CNN:

Investigators searching for the suspected killer of four Seattle-area police officers have rounded up several of his relatives and friends to keep them from helping him escape, a sheriff's spokesman said Monday.

Police have brought in five or six relatives and other acquaintances of Maurice Clemmons, "and we expect that number to grow," Pierce County Sheriff's Department spokesman Ed Troyer said. ...

"What we're going to do is eliminate those people, so he'll have no place to go," Troyer told CNN. A raid in the southern Seattle suburb of Renton late Monday was aimed at cutting off Clemmons from that support network, he said.

The Seattle Times reports that the search for Maurice Clemmons is creating unease for black men:

[Oscar] Eason, chairman of Washington's African American Affairs Commission, came to one painful conclusion: For African-American males between ages 20 and 50, he said, "I would caution them to be very careful and only travel when necessary."

While expressing condolences to those affected by the slayings, African-American leaders nonetheless are concerned that the furious manhunt for Maurice Clemmons, 37, the man believed responsible for the crime, could raise the potential for racial profiling.

Multiple news sources are reporting on Twitter—follow here—that Clemmons was not in the Renton home that police have held under siege for over an hour. Clemmons, we gather, remains at large. I'm beginning to suspect he has one of these.

Attempting to deflect blame away from former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, O'Reilly said tonight of Maurice Clemmons:

Just a week ago this guy was released on $15,000 bail, an incredibly low number for the kind of crimes he's accused of. Altogether he had a total of eight felony charges pending against him, but Judge John McCarthy set the bail, and Judge Thomas Felnagle signed off on the bail amount and let him out. We contacted the judges but they did not return our phone calls, which is not very smart. They will be held accountable.

The actual amount of bail that Judge Felnagle signed off on earlier this month? That would be $150,000. (Click to enlarge.)

• Pierce County Superior Court

Now, it's true, Clemmons himself only had to pay $15,000 to get out of jail. But why was that? (Click to enlarge.)

• Pierce County Superior Court

Because of operations like Jail Sucks Bail Bonds, which—operating on free market principles I'm sure O'Reilly would otherwise venerate—happily spring guys like "this guy" from jail for a modest down payment and a certain amount of collateral.

Sure, you could argue that the bail amount—which all totaled reached $190,000—was still too low. That would be an honest argument.

But you can't argue, as O'Reilly did, that Clemmons was "released on $15,000 bail." In fact, he was released on more than ten times that amount of bail—thanks to Jail Sucks Bail Bonds, the power of the bail bonds lobby, and, of course, the unfailing wisdom of the free market.

Says the Seattle Times:

A SWAT team has arrested a relative of Clemmons who is believed to be helping him. Police are at a location near Renton but have asked media not to disclose the address.

A short video clip of the scene in Renton from KOMO:

UPDATE 8:15: On Twitter, the Times' David Boardman, who's been posting excellent updates all day, says, "Police: Friends, kin lied to mislead cops. 'If they are going to impede our investigation then they become a part of the investigation.'"

Mike Huckabee on Fox News a few minutes ago said that commuting Maurice Clemmons's sentence, resulting in his release from prison, is "not something I'm happy about at this particular moment,"

But Bill O'Reilly responds, "It's not your fault, governor... I'm not saying it's your fault. I don't think anybody watching thinks it's your fault."

No doubt, this is exactly what O'Reilly would tell a Democratic Governor who commuted the sentence of man suspected of killing four police officers.

Earlier Dominic wondered if that's really Marice Clemmons over there on Twitter. (Also wondered by everyone who checked out the feed: Who is "Reginald Robinson man of God" and why would Clemmons be Tweeting about him?)

A court document related to the child rape charge against Clemmons may provide some answers. (Click to enlarge.)

