5:06 PM: After multiple secondhand reports about this, we haven’t been able to track down the police report yet, but a warning seems to be in order about a robbery/theft reported in the West Seattle Trader Joe’s parking lot this afternoon. The first person to contact us said she is a friend of the victim: “My friend was robbed at approximately 1:20. She screamed for help and no one responded. Police later notified. Robbery: Man took her money, phone, credit cards, etc, while she was unpacking groceries, then another guy drove him away.” We have a followup message out to that friend asking about suspect and vehicle description, etc. Another friend says the victim posted on social media that the thief/robber was driven up, got out of that vehicle, grabbed the purse, and then got into another car to get away (but still no descriptive details). If we don’t get more info sooner, we’ll pursue it at tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting.

6:43 PM UPDATE: We just spoke with the victim by phone. She says it happened in the center of the main lot, where she was parked not far from the exit onto Fauntleroy. The thief was a passenger in a dark-red or maroon older Ford Bronco/Explorer-type “smaller, older SUV with a squared-off back, 4 doors” that drove up next to her car. He got out, walked toward her “mumbling” – she’s a nurse so she says she wondered if he was OK – then suddenly, she says, as she was reaching for her last bag of groceries, he lunged into the back of her car, which was open, grabbed her purse, got back in his vehicle, and it left.

She describes him as “probably 5’5″, 5’6″, stocky, pale complexion, round face, stubbly,” wearing some type of hat, but she cannot recall anything about his clothing. The “strange mumbling” was his most distinctive feature, she says, adding that police told her the description and MO matched an incident elsewhere in the area within the past week.

Also, regarding the report that no one answered her calls for help after the theft, she said a woman did eventually come over and ask what she could do and offered her phone for the 911 call. The theft victim did talk with the store manager and staffers who she said came out, but she was told there are no cameras outside the store.

We’re heading to the Crime Prevention Council meeting now and if someone doesn’t bring it up, we’ll follow up with precinct leadership about the report that this was a repeat incident.

Four bicycles – stolen or abandoned/”found” – start off this West Seattle Crime Watch report:

VINTAGE BIKE STOLEN FROM SHED: From Marcella:

We live on the 6000 block of California Ave. Last week someone went through our cars in the middle of the night – didn’t get anything of value, mostly just looked through everything.

(Monday) morning, our shed has been broken into. The only think stolen was my bike – a vintage red/white/blue Huffy from the ’50s that my dad had refurbished. It is probably too small for anyone to ride or worth much money, but it was very meaningful to me. Please let me know if anyone sees it.

Now, three bicycles that have turned up, apparently abandoned, which tends to mean “stolen and dumped”:

FOUND NEAR A DUMPSTER: Connie says this bicycle turned up near a trash bin along Harbor Avenue:

FOUND ON 48TH SW: That’s where Erin found the next bike, “a Novara Forza, size small,” on Monday morning. Recognize it?

FOUND BY A BUSINESS: Rick says this bicycle has been near his West Seattle business for more than a week:

If any of those bicycles might be yours, let us know and we’ll connect you.

We also have one non-bicycle-related Crime Watch reader report:

‘BAD NEWS AND GOOD NEWS’ … is how Russ slugged this:

Bad news: someone prowled one of our cars on Saturday night in the 10200 block of 39th Ave. SW. (Shame on us for apparently leaving it unlocked.) Several items were missing, although nothing of particular economic or sentimental value.

Good news: a gentleman who lives of 31st Ave. SW appeared at our door after finding the stolen items dumped in his yard. Kudos to you, sir — although we regret we didn’t ask your name!

It appears that the thief (thieves?) decided that our possessions weren’t worth keeping; everything taken from our car was recovered.

However, there was one item that was not ours: a small black coin purse. (Update: See the photo in this WSB comment.) It’s completely empty, but someone out there may want it back. If so, they can e-mail me: rdy5591@gmail.com

And we’ll mention it one more time – TONIGHT is the monthly West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, best place to bring your neighborhood concerns/questions directly to Southwest Precinct leadership. WSCPC president Richard Miller also has booked SPD’s Chief Operating Officer Brian Maxey as the special guest, with a plan to discuss 911 operations. 7 pm, SW Precinct, 2300 SW Webster.

