J425 EXCLUSIVE — The City of Lake Stevens and an individual Lake Stevens police officer are named defendants in a developing federal civil rights lawsuit brought by the family of a man shot to death in a 2023 encounter with Lake Stevens police.

Several surprises tied to this story, but we’ll lede with the shocker that the City of Lake Stevens is officially admitting fault in federal court for the fatal officer-involved-shooting, with the city deciding to cop to their supposed failure to properly train and supervise the officer who pulled the trigger.

The federal civil rights lawsuit was filed by the family of the disturbed car-jacker who tore through Lake Stevens area on a GTA-like rampage in January, 2023.

The berserker careened from Frontier Village to the intersection of 20th and SR-9, bailed on foot and ultimately leading cops on a cross country chase before getting shot to death after jumping in an unlocked LSPD cruiser and attempting to drive off. The suit alleged wrongful death and negligence, among other claims, and initially, the city denied fault.

However, in an amended response filed earlier this year, the city formally accepted fault, admitting that failures in training and supervision contributed to the 2023 fatal shooting of 30-year-old James Blancocotto.

The admission, contained in a January 2026 legal filing, marks a total departure from the city’s previous defense.

It also coincides with a blistering state audit that found the independent investigation into the shooting was plagued by procedural failures and a lack of transparency.

By admitting fault, the city appears to be executing a sophisticated legal pivot: acknowledging…

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Haven’t done a culture post in a while, and longtime readers know I only send out the very best pre-screened selections when I make a culture post.

Today, I’m sharing (above, youtube player inset) the best piece I’ve seen from the hidden media genre, which shows how people treat the less fortunate when they think no one is watching.

Take 17 minutes to watch this, it’ll offset all the war, murder, lies and debauchery that clog your timeline and queue.

At least for a couple days.

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Previously on J425 Culture:

“We’re trying to really look at every single person that’s under investigation. Some people are still on leave for two years. Like, where’s the action? Either find something or don’t, you’ve got to move forward.”

- Ben Shuldiner, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent, on his frustration with investigations into educator misconduct.

LAKE STEVENS — The state’s education labor leaders and administrative risk management lawyers must’ve fallen off their collective chairs in shock last week when new Seattle Public Schools (SPS) Superintendent Ben Shuldiner pledged to radically alter the district’s handling of sexual misconduct cases, aiming to - among other things - eliminate administrative hoops that allow predators to secure payouts and avoid investigations.

This refreshing and much-needed public pivot by the leader of the state’s largest district signals a leveraging opportunity for the Lake Stevens School District - an opportunity to augment the impact of its own upcoming mandatory changes in sexual misconduct policy and education by joining forces with SPS in demonstrating commitment and thought leadership in an area that’s been severely lacking in both for decades.

By aligning with parallel reform efforts in Seattle, Lake Stevens has the chance to transform its much-discussed (and recently ended) 30-year-history of failures in confronting predatory staff… into a model for state-wide student safety.

Because of the tenants of a recent settlement, new policy adoption is a path LSSD is embarking on already. More on that in a second.

In Seattle, the change is coming because new leader arrived.

It took the new Superintendent just 60 days to recognize what he described as a systemic failure to put the safety of students first.

Shuldiner, arriving from Lansing, MI with an outsider’s perspective, admitted that it became clear to him that SPS lacks solid “systems and structures” to handle misconduct investigations in an effective, timely manner that protects children first and foremost.

“If you came up to my office, you would actually see stacks of data around investigations that have happened over the last couple of years and me really pushing to say, ‘Where are we with this? What’s going on?’” Shuldiner said in a recent interview with KUOW.

For instance, Shuldiner admitted he was at first stunned by the amount of staff lingering on paid leave during multi year probes. He told the district’s human resources department to pick up the pace on backlogged investigations.

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“We’re trying to really look at every single person that’s under investigation. Some people are still on leave for two years,” Shuldiner said. “Like, where’s the action? Either find something or don’t, you’ve got to move forward. And I think that’s indicative of what (the public sees) — a slowness, an inaction, maybe an obfuscation.”

As part of a multi-million dollar settlement with a former student, the Lake Stevens School District (LSSD) is now legally committed to its own action: increasing its training for school staff and district-level administrators regarding sexual grooming and mandatory reporting.

The settlement followed years of J425 reporting into the misconduct of former teacher Mark Hein, whose actions were initially minimized by the district as “boundary invasions” rather than the arrest-worthy sex crimes identified by law enforcement.

In the end, the district agreed to monetary payment and negotiated policy implementation to confront the problem of predation.

In the opinion of J425, LSSD should take this once-in-a-generation opportunity (underscored by the fact that Lake Stevens’ Superintendent Dr. Mary Templeton has no ties to the Hein matter, which occurred during previous administrations) and implement a series of common sense, evidence-based recommendations grounded in the findings of Dr. Charol Shakeshaft, the leading national researcher on educator sexual misconduct. Shakeshaft’s research established that misconduct is a systemic issue, often shielded by institutional “organizational betrayal” where red flags are ignored and grooming cycles are allowed to fester. And now, due to a confluence of events, LSSD’s leader Dr. Templeton is presented with a generational opportunity to greatly increase the safety of kids in public school.

Five Common Sense Policies to End Systemic Abuse

By adopting these key recommended changes, which we’re sure would carry the near unanimous support of the district’s voting public, Lake Stevens could emerge as the state leader in protecting students:

1. Overhaul Dismissal and Severance Policies A primary institutional failure in the Hein case was allowing the teacher to resign to avoid an internal investigation while receiving a $122,184 severance payout. To ensure this never happens again, LSSD should:

• Prohibit confidentiality and severance agreements that allow an employee to resign or retire in exchange for financial benefits or the cleansing of their personnel file to eliminate references to misconduct.

• Implement a strict ban on “passing the trash,” prohibiting the district from aiding any employee known to have engaged in sexual misconduct in obtaining a new job elsewhere.

  

2. Implement Rigorous, Standardized Hiring Screens Background checks and fingerprinting must be supplemented with proactive screening, as over 80% of identified child molesters in schools have no prior criminal records. LSSD should:

• Require a standard screening tool where applicants must disclose if they have ever been the subject of an abuse investigation, been disciplined, or surrendered a license due to misconduct.

• Mandate administrator contact with an applicant’s current and former school employers specifically to inquire about their behavior history.

• Require written authorization from applicants releasing previous employers from liability for sharing detailed employment information.

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3. Expand Training to All Employees and Students The district’s new training should not be limited to teachers. Comprehensive education must be:

• Mandated for all employees, including superintendents, coaches, janitors, bus drivers, and volunteers, as adults are the first line of defense.

• Mandated for all K-12 students using age-appropriate curricula that also covers child-on-child sexual abuse.

• Required without a “parent opt-out” provision (except for known victims), as perpetrators of intra-familial abuse may attempt to shield children from training that could lead to a disclosure.

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4. Establish and Teach a Strict Adult Code of Conduct Instead of treating severe red flags like grade-switching and inappropriate touching as mere “boundary invasions,” LSSD must implement a clear standard of behavior. The district should:

• Adopt a comprehensive Code of Conduct for all staff and volunteers that explicitly describes appropriate adult/child interactions and identifies the boundary-violating behaviors that act as precursors to sexual offenses.

• Teach students the Code of Conduct so they explicitly understand appropriate interactions and know to report any boundary violations immediately.

• Engage parents by sharing this Code of Conduct on the district website and in student handbooks, making it clear that LSSD prioritizes protecting children.

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5. Deploy Student Safety Posters District-Wide While LSHS students had to stage a massive walkout to protest a “climate of abuse,” the district can actively foster a culture of safety by placing Student Safety Posters in prominent locations. These posters should feature child abuse reporting hotline numbers and reinforce the message that students have a right to be safe, while reminding them that trusted adults are available to help.

Providing trusted channels of communication and instructing students how to access them can be a key that unlocks the gate blocking accountability.

As Shuldiner said, not knowing where to go effectively short circuits reporting before it occurs.

“One of the reasons why I think the district hasn’t done as good a job as it should around stuff like this is where would you go? Who are you going to talk to? Who are the people that you trust if something bad is happening?” he said.

“I’m not even sure as the superintendent that I know who I would call.”

If all goes to plan, maybe the superintendent of Seattle Public Schools will find he has an ally in accountability he can call at the Lake Stevens School District.

At the very least, an opportunity exists in Lake Stevens, combined with the prospect of an emerging leader in the states biggest district…for the first time in a long time…those engaged in the battle against predation of children in public education….may have reason for optimism.

J425 publisher Kevin Thomas Hulten is an accredited investigative reporter. His work on the Hein investigation was a 2024 LION National Journalistic Impact Award finalist.

SEATTLE — King County taxpayers may be forced to gamble on nearly a billion dollars in new funding next summer, as the Department of Community and Human Services has pushed its final report on fraud curtailment into the same June 2027 window that voters are expected to reauthorize the massive Best Starts for Kids levy.

Despite a damning audit identifying systemic failures and “significant financial risk,” the department’s final strategy for internal controls is not scheduled for completion until June 30, 2027—effectively ensuring that the true state of the county’s grant oversight remains a mystery until the ballots are already being counted.

King County Auditor Issues Fraud Update

One year after an audit of King County’s Department of Community and Human Services revealed a landscape of forged invoices, unretrieved kickbacks, and a departmental culture that prioritized the rapid distribution of cash over basic financial math, the first official progress report is in.

The result is a one-for-ten score that suggests the department’s transition from a billion-dollar bypass to a responsible steward is moving at the speed of a stalled investigation.

According to the First Follow-Up on the DCHS Contract Management Audit released April 6, 2026, by King County Auditor Kymber Waltmunson, DCHS has fully implemented exactly one of the ten recommendations issued during the damning 2025 review.

Nine other critical reforms remain in various stages of progress, with many not expected…

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Previous J425 reporting on the proposed $250-per-kid-per-sport fee system pitched by Seattle Public Schools accountability czar Ted Howard laid bare the systemic corruption, nepotism, fraud and graft plaguing SPS — and explained how the unaddressed rot at the foundation of SPS must be addressed before passing the bill to parents. Following J425’s reporting on the overlap between district leaders and the ongoing federal Jackson Drug Trafficking Organization indictment, it’s worth revisiting the related findings we’ve reported on to date.

We’ll use this commentary to both reiterate a call for an unscoped external investigation, and to summarize reporting on several related matters, including: our report that accountability czar Ted Howard’s brother-in-law received a six-figure golden parachute after the disastrous episode of corruption and graft at Alan Sugiyama HS; Howard’s time at Garfield, presiding over conditions that led to a $16 million sex abuse settlement with a former Garfield girls basketball player — and Howard’s promotion that followed; the ties between the Patu-Jackson family and an ongoing federal drug trafficking prosecution; Patu-Jackson clan member Saul Patu’s involvement in the Roosevelt recruiting scandal and the associated six-figure “Kennel LLC” non-profit payouts made to Patu and approved by a former Roosevelt principal; Patu-Jackson clan member Mike Bethea’s program’s involvement in the murky transfer of Tyran Stokes, and episode that has yet to fully play out at the state level.

The Pay-to-Play Memo

J425 previously reported on a January 28, 2026, memo from the Seattle Public Schools’ Office of Accountability that pitches a “pay-to-play” model to parents, proposing that families shoulder up to $2.6 million in athletic participation fees. Authored by Assistant Superintendent Theodore (Ted) Howard, the document leans heavily on the premise that athletics drive academic success, build character, and require new revenue streams for “fiscal sustainability”.

But peeling back the layers of this proposal reveals a staggering hypocrisy. The memo’s author suffers from major credibility issues, presiding over a district defined by family fiefdoms, nepotism, dishonesty, graft, and misplaced priorities. Across SPS, the wrong people get rewarded with taxpayer money while rule-abiding parents are forced to pay the tab.

For instance, recent J425 reporting has focused on the Patu-Jackson family overlap between Seattle Public Schools and the federal Jackson Drug trafficking organization indictment. But The Patu-Jackson-Bethea dynasty isn’t the only family exerting pressure inside SPS. Consider accountability czar Ted Howard and his brother-in-law Joe Powell.

The Golden Parachute for Brother-in-Law Joe Powell & The Patu-Jackson Syndicate

Theodore “Ted” Howard’s official 2023 ethics disclosure lists Joe Powell as his brother-in-law. Powell was the principal of Alan T. Sugiyama High School, where he oversaw an elite basketball program called “Great Futures Prep”.

Under Powell’s leadership, the program essentially ran a pay-for-play scam within a public school, robbing parents of up to $22,000 a year in “tuition”. To bypass out-of-district enrollment deadlines, the program fraudulently instructed families—some from as far away as New Zealand and Senegal—to enroll as homeless under the federal McKinney-Vento Act.

When the scam was exposed, Powell wasn’t punished; he was rewarded with a golden parachute of taxpayer money. SPS allowed Powell to sign a settlement agreement to resign without any policy findings against him, placing him on paid administrative leave to quietly collect his $199,000 salary and benefits for nearly eight months. The fraudulent tuition payments stolen from parents were never recovered by the district. Ted Howard was a district administrator

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SEATTLE — Federal investigators recently interviewed Rainier Beach High School (RBHS) Principal Annie Patu regarding her connections to a multi-state drug trafficking organization (DTO) that flooded the Pacific Northwest with fentanyl and weapons, J425 can exclusively report.

Court documents recently unsealed in the Western District of Washington reveal that Patu, the leader of one of Seattle’s most prominent high schools, is now considered a likely witness in the federal prosecution of her sister, Matelita “Marty” Jackson, and her brother-in-law, Mandel Jackson. Patu’s niece and two nephews are also indicted.

The FBI interview and associated court filings provide a window into an intersection of Seattle Public Schools (SPS) leadership and the indicted members of a multi-state criminal enterprise.1

Transcripts obtained by J425 reveal that Patu, an educational leader and mandatory reporter, provided information to federal investigators revealing that she was aware of significant criminal red flags within her immediate family at the same time she was simultaneously integrating family members into the Rainier Beach High School ecosystem.

Specifically, during what’s described as a “consensual interview” with federal agents, Patu made several admissions linking her to the peripheries of the Jackson DTO’s operations.

Quoting United States Attorney Michael Harder:

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Breaking: On April 6, 2026 Lake Stevens School District agreed to pay Mark Hein’s victim - Kalynn Taber, now…

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In the bureaucratic lexicon of the Lake Stevens School District, the systematic grooming of a 15-year-old girl was rebranded as a “boundary invasion”—a sanitized, bloodless term that suggests a mere procedural oversight.

However, in the criminal affidavits of the Lake Stevens Police Department, those same actions were documented as a predatory sequence of sex crimes.

This is the “logical dissonance” J425 examined in our series on the Mark Hein matter: a staggering chasm between institutional risk management and the harrowing reality of a minor student’s life being dismantled. (Commentary continues beneath insert.)

Mark Hein, a 55-year-old veteran math teacher and coach, was the subject of parallel investigations that yielded radically different conclusions despite examining the exact same evidence.

While the district viewed Hein through a low-stakes “administrative prism,” issuing a toothless letter of direction, Detective Kristin Parnell saw a predator whose behavior mandated handcuffs.

To J425, this was less of a difference of opinion…and more of a failure of the social contract. For months, the district permitted a vacuum of accountability, allowing Kalynn Taber’s health to fail while the adult charged with her safety remained a protected fixture of the faculty.

And today, we learned that the district agreed to pay millions to Taber in order to settle a civil suit.

The Haunting Rhetoric of Grooming

Dr. Charole Shakeshaft describes grooming as the calculated erosion of boundaries through the weaponization of intimacy. One of the most jarring pieces of evidence unsealed in the criminal affidavit is a comment Hein made to Kalynn, then a sophomore. It is a textbook marker of grooming behavior—a “casual marital betrayal” designed to isolate a child from her peers and draw her into a distorted, adult-centric confidante role. According to the affidavit, Hein looked at the 15-year-old and stated:”You look like my wife. She’s infertile... What are your plans after high school?”

By disparaging his wife’s medical history to a minor, Hein wasn’t just oversharing; he was attempting to build a secret emotional bond. This rhetoric creates a false sense of “specialness” that predators use to bypass a child’s natural defenses. To the district, this might have been a “boundary slip,” but to a trained investigator, it was the opening movement in a series of predation.

The “Help Desk” and the Ripped Jeans

Hein’s predatory tactics were not confined to whispers; they were performed in plain sight. He utilized a specific “Help Desk” setup—a smaller desk positioned next to his own oversized workstation, facing the class. This arrangement allowed him to perform the role of a “helpful teacher” while facilitating unwanted physical contact beneath the sightline of other students.

The investigation revealed a specific, disturbing focus on the bare skin revealed by the “ripped jeans” Kalynn frequently wore. Hein would scan the room to ensure his other students were distracted before he would jam his fingers deep into the seams of the rips to rub her bare leg.

The predatory nature of this contact was laid bare when Kalynn attempted to reclaim her autonomy. According to the investigation:”When Mark touched the thigh, she would pull her leg away from him.

The victim only told him not to touch her one time. When she did, Mark responded,

‘Why? I’m not doing anything wrong.’”

This is the essence of institutional gaslighting. By questioning her discomfort, Hein attempted to make the victim feel “crazy” for reacting to a violation.

That he felt comfortable enough to do this daily—touching her thigh at least once per class—speaks to the absolute sense of entitlement cultivated within the walls of his classroom.

The Bizarre Interview: Grooming the Investigator

The psychological audacity required to maintain this charade was most evident during Hein’s criminal interview with Detective Kristin Parnell. Even while being interrogated for sexual misconduct, Hein attempted to deploy the same manipulative tactics he used on his students.In a move that stunned the investigator, Hein attempted to “demonstrate” his contact with Kalynn by reaching under the table and rubbing Detective Parnell’s leg. He scooted his chair close to hers, pressing his leg against hers to show how the victim’s shin would supposedly press against his. Detective Parnell noted the proximity made her “very uncomfortable,” reflecting the chilling reality that Hein had lost the ability to differentiate between a vulnerable child and a lead police detective. This wasn’t just “bizarre” behavior; it was the display of a career groomer who believed he could manipulate his way out of a felony charge as easily as he could change a student’s grade.

The 30-Year Predator Legacy at LSHS

The Hein case is not a singular anomaly; it is the inevitable byproduct of a calcified “culture of silence.” The connections here suggest a systemic rot: Hein and Chris Mattingly—another disgraced teacher forced out after decades of misconduct—were hired as basketball coaches on the very same day in 2003. They were former college teammates at PLU, essentially importing a culture of predation that the district failed to vet.The statistics are an indictment of the district’s “institutional inertia”: no Viking graduating class has been free of sexual predation by adult staff since 1994. This failure persists because, as Dr. Carol Shakeshaft noted, colleagues often fear “ruining the life” of a fellow teacher more than they fear failing to protect a student. At LSHS, the status quo was guarded more fiercely than the children.

The Students Knew: The 2021 Walkout

While the adults in administration were busy “monitoring the situation,” the students were sounding the alarm. In December 2021, a massive student walkout occurred at LSHS to protest the “climate of abuse.” This cry for help occurred just three weeks after an alleged on-campus assault involving Hein.The administrative response was a masterclass in dismissal. Adminsrtrators criticized the “lack of organization” of the protest, dismissing the students’ concerns as social media “perception” that wasn’t “always truth.” The subsequent criminal investigation conducted by LSPD proved the students’ perceptions were exactly aligned with reality.

The Severance Reward: Resignation Over Justice

The final act of this tragedy reveals the district’s true priorities. While Kalynn Taber suffered from debilitating, stress-induced seizures and PTSD that drove her off campus, the district ensured Hein’s exit was as comfortable as possible.

The Financial Toll of Institutional Failure:

• Paid Leave: Hein collected $143,000 in annual compensation while on a two-year “paid vacation” following his arrest.

• The Severance Reward: In January 2025, the district paid Hein a “kiss-off” severance of $122,184 to resign—allowing him to quit specifically to avoid an internal investigation that would have led to a “for cause” termination.

• The Settlement: In 2026, the district paid millions to settle the lawsuit filed by Kalynn Taber, a payout necessitated by their refusal to report Hein when the abuse was first disclosed.The district used taxpayer money to defend Hein’s actions in court, pushing back against the victim’s claims until the very end. The message was clear: the institution will protect its own, and if it fails, it will pay the predator to go away.

Conclusion: The Priority of Life

The Mark Hein case serves as a moral ultimatum for public education. In the field of professional emergency response, there is a “Priority of Life” scale—a concept highlighted in the Robb Elementary (Uvalde) Report—which dictates that the safety of the child must always come before the preservation of the institution or the comfort of the staff. The social contract of a school district is simple: parents entrust their children to the state with the expectation of safety.

When a district rebrands a sex crime as a “boundary invasion” and rewards a predator with a six-figure severance check, that contract is not just broken—it is being sold.

Ultimately, the ones who upheld their end of the bargain were the students who refused to be silenced, or as Taber’s attorney said today, “Kalynn Taber and her family have repeatedly proven themselves much braver than the adults charged with keeping her safe.”

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Previously:

LAKE STEVENS — The Lake Stevens School District (LSSD) has agreed to pay millions of dollars to 19-year-old former student Kalynn Taber to resolve a protracted civil lawsuit centered on the predatory sexual grooming behavior of former math teacher Mark Hein.

The settlement, announced Monday, marks the conclusion of a dark chapter in the district’s history—a chapter first brought to light and relentlessly documented by The Journal 425.

In addition to the multi-million dollar payout, an attorney for Taber said the district has committed to a sweeping overhaul of its training protocols for both school staff and district-level administrators, specifically focusing on sexual grooming and mandatory reporting requirements.

The settlement serves as a final, high-priced vindication for Taber and a searing indictment for a district that, for years, seemingly prioritized institutional preservation (aka “risk management”) over student safety.

For J425, the resolution of the Taber case validates the years of investigative reporting that exposed systemic failures within the district—work that earned this publication finalist honors for the 2024 LION National Journalistic Impact Award.

A Tale of Two Probes: Administrative Minimization vs. Criminal Accountability

The core of the Taber lawsuit, and the foundation of J425’s extensive coverage, rested on a staggering “logical dissonance”. As J425 reporting revealed, the exact same behavior that the school district labeled a mere “boundary invasion” worthy of a toothless warning was evaluated by law enforcement as a spate of prison-worthy sex crimes against a child.

The contrast between the Lake Stevens School District’s internal probe and the Lake Stevens Police Department’s (LSPD) criminal investigation offers a stark look

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LOS ANGELES — The multi-year manhunt for the teen who led police on a high speed chase that ended in a triple vehicular homicide came to a close last week with an arrest in Southern California. Police had earlier arrested a local 18-year-old on weapons charges related to the crash.

The horrific collision involved a speeding car, filled with armed teens, evading police on Airport Road at high speed.

The incident ended in a mass casualty crash into a roadside homeless encampment after the driver lost control and slid broadside into a crowd of bystanders, killing three people and critically injured two others.

Onlookers told police that five occupants exited the car and fled the scene on foot.

On March 9, 2026, the US Marshals Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force located and apprehended

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A couple notes on the podcast: the hosts reference a $16 million dollar payout to a Garfield athlete. The payout amount is correct, but only $500k of the payout came directly from district coffers, the rest is covered by a state risk management pool. Also, the hosts mention a September registration deadline for winter sports. That is not a rule that applies to transfer students.

LAKE STEVENS — Alec Pierce, 25, is considered a premier deep threat in the NFL.

The Colts wideout led the NFL in yards-per-reception average in 2024 and 2025. The fifth-year big play machine was just rewarded with a $116 million dollar contract.

At the NFL Combine, Pierce ran a 4.41 40 yard dash with a 1.58 10 yard split, good for 87th percentile among a…

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Update 4:11 pm — The University of Montana Grizzlies offered Lake Stevens QB BLAKE MOSER yesterday following the UA NEXT Camp in Phoenix. This is Moser’s second D1 offer as his recruitment is picking up, as expected. The Grizz are a perennial power in the Big Sky conference, finishing 13-2 last season. They consistently churn out Power 4 transfer and NFL players — 65 draftees in their history. Montana has also offered Anacortes QB Ryan Harrington. - KTH.

PHOENIX, AZ – The nation’s top invited football prospects from the classes of 2027 and 2028 gathered in Maricopa County last weekend for the Under Armour UA NEXT Camp Series – and the Pacific Northwest was well represented, with one rising Evergreen State prospect nabbing a camp MVP trophy and an offer from the hometown Dawgs before the weekend was over.

Representing Lake Stevens and the 425 was dynamic Lake Stevens Vikings 2027 quarterback BLAKE MOSER, the 2025 All State selection, appearing in his first major camp. Moser is coming off an electric 55-touchdown debut season as a starting QB.

Moser’s campaign culminated in what would’ve been a state record five touchdown performance in the title game, if Sumner’s Lance McGee (2026 WSU commit) hadn’t scored six himself.

Also of note to Vikings fans was the appearance at the invite-only UA camp of rising SPSL star JAYCE HALASZ, a 2028 wideout and defensive back from Graham-Kaposwin, who lit up the Lake Stevens scoreboard with six catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns in the 2025 state semifinal matchup ultimately won by the Vikings, 44-35.

Given that the Vikings and Eagles seemingly meet at least once a year, it’s likely Halasz will play in front of Lake fans again soon.

J425 reached out to Rivals/On3 National Recruiting Analyst Brandon Huffman to check in on how the local players performed.

Brandon – an extremely busy man and a former northwest native – was good enough to share some time and insight with us.

Regarding the Vikings’ Moser, who picked up his first division one offer from Thomas Ford and Idaho last month, Huffman had a positive report.

Continue past the jump for Huffman’s report on several players and updates on 15 Washington State prep stars including Zach Albright, Ryan Harrington, Will Lynch, Seth Price, Jay Ferrell, Ty Tautolo, AJ Tuivaiave and more.

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PHOENIX, AZ — Coming in to the 2025 season, Lake’s Blake Moser was a bit of an unknown to those who hadn’t played youth football against Lake Stevens’ perennially successful junior divisions.

Those close to the program were watching with anticipation as number 6 took his first snap as a varsity starter in the home opener against defending champion Sumner.

Moser led the Viks to a memorable 31-28 victory, finding Seth Price in the corner of the endzone as time ran out. Moser helmed the Viks to wins in his first 13 starts before the same Sumner team put an end to the undefeated season with a 41-35 OT victory at Husky Stadium.

That said, even the winners were talking about Moser’s 5-TD effort postgame, with Sumner head coach Keith Ross notably calling Moser “the most dynamite QB I’ve seen in my 28 year career.”

Now, tomorrow, for the first time (largely because of his commitment to baseball and status as a high end recruit on the diamond), Moser will step onto a national stage, appearing at the prestigious Under Armour UA NEXT Camp in Phoenix, AZ tomorrow. The UA Next series is an invite-only prospect event and Moser earned an invite from near legendary recruiting guru Brandon Huffman, the National Recruiting Analyst for Rivals/On3 Media.

Players will check in…

(continue past jump for info on UA Next, Elite 11 and Blake’s recruitment by Idaho, WSU and more.)

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TACOMA DOME — For a half, the Lake Stevens Vikings went toe-to-toe with the defending state champions, electrified by a stunning buzzer-beater that will live forever in memories and on social media.

But a relentless second-half surge by the Davis Pirates and their player of the year candidate Cheyenne Hull ended the Vikings’ championship dreams.

The top-…

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TACOMA — The Lake Stevens Vikings (21-3) are moving on to the state quarterfinals after an impressive win against KingCo-power Bothell, and the only barrier between the Viks and a trip to the state semifinals is top seed Davis, the defending state champion who hasn’t lost to an in-state team in over a year.

But after today, the top-ranked Pirates may fe…

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TACOMA DOME — The athletic eligibility of Tyran Stokes, the nation’s top high school basketball recruit, remains under scrutiny on the eve of the WIAA 3A State Tournament after numerous published reports say his transfer to a Seattle public school involved an eligibility review process that omitted multiple details — including a violent disciplinary record at his previous California high school.

Stokes, a 6-foot-7 forward and the consensus No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2026, enrolled at Rainier Beach High School on Nov. 13, just days before the basketball season began. Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) District 2 granted him immediate varsity eligibility, citing a “bona fide change of residence” prompted by his mother’s new job, a fiction contradicted by over 30 contemporaneous reports from local and national outlets.

An investigative report published by J425 confirmed that Stokes was actually forced to leave Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, CA, after a series of physical altercations with students – including a fight with a senior and a scuffle with a 14-year-old freshman.

The J425 story aggregated local reporting and identified sources with firsthand knowledge of the situation, confirming that Stokes transferred to Seattle for the purpose of finding a place to play his senior season of basketball after his behavioral problems closed off his chance to continue playing in Sherman Oaks.

If the nature of his transfer had been accurately documented by SPS, Stokes would not be eligible.

According to J425, SPS provided the WIAA with a registration packet that omitted all details of Stokes’ problems at Notre Dame and the reasons why he left. Mandatory questions regarding past school conflict,

(Continue through the jump to learn what’s next…and what’s at stake for the state’s top 3A team.)

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LAKE STEVENS — A high-stakes interview between the woman suspected of abusing four toddlers and a detective known for nailing sex predators; a lie detector test taken and reportedly failed; and interview transcripts showing management hemming and hawing over reputational concerns when – according to the law – they should’ve been contacting law enforcement.

These are just a few of the details revealed by police reports obtained by J425 following the arrest of Strange Leann Wahl, a 28-year-old assistant preschool teacher accused of sexually assaulting multiple toddlers at a local daycare.

The full investigatory document is included for J425 subscribers, attached in pdf format at the bottom of this post.

This J425 report details the dueling investigations triggered by allegations that four toddlers were sexually abused by Wahl: the internal investigation conducted by Country Dawn management, seemingly paralyzed by reputational concerns; and the swift and broad Lake Stevens Police Department criminal investigation, the timeline and scope of which eventually overtook Country Dawn’s internal probe, ultimately resulting in the felony sex abuse arrest of a daycare teacher charged with sexually abusing four female toddlers – an arrest made as investigators considered whether state reporting requirements were broken by Country Dawn management.

Strange Leann Wahl Arrested on Felony Child Sex Abuse Charges

At the center of this report is the highly disturbing allegations that a trusted daycare worker serially abused up to four helpless female toddlers…

(continue past jump for details of Detective’s interview with suspect; questions asked on polygraph test — plus full LSPD investigatory file.)

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