• Pierce County Superior Court

Once in the interview room, I had Mr. Clemmons have a seat... I identified myself to Mr. Clemmons and I advised him that he was under arrest for the rape of [redacted]. I asked him if he would be willing to talk about the investigation. He told me no, that there was nothing to talk about. He told me that he had an attorney... He told me that he was meeting his attorney at the courtroom. I began filling out the booking form. He told me that he had come with his wife and his minister... I asked him who his minister was and he told me Reggie Robinson from the Universal Church. He told me that he had been in New York becoming ordained as a minister for the church. He told me that he had been back home for about four days... I had been filling out the booking form as we chatted. I asked him if he had a middle name. He told me, "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." I did not write this on the form, so that he became irritated with me and demanded that I put it down. I told him no, that I could only put his legal name on the form. He told me that I was not a believer. I asked him if he had any medical conditions and he told me no. I asked him if he had any mental health issues and he told me no. I asked him if he was suicidal and he told me no, that life was precious. I agreed.

KIRO:

The sources said they suspect Maurice Clemmons' friends and family are trying to throw investigators off his trail as the 37-year-old tries to avoid capture.

Ever since Clemmons was named as a suspect in the fatal shooting of the Lakewood officers, police agencies have been inundated with calls and tips. Detectives said they now believe some false leads came from people trying to buy Clemmons time by keep search teams busy.

UPDATE 5:54 PM: The Seattle Times has a more authoritative report:

Maurice Clemmons has been getting help and shelter from friends and relatives since shortly after the Sunday morning shooting deaths of four Lakewood police officers, authorities have concluded.

"Basically, there's no way that he could be doing this by himself; he was shot in the abdomen," said Sheri Badger, Pierce County spokeswoman at the incident command center.

Also frustrating to law-enforcement officers is that Clemmons reportedly told acquaintances the night before the attack to "watch the news" because he was going to "kill cops.""

KOMO:

Police have surrounded a home believed to be housing the suspect in the Lakewood police shooting.

A SWAT team has surrounded a home in the 13000 block of Renton Avenue South, and a police source has confirmed the incident is connected to the Lakewood murders.

Apparently Maurice Clemmons, the suspect in yesterday's shootings, and Nicole Smith, his wife, have a landscaping and pressure-washing business registered with the state, associated with an address in Kent Federal Way, Washington. On Twitter, @888hero points us to a copy of the business license:

It appears to check out on the state's Department of Licensing website, assuming it's the same Maurice Clemmons (who happens to work with a Nicole Smith).

Timothy Egan in the New York Times:

If this case does not sink the presidential aspirations of Huckabee, a leading Republican candidate, it should. By the standards that Republicans launched almost 20 years ago, Huckabee will be Willie Hortonized. But this case also shows, as with an earlier episode in Arkansas, that Huckabee’s judgment is seriously flawed.

If Huckabee were a liberal and a Democrat, he would be a punching bag for right wing blowhards an example of clueless, soft-on-crime politicians at their worst. Fox News would be stalking him, as they have others responsible for letting criminals out early.

Instead, he’s been allowed to get away with issuing a passive, blame-shifting statement. ...

Huckabee says this “horrible and tragic event” should not be politicized. But it is his party that has honed such attacks into a dark art.

...let's all keep our eyes peeled for white guys with handlebar mustaches who stink of gasoline:

Bainbridge Island police said they are looking for a man who they said threatened to kill a 39-year-old and her 12-year-old son early Sunday morning. Police said the woman's ex-boyfriend broke into her home, poured gasoline on the woman and her son, and threatened to ignite it. The victims managed to escape. The suspect is Edward Mark Olsen, 49, who was released from prison in California in October after serving time for assaulting the victim, police said. Olsen found the victim living on Bainbridge and assaulted her two weeks ago in her home, officers said. Police said Olsen should be considered a threat to the community and that anyone who sees him or knows where he is should call 911 immediately.

Police are saying on the scanner that they are pursuing someone or something at 13th Ave S and S Lander St. They have a K-9 out there.

Well, never mind. "SPD says search at 13th Ave. S./S. Lander St. was NOT connected. It was for attempted home break-in by Asian suspect," says @seattletimes.

Meanwhile, police are planning to canvass the Leschi neighborhood, where they surrounded a house last night, but no one was found.

Police have dropped their hunt for a 1997 Mazda Millenia with Washington license plate 208-SSX. "WSP Trooper Brandy Kessler says it was sold 2 months ago," reports @KIRO7Seattle.

The family of Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton, who was shot dead on Halloween, has issued a statement about the Lakewood murder: "Our hearts ache for the families of Sergeant Mark Renninger, Officer Tina Griswold, Officer Ronald Owens and Officer Gregory Richards. We pray that they will be granted strength during this time of unbearable grief... We remain hopeful for the swift capture of the monster who robbed them of their husband, wife, father, mother, son and daughter." More.

Back in July, as Maruice Clemmons was awaiting trial on charges of child rape and assaulting a sheriff's deputy, he informed a Pierce County court that he intended to pursue a defense in which he would claim "insanity and/or temporarily experiencing diminished mental capacity at the time of the offense." (Click to enlarge.)

• Pierce County Superior Court

That was July 30 of this year.

In response, Pierce County prosecutors asked that Clemmons be evaluated by Western State Hospital.

On November 6, Pierce County Superior Court Judge Kitty-Ann van Doorninck, relying on a report from two Western State psychiatrists, found Clemmons "competent to understand the present criminal proceedings against him, and to assist in his own defense."

However, Clemmons and his lawyer still believed he was seriously troubled. (Click to enlarge.)

• Pierce County Superior Court

That same day, Nov. 6, they told the court that Clemmons needed "additional time for insanity/diminished capacity defense evaluations."

In other words, even as Western State and a Pierce County judge were deeming him "competent," Clemmons was arguing that he was—or had recently been—criminally insane.

In response, Judge van Doorninck ordered Clemmons back down to Western State for an additional 15-day examination. Whatever the result, he must not have been deemed too dangerous to let back out into society; Clemmons was released on bail a couple of weeks later.

As we look at the trail of events that led to the shootings Clemmons is now wanted for, it's worth keeping in mind that he told authorities—twice—that he believed he was (or had recently been) criminally insane.

UPDATE: I've modified this post slightly to take into account the good points made by several commenters about the distinctions between competency, insanity, and diminished capacity in criminal proceedings.

Also, I should add that the court record suggests Clemmons was ordered to Western State at different times for different things.

On August 5, Judge Ronald Culpepper ordered Clemmons to be evaluated for his relative competency (at present) as well as for his potential insanity and/or diminished capacity (at the time of his alleged crimes). On September 29, a judge—whose name is unclear in the court record—ordered Western State to test Clemmons for competency alone. And then, on Nov. 6, Judge van Doorninck ordered Clemmons tested for potential insanity and diminished capacity alone.

I think the safest thing to take away from all of this is that Clemmons was, at the very least, claiming repeated recent lapses into criminal instability after a long history of trouble with the law—and yet ended up back out on the street.

Josh in comments points us to this Twitter feed that spares us all the retweets.

Meanwhile, Maurice Clemmons's derelict Twitter account (if it's even the same Maurice Clemmons and isn't a prank, etc.) appears to be gaining followers.

In non-Twitter news, Seattlepi.com reports that State Patrol Trooper Cliff Pratt says, "We have officers on alert at every exit route out of Washington and through the mountain passes," he said.

Officers on the police scanner say that a would-be vigilante flagged down a cop near Cowen Park. The man was carrying a handgun and wearing body armor. He apparently wanted to help flush out the suspect from the park.

Seattle Times:

Washington State's Child Protective Services confirmed that the agency had "founded" - or substantiated - a complaint of child sexual abuse in October against Maurice Clemmons, the suspect in the fatal shooting of four Lakewood Police officers.

DSHS spokeswoman Sherry Hill said the agency received a complaint from police about Clemmons on May 26, 2009, two weeks after the Pierce County Sheriff began a child rape investigation involving a 12 year-old female relative. CPS began investigating the next day, Hill said. [...]

After reviewing the police records and doing interviews of its own, CPS finished the investigation and issued it's "founded" conclusion on Oct. 23, 2009.

The Seattle Times has more.