In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight, a painful reminder that even the trunk isn’t a safe place to leave valuables in your vehicle. Gabriel reports: “My wife’s car was broken into around 11 am at the larger Lincoln Park parking lot. They shattered the driver’s window and stole items from the trunk (purse, credit cards, etc.). There were a lot of people around, but if anyone saw anything, they ignored it. … Small black leather purse, small black wallet were taken. Credit cards and a birth certificate were the main items of value (out of town traveler) taken. Several charges in West Seattle (Big 5, gas station, Home Depot) were made before the theft was discovered.” Police have said that car prowlers in parking lots can move quickly and stealthily without others nearby realizing what’s going on.

P.S. Another reminder that your monthly chance to bring crime/safety concerns to local police is this Tuesday (June 21st), the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, 7 pm at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster). SPD’s chief operating officer Brian Maxey is the scheduled guest, focusing on SPD’s 911 system.

(UPDATED 5:04 PM with new information on burglary suspect)

In West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon:

BURGLARY SUSPECT ARRESTED, WITH DOG: A burglary suspect who neighbors believe is the door-trying “prowler with pooch” shown here in mid-May is due back in court today. After a tip that the suspect had been arrested Monday afternoon in the 9400 block of 24th SW, we followed up on the case: Police say a realtor found the 36-year-old woman and her dog inside a house listed for sale. Probable-cause documents say she appeared to be under the influence of drugs and begged officers not to take her dog; though she suggested someone who could come get it before she was taken to jail, that person was unreachable and the dog was taken to the shelter. The suspect, who gave a Burien address, has a long record of property crimes, including at least two featured here, but has never spent time in the state prison system (we checked to see if they had a mugshot, to compare to the “prowler with pooch” video). Her bail was set yesterday at $25,000 and we’ll be checking to see what happens today. According to the police report, the house on 24th SW had not been entered forcibly, and it hadn’t been determined whether anything was stolen.

ADDED 5:17 PM: The suspect is now charged with criminal trespass, so, per our policy, we can identify her: 36-year-old Jessica A. Detrick. Her bail is now $1,000; if still in custody, she is scheduled for arraignment tomorrow morning. Detrick figured into two cases we reported here in 2013, both with the same accomplice, Sean Jeardoe, who is currently in was recently released from prison: They were both arrested in a Morgan Junction parking lot in July 2013 after a WSB reader spotted him in a pickup truck reported here as stolen.

They were not charged at the time, though he confessed to multiple burglaries, but he was charged after they were arrested on Vashon Island two months later. As we reported at the time, investigators believed they were “responsible for up to 22 burglaries, 4 gun thefts, 3 auto thefts, and other crimes.” He reached a plea deal and was sentenced to 4 1/2 years including mandatory drug treatment; court records do not show any evidence Detrick was ever charged. She does appear to have had some arrests in the ensuing two years, but no felony prosecutions. (Friday afternoon update: She’s been released from jail.)

(back to original report) GUNFIRE/CRASH FOLLOWUP: Since Monday, we’ve been trying to get the report narrative on the 10th/Roxbury incident we covered Saturday afternoon. We confirmed that while both Seattle Police and King County Sheriff’s Office responded, the investigation is a KCSO case. Media-relations officer Sgt. Jason Houck talked with detectives, who are still looking for tips/witnesses, and provided this summary/update:

Two vehicles were involved in a running gun battle. Per witnesses, there were at least two people in each car. The car being chased, a gold-colored Buick, collided head-on with a car going west on Roxbury.

(WSB photo from Saturday)

This led to several other collisions. The car following the Buick was described by a witness as a black Chevy Impala. It fled from the scene. The occupants of the Buick fled from the scene, but the driver returned a short time later. Several fired cartridge casings were recovered. Although there were several people injured during the collisions, no one has been found with gunshot wounds. No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information about this shooting can leave information by contacting 206-263-2090 – Major Crimes Unit

KCSO would not release the full report narrative, saying its policy is not to do so with open cases, even if a public-disclosure request is filed (which we did), so this is the entirety of what we have so far.

