Two cases of vandalism vs. cars in West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports:

WINDOWS SHOT OUT: The photo is from Megan in Highland Park, who reports: “3rd time my car windows have been shot out on 9th Ave SW, in front of my house. So frustrating.”

And in Gatewood…

PAINT VANDALISM: The photo and report are from Charis:

Wanted to share as I am curious if this happened to others last night. Our car (picture) and our neighbors’ cars were tagged last night or early this morning. It was in the Gatewood area (near 39th/Southern). One car was tagged with SUCC. Not sure of the meaning. And if someone does, please share. Just a reminder that neighborhood watch efforts are important (we are thankful for ours).

Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch. First, another stolen Subaru:

STOLEN LEGACY: The photo is from a reader who reports, “Our 1996 green Subaru Legacy sedan was stolen from in front of 3008 Alki Ave SW sometime between 4 pm Thursday and 915 am Friday morning. License is BAL5609. Seattle Police have been advised.” Call 911 if you see it.

ONE NIGHT, TWO CAR PROWLS: The video clips are from early Thursday morning, from Charlie‘s camera in upper Luna Park:

Charlie adds, “Both just checked if our cars were locked and moved on. I have a sneaking suspicion that the first prowler is the same person who we recorded several months ago.”

Mark says his son’s bicycle was stolen from Alki last night, near 57th/Stevens:

Description: “It is black, gray, and red. It has pegs on the front and is a Kent 1800 abyss. Has a name plate under the seat with his name Logan on it.” Report # T18005002 – call police if you see it.

Four West Seattle Crime Watch notes:

CAR PROWLER IN SUNRISE HEIGHTS: Above is reader video of a prowler trying the handles on cars parked along the alley between 34th and 35th off SW Othello. The sender reports, “I’m usually really good about locking my door but I forgot to on this night. He rummaged through my things but I’m fairly certain my dog started barking, so he left. It appears nothing was taken. He just threw my glove compartment items around my car.” After sending this, he sent an addendum: “I forgot that I had a … conversion kit for my car. It’s KETSUN brand for 2015 Hyundai Accent (either 9003 or 9005 bulbs); the kit came in a case with a big brand sticker, 2 bulbs, 2 ballasts, and a mounting kit.” If you have any info, the police report number is 18-903453.

HIT-AND-RUN IN THE JUNCTION: From Jeff:

My perfectly good Wednesday afternoon was ruined, when a car sped past and cut me off, tearing their rear bumper nearly off in the process. This happened around 5:45 pm tonight in front of Shadowland (just north of Oregon on California. Right where the right lane merges to the left to one-lane). Car sped up to get around me on my right, and while he did make it, his driver’s side rear bumper caught an air intake and the front wheel well. I pulled over but he was already speeding off, dragging his bumper behind him. Tried to catch up but King County Metro and the lights had other ideas.

Jeff says the suspect’s car was a black Scion Xb, but he didn’t get the plate; missing rear window, covered with plastic. “Now also missing rear bumper.” Jeff’s car is a white late-model Lexus 4-door sedan. Police incident # is 18-146007.

Now, two followups:

PAUL STORY SENTENCED: We last wrote a year ago about Paul D. Story, charged in the boathouse break-in after which police pulled him out of the water to arrest him. He had been in and out of jail twice since then, most recently booked in October of last year. Since then, he struck a plea bargain, pleading guilty to residential burglary and third-degree assault. Today he was sentenced to a jail term that equaled time already served, plus a residential Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative program for three to seven months, starting immediately; the register shows he was released this afternoon and court documents say he was supposed to go immediately into the custody of the service administering the program.

GREGORY THOMPSON’S BAIL INCREASED: We reported earlier this week on the arrest of Gregory Thompson of Puget Ridge, wanted on warrants for failing to appear in two drug cases. His bail has now been increased to more than $110,000, and the jail register shows he is under investigation for a possible new charge of unlawful gun possession, because of the gun found after he was arrested at Westwood Village.

Two notes before the night’s out:

ARREST ON 35TH SW: We received some questions about an incident around 7 pm tonight on 35th SW – police were reported to have arrested a man at gunpoint. We didn’t hear about it until afterward but asked at the precinct. They told us it was a “person in crisis” situation – the man had a knife and was walking in and out of the road. He was taken into custody without anyone being hurt.

