said.

The police arrived at that moment arresting one of the alleged burglars while the other two got away.  Once Mock and her mother were reunited, the dispatcher said his farewells to the brave 10-year-old.

“Paityn, you did a very good job,” the dispatcher told Mock.  “You were very strong and did a very good job.”

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Six Teen Offenders in Washington Caught After Knocking Out Guard

Kevin Horan/Stone(SNOQUALMIE, Wash.) -- Six teenage boys are back in custody after police say they knocked out a female guard in the violent offender wing of a Washington juvenile correction facility, stole her keys and radio, and then fled into the woods.

Staff at the Echo Glen Children's Center in Snoqualmie, Wash., alerted the King County Sheriff's Office at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday after the female guard was found by inmates unconscious in a locked room.

Authorities from the sheriff's office, Washington State Patrol and Snoqualmie Police Department quickly mobilized to search the wetlands that border the facility, which is 25 miles east of Seattle.

The six escapees -- three 14-year-olds and three 15-year-olds -- were spotted in the woods by a sheriff's office helicopter equipped with infrared.  The teens then broke off into groups of two, trying to evade capture, said Cindy West with the King County Sheriff's department.

"They were trying to get out of the woods and into the residential area," she said.

Deputies in the helicopter were able to direct deputies on the ground, who were using dogs from the K-9 unit, to where the teens were hiding.

One teen was bitten by a police dog while trying to escape arrest.  The other five boys were arrested without incident and booked on charges of assault, unlawful imprisonment and escape.

West said most of the boys were serving time for assault, firearms and burglary charges.

Echo Glen is a medium/maximum security facility, however it is not fenced.  It houses younger male offenders and is the only institution for female juvenile offenders in Washington, according to the Washington State Department of Health and Social Services.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Washington State School Closed as Threat of Violence Probed

Comstock/Thinkstock(SAMMAMISH, Wash.) -- An online post with a picture of a gun and a threat of violence prompted police and officials with the Issaquah School District to close Skyline High School Thursday in Sammamish, Wash.

Shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday, an anonymous posting from someone claiming to be a bullied student vowed to “open fire on the people in the commons in the morning until I am either taken down by our school’s police officer, or until I run out of mags.”

Within two hours, the threat had made its way around social media sites, prompting more than 100 calls to police and school officials.

In a late-night email to faculty and the parents of the school’s 2,000 students, the school district stressed “student and staff safety is our top concern.”

Sammamish police spokeswoman Sgt. Jessica Sullivan said the authorities didn’t know who posted the threat or its legitimacy. She added, however, that officials were working on a number of leads.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Washington Man Who Killed Two Rapists Gets Life Sentence

Comstock/Thinkstock(SEQUIM, Wash.) -- A Washington man who gunned down two convicted sex offenders offered little in the way of apology even as he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Patrick Drum, 34, hailed by some as a vigilante hero and others as a cold-blooded killer, called the grief the victim's families felt "collateral damage that I feel bad about."

"As far as the men themselves," he said at his sentencing Tuesday, referring to the two men he admits to killing in June, "actions speak louder than words."

Drum shot Gary Lee Blanton, 28, on June 2 at the home both men shared near Sequim, Wash. The following morning, Dunn shot and killed Jerry Wayne Ray, 57.

Both men were known to Drum and were registered as Level 2 sex offenders, meaning the state believed they presented a moderate risk of recidivism.

Blanton was convicted of third-degree rape while he was a juvenile. In court, during Drum's sentencing, Blanton's wife Leslie Blanton said her husband was convicted of statutory rape after having consensual sex with a high school freshman when he was a senior, according to ABC News affiliate KOMO. Ray, the second victim, was convicted of child rape.

After shooting Ray, police were tipped off to Drum's whereabouts when witnesses reported a suspicious person. Cops found Drum's abandoned rental car with a note that included an apology and full confession.

After his arrest, Drum again confessed to police and said he would have continued killing people were he not picked up.

In court Tuesday, Leslie Blanton said her young children found their father after Drum shot him. She also said Drum's supporters harassed her outside her home.

"It was never my intent to hurt the families involved. That's like collateral damage that I feel bad about," Drum told the court.

"If anybody is bothering folks, the families of my victims, I would ask that they not do that. As for the men themselves, actions speak louder than words," he said.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio