Another stolen vehicle has been found, thanks to a WSB reader. Last Sunday night, we published Erica‘s report of a black Toyota 4Runner stolen in High Point; today, the reader spotted it in their neighborhood, between 40th and 41st near SW Edmunds. Police were called, and Erica confirms they got the vehicle back.

Four reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch today:

BUILDING BURGLARY: From DS:

Wanted to make my neighbors aware that we’ve had further issues at our walk-up apartment building at 2420 54th PL SW. This morning I found that one of two basement storage rooms had been broken into and most of the latches to appx. a dozen individual storage units have been cut or pried open. I’m guessing the break in occurred last night or early this morning.

On January 1 of this year, my wife posted to the WSB that someone had cut a heavy cable bike lock and stolen her nice 29’er bike from three feet outside of our front door.

Our apartment complex is owned by Cornell & Associates; I’ve attempted to let our building manager and the company HQ know but haven’t heard back from either. It’s obvious that we have a security issue—I just wanted to let our neighbors know that they need to be careful.

ALSO ON ALKI: From Kelsey in the 3000 block of 61st SW:

On Sunday morning at 3 am a man attempted to break into my home while I was home. I want to make sure that my neighbors are aware of the situation and on the look out for suspicious activity.

The police came to my home right away and searched the area for the man that had opened both my front and back gate and attempted to enter the house while I was home. He ran when I came upstairs with my dog, but I was able to get a good description of him as he was across the street under a street lamp once I got to the window. He had stolen a package from my neighbor on the street behind me, and left the empty box on my property.

The police followed up with me last night in person to let me know that another officer was called out to Beach Drive early Monday morning because of a report of a man throwing bottles and rocks into the water. He fit the exact description that I had given, and was given a warning. He has had multiple run ins with these sorts of issues according to the officer.

The officer let me know that they may try and connect him with my incident, and to make sure to let my neighborhood know what is going on.

He is a man in his late 20s, early 30s, transient, white with dark hair and wears a dark firefighter jacket with a reflective stripe across the shoulders.

(Added) Police incident # is 2018-024988.

CAR PROWLER IN ADMIRAL: Just after 11 pm last night, Conrad reported a car prowler to the police, in the 45th SW/SW Stevens area – a “male in a dark black or green SUV with no tail lights and one brake light … driving around trying car doors with his window down. I saw him open one door to a neighbor’s car. Be alert and lock your car doors!”

POSSIBLY SCAMMED BY A SKIMMER: From Maggie, who has filed a police report:

I found my debit card number and pin to be stolen. I think it happened at the Shell gas station on the corner of Alaska and Fauntleroy on Thursday night. Someone tried to use it in Florida today and luckily fraud prevention picked it up. Tried to call the gas station to tell them but the number is disconnected. Wanted to warn other people so it doesn’t happen to them. Found out by having a $2.50 charge for “Atm inquiry out of network” charge on both my checking and savings account. No other place I shopped could have had this.

This crime has been on the rise nationwide, according to this online story that also includes tips on how to try to detect skimmers, though experts warn there’s no foolproof way.

(August 2017 WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)

A new development in the case of Ryan Cox, the 39-year-old repeat offender charged with stabbing a man in Gatewood last August: The results are in from the pretrial mental-health evaluation ordered last month for Cox, and court documents say he has been found incompetent to stand trial. As a result, a judge ordered him sent to Western State Hospital for up to 90 days of treatment to attempt to restore competency; at the end of that time; if he is found competent sooner, he’ll be sent back to the King County Jail, where he’s been since the August 8th attack.

Cox has been through this process (which is explained here) in at least one previous case, five years ago, when he was sent to Western State for an attempt at restoring competency when he faced hate-crime charges for a homophobia-motivated attack (WSB coverage here). As we reported seven months later, Cox subsequently was found to be competent, and pleaded guilty, which resulted in his first and so far only felony conviction. Prior to his August arrest, the last time he was charged with a crime was two years earlier, resulting in a misdemeanor trespassing conviction involving for Safeco Field after he was ordered to stay out. In the current case, he is charged with second-degree assault.

Another stolen vehicle to watch for. The report is from Erica in High Point:

Our Toyota 4Runner was stolen last night.
SW Myrtle/30th Pl SW
License Plate: AVD5251
Make: Toyota
Model: 4Runner
Year: 2015
Color: Black/Black Interior

If you see it, call 911 – the police incident # is 2018-025186.

Justin sent that video, saying it’s from a break-in at his home at 1:31 am Friday, near Charlestown and 40th. If you recognize the person in the video, contact police and refer to incident # 2018-024462.

ADDED: Justin has since provided screengrabs – the one above is the clearest. We asked whether any particular stolen item should be watched for, but he says that so far, it appears not much was taken.

Three notes in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight, starting with a reader report:

FAUNTLEE HILLS CAR PROWL: Kris e-mailed today to report a car prowl earlier this week:

Our car was parked at the corner of 40th Avenue SW and Director SW overnight on January 15. On January 16, I walked out to see the hatch and passenger door ajar. Sometime during the evening the car was prowled. Nothing of significant value was taken and the police were notified … In the past few days, I have recovered some of the items along Barton Avenue SW.

And from the many court cases we are continuing to check on, two updates:

WESTWOOD MURDER-CASE UPDATE: When last we mentioned the two defendants charged in last year’s murder of Edixon Velasquez in Westwood, they were set for trial relatively soon. According to court documents, they have since agreed to have the case pushed back a few months, and in court today, the readiness hearing for Anna Kasparova and Abel Linares was rescheduled for March 23rd, with trial tentatively set for April 25th.

SOUTH DELRIDGE ROBBER PLEADS GUILTY: A plea agreement this week for 22-year-old Aaron K. Knox, one of two men charged last summer with stealing a 58-year-old man’s bicycle at gunpoint in the 9200 block of Delridge Way SW. Knox has no criminal history but pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery; hr will be sentenced February 16th. Court documents say prosecutors will seek to have him sent to prison for three years and five months.

In West Seattle Crime Watch today – first, a reader report:

CAR PROWL: Dennis reports a car break-in overnight on the northeast corner of 8th SW/SW Cloverdale [map]: “Nothing of value in the car.”

Next, a followup:

(Photo tweeted Saturday night by @culinaryfaerie)

JUNCTION PURSE-SNATCHING FOLLOWUP: After reporting this in bits and pieces, we finally have the police report with full details of the circumstances in last Saturday night’s Junction “purse-snatching” incident. It says the victim was sitting in the Junction Starbucks with her laptop and purse on the table in front of her just before 6 pm when three people ran in, grabbed her purse off the table, and ran out with it. The first 911 call said two people including the victim chased after the purse-grabbers. As we reported, police found and arrested three suspects.

The two adult suspects are now charged so we’re identifying them: The police report says 19-year-old Alonso Roman was found about three blocks away, in the alley east of the 4500 block of 41st SW, with the victim’s purse. Police also found a felony arrest warrant for him in a residential-burglary case. In this case, he’s charged with two misdemeanors, theft and receiving stolen property. The other adult suspect, 19-year-old Delino Olebar, was found about a block further east, near Jiffy Lube, and police found three misdemeanor warrants out for him. They say he gave them a false name at first; he is charged with theft and false reporting, both misdemeanors. The juvenile suspect was found on the other side of Alaska, near Bank of America. Roman and Olebar were booked into the King County Jail, and the jail register says they’re still there now; the juvenile suspect was released to his parents. The victim told police the only thing missing from her purse when she got it back was a pair of earbuds.

Mason at the Antique Mall of West Seattle e-mailed to say burglar(s) hit the store earlier this week:

The incident occurred sometime between 11:30 pm Monday night and 6:00 am Tuesday morning at the front entrance of the Antique Mall of West Seattle (4516 California Ave SW). The intruders made their way into the store after drilling out the front-door lock. It is suspected that they did not stay long as only the front few cases were disturbed and the number of items reported to be missing is minimal. This does of course further raise concern for potential future attempts at our store and other stores in the Junction as this sort of crime is becoming more frequent.

We have re-keyed the locks and readjusted our security system. Of course we don’t keep any cash in store after hours and we suggest that other area businesses update/increase their security as well.

If you have any information for police, the incident number is 18-019526.

Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes tonight:

PHONE THEFT: From Chelsea:

Last night, as I was walking home from LA Fitness, I was standing on the corner of Edmunds and Fauntleroy when 3 males approached me from behind as I was sending a text. They then grabbed my phone out of my hand (they did not assault me or pull any weapons). After they grabbed the phone, they proceeded to run West on Edmunds (away from me), where they split up right around 40th Ave. Two of them booked it into an alley behind the apartment building there while one of them ran toward and then crossed Alaska.

I didn’t end up filing a police report because I didn’t get a good look at them plus I didn’t have a phone to call. They appeared to be younger, based upon their clothing, which was dark hoodies with jeans and at least one of them had a backpack on.

As we told her, it’s vital to file a police report so this is on record at the very least, and it’s not too late to file one. (Wednesday update: She has filed a report – incident #18-019576.)

PURSE-SNATCHING FOLLOWUP: We still haven documents with full details of the Saturday night incident in The Junction, but we’ve got a few more than we did on Sunday. We’ve confirmed that two 19-year-olds booked into jail for theft on Saturday night are the adult suspects in this case (police told us a juvenile also was arrested, but juvenile detention rosters are not available online). Both are still in jail, one with bail set at $20,000, one with bail set at $1,500. Both have been ordered – if they do get out – to have no contact with the Junction Starbucks, which at least one witness told us is where the purse theft happened.

ABANDONED BICYCLE: Latest sighting is reported by Becky:

She spotted it at the corner of 47th SW and SW Edmunds.

Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch so far today, and a reminder:

CAR BREAK-IN: From Steve:

We had our car prowled overnight, sometime between 11 pm and 9 am. We are on 37th Ave SW between Lander and Stevens [map]. Registration and Title, Insurance, car chargers, special parking permit and shopping bags were taken. The car was completely cleaned out. The registration (etc.) was in a bright-orange vinyl folder.

The tracking number for the incident is T18000652.

(ADDED 1:12 PM) After reading this, Todd e-mailed to say his car window was broken by someone last night just a block west, on 38th SW.

BICYCLE FOUND: A texter found a bicycle at 12th SW and SW Myrtle [map] – near Riverview Playfield – and turned it over to a Parks and Recreation crew that was nearby. The finder didn’t take a photo but described it as a black or gray Trek “commuter bike” that had been purchased at Gregg’s. (The general Parks number is 206-684-4075.)

REMINDER – WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL TOMORROW: 7 pm Tuesday (January 16th) at the Southwest Precinct, it’s the next meeting of the WS Crime Prevention Council, with your chance to bring neighborhood crime/safety concerns to local police. A drug-trend guest is booked this month too.

One reader report in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight. Just in, from Liz:

My boyfriend and I live at the Alaska Junction and today between 1 am and noon, Luc’s maroon 1992 Subaru Legacy wagon (hatchback – license plate number AAM 5011) was stolen with his black MacNeil BMX bicycle locked inside. It was parked on Glenn Way near the alley between Oregon and Alaska. We have made a police report, looked at Offerup and Craigslist, and called the tow yard, but there has been no sign of the bike or the car.

The bike is a MacNeil Default frame with S&M bars and forks, purple Hoder grips, and Odyssey pedals (purple) cranks and wheels.

SPD incident # 18-14338. Call 911 if you see the car.

P.S. Reminder that the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets Tuesday (January 16th), 7 pm at Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster) – bring your neighborhood crime concerns/questions for police.

ORIGINAL TUESDAY NIGHT REPORT: Around 7:30 tonight, Jeff reports, his wife’s car was broken into in the front parking lot at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) in Morgan Junction. There’s one thing he’s hoping will be found:

Her black work work bag was stolen. Most important to her is her notebook and thumb drive containing many many references and resources. Also in the bag was a black iPhone. I’m hoping that the bag gets ditched somewhere close to the scene. … The stolen bag was a black Kipplinger messenger-style bag. In the bag was some medications (Rx & OTC), black iPhone (6s), work keys and badge, a notebook, and a thumbdrive (Lexar, green/blue).

No police report # yet; if you think you have found the bag, let us know.

ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: The SPD incident # is 18-10904. Also, as Jeff posted in comments, they’ve found the stolen phone – still looking for the bag.

(January 2016 WSB photo)

Almost two years after a deadly trench collapse at a West Seattle worksite, the owner of the company that employed the victim has been charged with criminal manslaughter. The announcement late today from the state Department of Labor and Industries says this is “the first time a Washington employer has faced felony charges for a workplace fatality.” 36-year-old Harold Felton was killed January 26, 2016, when the dirt walls of a trench collapsed during side-sewer work at a house in the 3000 block of 36th SW. Seven months later, the state cited Alki Construction LLC for seven violations, as reported here. And now, the company’s owner, 40-year-old Phillip Numrich, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter. The announcement quotes L&I director Joel Sacks as saying, “There are times when a monetary penalty isn’t enough. This company knew what the safety risks and requirements were, and ignored them. The felony charges show that employers can be held criminally accountable when the tragedy of a preventable workplace death or injury occurs.” We’ve looked up the court documents, which were not included in the L&I news release; Numrich has been charged with two counts, second-degree manslaughter and “violation of labor safety regulation with death resulting.” The documents note that he and the victim not only had an employer-employee relationship, they were longtime friends. Mr. Felton was the first person killed in a trenching incident in our state in more than seven years.

The last two stolen vehicles reported in West Seattle Crime Watch were both found by readers – maybe this will be three in a row. Ivana reports a 1999 Ducati Monster Cromo 900 motorcycle was “stolen from the driveway next to the apartment building at 9011 35th Avenue SW [map] between approximately 10:00 PM on 01/04/2018 and 07:45 on 01/05.” Black frame, chrome tank, carbon fiber fairing, Brembo brakes, round mirrors, low mileage. WA license plate 4C7676. Call 911 if you see it – SPD incident # 18-5224.

Two reader reports tonight in West Seattle Crime Watch, both including car prowls:

IN NORTH DELRIDGE: After reading last night’s report about tools taken in a Pigeon Point shed break-in, Lauren sent this:

Both of the following incidents happened at our house located very close to Pigeon Point at Delridge and Oregon [map].

Sometime in the very early hours of yesterday, January 4th, both my and my boyfriend’s cars were broken into in our driveway. Nothing of value was inside but items were clearly rifled through and strewn around. I discovered this at 7:30 am. Police report was filed.

This early AM (January 5th) at ~2:50AM, we heard a loud sound like a car door slamming. My boyfriend and I went out to the deck and saw a car part way up the driveway. The car quickly turned into the street and sped away very fast. The car was black or dark blue and either a PT Cruiser or a Mini Cooper.

IN ADMIRAL: From Wendy:

I wanted to report that we had a car prowl yesterday or last night on the 2600 block of 47th Ave SW [map]. We have reported it to the police but wanted to get the word out to the neighborhood to be aware. No signs of forced entry so not sure if we left it unlocked. We don’t keep much in our car, they took a phone charge cord, ice scraper, wet ones, a nearly empty tube of lotion, and a dog harness.

The only thing I care about having back is the dog harness. Brand-new green and brown Gooby.

P.S. The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council is back in session this month – Tuesday, January 16th, 7 pm at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster). Neighborhood crime updates and concerns are always the centerpiece, but this month WSCPC president Richard Miller has also scheduled a guest, Steven Freng from the Northwest High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, who will talk about “recent drug use trends, including specific problem drugs and other emerging issues,” according to the announcement from Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Burbridge.

Two Three West Seattle Crime Watch items tonight:

ANOTHER STOLEN CR-V: For the second day in a row, we’ve received a report of a stolen CR-V. The one stolen yesterday was found by a WSB reader hours later. Maybe you can find the one taken overnight from Sarah in Seaview:

I’d like to report the theft of my vehicle sometime last night, 1/3-1/4, in the 5900 block of 48th St SW, it was parked legally in the vicinity of my residence and it’s been verified by SPD as not towed.

The vehicle is a blue 2011 Honda CR-V; notable features include Maryland license places and several Washington, DC parking permits, as well as a whole lot of bumper stickers including: Sierra Club, Bernie Sanders, Barrie School, George Washington University, Ocean City Brewing Company, West Marine Sailing, and several magnets for Marathons, Half-Marathons and Cycling. It’s pretty distinct and that’s not an all inclusive list, but hopefully could help positively identify it if spotted.

If you see it, call 911 – and then let us know.

(Sunday update: Confirmation that the CR-V was spotted by a reader – southwest of The Junction – and has been recovered!)

ADMIRAL ATTACK SUSPECT UPDATE: Today brought another hearing for Kierra Ward, charged in October’s knife attack on a mother out walking with her baby. Documents from the hearing indicate that Ward is choosing to go to trial rather than seeking a plea bargain; the date is tentatively set for February 21st, depending on what happens at a readiness hearing set for February 9th. Ward remains held in the King County Jail in lieu of $400,000 bail.

ADDED 8:50 – PIGEON POINT SHED BREAK-IN, TOOLS TAKEN: This just came in from Elizabeth, minutes after we published the above two items, so we’re adding it:

I wanted to let the Pigeon Point community know that my shed was broken into either last night or sometime today. The thieves stole all of my tools. (4100 block 19th SW) … They cut the hinges off my shed to get in. Below are a list of the tools stolen I have identified so far in case anyone hears or sees anyone out there with new things.

-Rigid Miter Saw, collapsible
-Rigid Table Saw, collapsible
-Rigid Hand Sander
-Rigid Nail Gun & Nails
-Dewalt Cordless Hand Saw
-Dewalt Cordless Reciprocating Saw
-Dewalt Cordless Drill
-Dewalt Cordless Impact Drill
-Dewalt Drill Bits (4-5boxes)

Unfortunately I don’t have any cameras working that could help catch these people. My thought is that they drove some kind of truck and reversed back into my driveway up to the shed and broken. This would have shielded them from being seen from all sides (the other sides are surrounded by two other neighbors and my house as I have an open driveway, no garage. I’m guessing they had some kind of van as the miter saw and table saw are big.

Wanted to let the neighborhood know so everyone can keep an extra eye out on their homes as well as hope that someone saw something that could help catch these thieves.