CAR PROWLS FOLLOWED BY DUMPED ITEMS: The photo and report are from Tony:

We live on the 3400 block of 44th Ave SW. Two nights ago someone car-prowled their way down 44th Ave sw. Our car was hit but fortunately we had nothing of value inside. Anyways while on a walk this evening my wife and I spotted what looked like possibly some ditched belongings potentially from the car prowl due to proximity and location. On 44th just South of Charlestown St on the east side of the street was this small pile. I’m mainly writing due to the fact there were two sets of what looked to be car keys which I know can be expensive and potentially hard to replace.

9:18 AM: Almost two weeks ago, we reported on a warrant out for the arrest of 28-year-old Gregory L. Thompson, whose February arrest on Puget Ridge in connection with guns and drugs had made citywide news. (The photo at right was distributed by SPD at the time.) The warrant was issued because he had failed to show up for a court hearing. Thompson is back in jail as of Monday afternoon, according to the King County Jail Register, which shows he is being held on two warrants for failure to appear in drug cases, with bail now set at $60,000. We’ll keep watching the case to see what happens next.

1:03 PM: SPD Blotter has just published details of Thompson’s arrest – from the post:

… Officers patrolling Westwood Village as a part of an ongoing effort to curb car break-ins and auto theft spotted a vehicle they recognized that had in the past been used by a warrant suspect. The officers did a records check and found the 29-year-old warrant suspect had over $60,000 in outstanding warrants, so they waited for the man to return.

The suspect returned a minute later, drink in hand, and was approached by police. The suspect dropped his beverage, turned and ran away. The suspect slipped and fell less than a block away and was taken into custody.

Officers searched the man’s backpack and discovered a Rock Island Armory 1911 .45 handgun. The suspect did not possess a concealed weapons permit and the gun was placed into evidence. Officers also found credit cards not belonging to him, lock picks, and shaved keys.

The SPD post includes a photo of the gun.

Two notes in West Seattle Crime Watch:

STOLEN CAR: From Samantha:

Car was a 2013 white (Toyota) RAV4 with a few scratches on the passenger door. Stolen from 44th and Hanford. Inside was a black seat inside, green stroller and red diaper bag. Plus a bag of baby clothes. License plate BBK1728.

Call 911 if you see it.

HIT-RUN: From Joe:

(Thursday) night in the West Seattle parking lot behind Husky Deli, someone plowed into the side of our minivan. Ok, parking is tough in West Seattle but to have someone crash into your car in the parking lot and not leave a note or something. Terrible. This is not a little scratch, it’s a huge smack and caved into the door. Their car must have had some damage. Therefore it must have been very loud and someone must have heard it. Anyone (Thursday) night in the area of the West Seattle free parking behind Husky Deli, please let us know. About 8:30 pm.

Police report # 2018-138916.

P.S. Tomorrow is your next chance to hear directly from police about local crime trends, and to bring up your neighborhood concerns, during the monthly meeting of the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network – 6:30 pm Tuesday at the precinct (2300 SW Webster).

WSB readers have had a great track record lately for finding stolen vehicles shown/featured here (most recently, the red Nissan Pulsar was spotted and recovered in the Admiral Bartell Drugs parking lot). So maybe you will be able to help John get his motorcycle back. Here’s the motorcycle, a red 2011 Honda CBR 600RR:

And here’s a security photo of a pickup truck leaving with the motorcycle this morning in the 4800 block of California SW in The Junction:

John says the pickup appears to be a red 1980s Toyota. SPD incident # 18-141400 – call 911 if you see the motorcycle or have other info about the theft.

P.S. If you are anywhere in that area and have a security camera, check your video when you can – maybe you caught the truck too and can see its plate #.

Three updates from King County Superior Court files:

KIERRA WARD: The defendant in last October’s Admiral stabbing was in court again this morning for a trial-readiness hearing, postponed from last week. The result: Ward’s trial date has been continued to May 23rd, with another readiness hearing on May 11th, because the defense has just received an expert report and requested time to review it. Ward remains in jail in lieu of $400,000 bail.

SALVADOR SAHAGUN: A month and a half after theft charges were filed against Salvador Sahagun for allegedly not paying millions in sales taxes due from his Tacos Guaymas restaurants, he was arraigned today. Documents from the hearing say he pleaded not guilty. He remains out of custody on personal recognizance.

NICHOLAS WATSON: Three weeks after his return to jail, this suspected burglar/car thief was released last week, according to the county jail register. We reported March 20th that he was booked on a warrant after ceasing to show up for the alternative-custody program CCAP into which he had been released. Checking back on his case, we learned that he was released April 9th, to be given another chance in that program, the “enhanced” version which according to this page includes substance-abuse treatment. Court documents show Watson told authorities he will be living in Everett.

Six notes this afternoon:

POLICE IN JEFFERSON SQUARE AREA: This isn’t a crime situation but we’re mentioning it since some are asking – they’re dealing with a person in crisis in an apartment.

STOLEN PICKUP: From a reader:

Our ’97 red Ford F-250 with black axle dump trailer attached (filled with pavers) was stolen at 5:35 am (driving away caught on camera). We live in West Seattle, Belvidere area. We filed a police report.

If you see it, call 911.

CAR BREAK-IN #1: Via e-mail:

Our family member’s car was broken into (Tuesday) night (in the 6500 block of) 37th Ave SW sometime between 7:00-9:00 pm. There were 10 boxes of family heirlooms, books, etc taken as our Aunt is in the middle of moving. Anyone see any plastic containers dumped anywhere? Surprised and disappointed as this happened so early in the evening on a pretty busy street.

CAR BREAK-IN #2: From Molly:

I wanted to report to the West Seattle Blog that our car was broken into Saturday morning at 2:00 AM. The car was parked outside our house in the alley between 40th and 41st and Alaska and Oregon. The person wore a hood and was not deterred by our motion detector light or camera. The person went through our car and left it in shambles, and left the light on so the battery died.

CAR BREAK-IN ATTEMPT: This car prowler was caught on video a month ago by Jon in Upper Morgan:

He brought it up during last night’s quarterly Morgan Community Association meeting and shared the video with us afterward. Nothing taken – though several neighbors did note items stolen from their cars that same night – but he also notes that his car is a 1996 Subaru Legacy Outback and we’ve reported this week on several thefts involving cars like that.

GUN/DRUG SUSPECT CHARGED, OUT ON BAIL: Following up on last week’s report of two 25-year-olds arrested after a police sting operation to buy stolen wheels – the male suspect has been charged, and is out on bail; the female suspect is out of jail and has not been charged. The former is Benny P. Saeteurn, a Highland Park resident, who posted bond and was released yesterday after six days in jail. His bail was raised to $30,000 when he was charged with one count of first-degree unlawful firearm possession and one count of felony drug possession. Charging documents say Saeteurn told police he was there and armed because he was acting as protection for the woman during her meetup with what she thought was a buyer for stolen wheels she claimed to have received from a third party. Prosecutors say he should not have had a gun because he has a felony record, for burglary and attempted robbery.

FIRST REPORT, 5:42 PM: The two older Subaru Outbacks stolen since last night and reported here have both been found – but now there’s word of ANOTHER being taken. We just talked with Alice, who says her white 1996 Outback was taken from her parking space behind an apartment building in the 4000 block of California SW this afternoon. A police report is filed. Plates (updated) AWC6441. Distinguishing features include a passenger-side dent and a “2016” rear-bumper sticker. If you see it, call 911.

DETERRING THIEVES: Even before getting the call from Alice, we had asked Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner if she had any recommendations. The Club, she says, “does work if effectively installed.” (Alice told us she usually uses one but had it off at the time because she was just briefly stopping at home.) Plus, “An alarm is also effective, if the vehicle has one- if neighbors call when they hear it and if it is consistently on.” Here’s the official SPD auto-theft-prevention tipsheet.

ADDED 8:39 PM: Since this story is still atop the site, we’re adding yet another car-theft report that’s come in – Matt reports, “Our friend’s car was stolen from the garage of the LA Fitness just outside Alaska Junction. The car is an ’89, red Nissan Pulsar NX … We’re in contact with the police who’ll be coming to our house to file an official report shortly. They’ve verified that the car was not towed.” (added) Plates 874YVU.

ADDED SUNDAY, 4/22: The Pulsar was found this weekend in the Admiral Bartell Drugs lot, and we are told the finder had seen it reported here.

Three auto-theft-related reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon – starting with two more stolen vehicles to look for:

STOLEN IN ALKI AREA: Someone took Paul‘s white 1999 Subaru Legacy Outback from the 2000 block of Alki Avenue SW between 11 pm last night and 8 am today. Plates: ATV0897. Also: “It’s got a Backcountry.com goat sticker, and a PLU Alumni sticker.” (3:56 PM UPDATE – Just found in Junction area!)

STOLEN ON 39TH SW: Mimi‘s blue 1996 Subaru Outback was taken between 3 am and 7 am on 39th SW near SW Oregon. Plates: BJL4075. (3:35 PM UPDATE – Just found in the Alki area!)

If you see either one, call 911. Thanks to someone who did that last night, a stolen car mentioned here earlier this week has been found:

‘OSCAR’ FOUND, THANKS TO A WSB READER: As promised, we followed up with SPD about the search for auto-theft suspects near Westcrest Park late last night, and the report narrative confirms it’s something we heard on the scanner just before the search – police were tipped by somebody who recognized the car because it was shown here on WSB:

It was the Jeep Cherokee whose owner nicknamed it “Oscar,” as confirmed today by her dad Wade. Meantime, the police-report narrative confirms the search resulted in one arrest, a 37-year-old man found hiding in the greenbelt nearby (who crawled out, the report said, after being warned the K-9 might bite him). Whether he was linked to the theft is not yet clear but he turned out to have a felony warrant, the report says, adding that he was booked into jail after a stop at Harborview because he said he had used heroin and felt ill.

1:29 PM: We’ve learned that the suspect is 41 and is being held for investigation of obstructing (police) as well as a warrant related to a drug case.

Another stolen car to be on the lookout for:

Wade reports, “My daughter’s car was stolen last night from the street by our house at Delridge and Cloverdale. It is a 1993 Army Green Jeep Cherokee 4 door. The car’s name is Oscar. A police report has been filed.” (We don’t have the plate number but will add when we hear back. Meantime, call 911 if you think you see the stolen vehicle.)

UPDATE: Plate number BGX9092.

Posted in the WSB Forums by Kelso:

Our apartment complex’s storage unit was broken into over the weekend, and while the burglar left behind things of high value (skis, bicycles, electronics) they did take a carry-on hard-case silver Samsonite luggage from my wife and I. They also took a LeSportsac weekender bag that has a very high sentimental value and isn’t made anymore (it has an aloha stamp print on it) … A few other items were taken, but we would be particularly keen to get these back. If it’s been dumped somewhere and someone finds it, we would really appreciate getting these back! This was near the corner of Graham Street and California.

Kelso’s post includes an image of a similar bag.

(August 8th WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)

Three months after a judge ordered him to Western State Hospital, Gatewood stabbing defendant Ryan Cox is still waiting for a spot there to open up. As we reported in January, a judge ordered Cox to the state hospital for up to 90 days of treatment to attempt to restore competency to stand trial. He is charged with second-degree assault in an incident that left a man seriously injured last August. A status hearing for Cox was scheduled for this week; a court document filed yesterday says the hearing is postponed until July 16th. We checked with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to find out why, and they tell us he is “still waiting for admission,” which is currently expected to happen around April 30th. The up-to-90-days treatment clock won’t start until he is admitted. WSH has long been reported to have backlogs leaving patients waiting,

11:53 PM: From Thom:

We had a mailbox break-in at our apartment today at 6609 SW Admiral Way. Around 12:30 pm, my wife found the mailbox panel pried open. It’s not clear if they were interrupted or if they were targeting a specific box, but some boxes had all contents removed (ours included) while others still had mail in them. Who knows what, if anything, they got away with.

They seem to have popped it open with a crowbar just above the locking mechanism, because the whole assembly is open and there’s a large bent portion in the metal frame right where the lock engages. … If anyone finds any discarded mail in a bush or alley or somewhere from 6609 SW Admiral Way, 98116 I’d be curious to hear about it.

ADDED 1:15 AM: Police are investigating multiple reports of gunfire – five or six shots –
heard in High Point, near the 3000 block of SW Graham. (We have received a texted report, too.) No victim reported, and so far we’re not hearing any word of other confirmation such as casings or property damage.