POSSIBLE GUNFIRE: Just in case you were wondering – we got one report late last night of possible shots, heard from 14th/Kenyon; when they called 911, they were told others had called in, too. Police responded but, according to Lt. Alan Williams, did not find any evidence of gunfire (shell casings, bullet holes, etc.) and didn’t find anyone who had seen someone firing a gun.

CAR PROWLS CONTINUE: We’ve reported before on car prowls in the garage at Spruce, the Fauntleroy/Alaska/39th building that houses apartments and LA Fitness. A frustrated gym employee contacted us today, saying break-ins are continuing there and on surrounding blocks, concerned that their employer is getting the blame but shouldn’t be. The employee says the garage does not have adequate security. The online police-report map does not not show a recent concentration of prowls there, but we’ve heard this anecdotally from multiple sources including this one (if your car is broken into, please report it, wherever it happens, even if nothing is taken).

HIT-RUN – SEE ANYTHING? From Daniel:

My 2010 Subaru Outback was side swiped the afternoon of Sunday, June 5th . It was sitting in front of my house, at the corner of 42nd Ave SW & Spokane St SW. No note was left. It was hit by a blue SUV or light truck. Damage is to passenger front and rear door (estimate of damage is $1756.00). A police report was filled with the Seattle Police (case #2016-200484).

4:54 PM: Eight months after kicking her boyfriend’s toddler son to death in their Morgan Junction apartment, 21-year-old Alicia Goemaat pleaded guilty today to second-degree murder. We just found that out after checking court files. Goemaat was arrested less than a week after 17-month-old Drue Lehto was found dead; investigators say she kicked him and then placed him in his crib, where he was found. She eventually was reported to have said she was mad at Drue for fighting with her own young child over a toy. Second-degree murder is the charge originally filed against Goemaat last fall; we have no other details of today’s hearing but will update with anything more we find out. Her sentencing is set for July 8th.

6:18 PM: We now have information from KCPAO spokesperson Dan Donohoe regarding the sentencing recommendation: “The sentence range is 123 to 220 months in prison, and prosecutors will recommend 140 months.” (That’s 11 years, 8 months.)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

It’s now up to the state Court of Appeals to decide whether to uphold the manslaughter conviction of Lovett Chambers for shooting and killing Travis Hood by Morgan Junction Park in January 2012.

Three Court of Appeals, Division 1 judges and two lawyers – neither of whom were on the original defense/prosecution teams – spent 21 minutes on the case in the COA’s Downtown Seattle chambers this morning.

Chambers was charged with murder while contending self-defense; a King County Superior Court jury found him guilty of the lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter in April 2014 (during which the file photo at left was taken – he was not at today’s hearing), and he is serving an 11 1/2-year sentence.

While his appeal brief (read it here) argues seven points, this morning’s arguments focused on just the first one: The claim that the jury should not have received an instruction about finding him guilty of manslaughter.

He shot to kill, his lawyer David B. Koch argued. Read More

After two years, it’s down to 20 minutes.

That’s the total amount of time allotted for both sides to make their respective cases tomorrow when they argue for and against the appeal of Lovett Chambers, the Gatewood man convicted two years ago of manslaughter for the Morgan Junction shooting death of Travis Hood.

Though the verdict itself was a charge reduced from the one with which Chambers, now 71, had been charged – second-degree murder – his appeal challenges it and six other points. The written arguments by Chambers’ lawyers say jurors shouldn’t have been instructed that manslaughter was an option, because there was no “factual basis for that charge.” They also argue that the search of Chambers’ home the night of the shooting was illegal.

Chambers has never denied killing Hood, who was 36, but contended that it was self-defense. He was sentenced to 11 1/2 years and has been behind bars now for 4 1/2 years, since the night of the shooting in January 2012. Tuesday’s oral arguments are on the morning docket for a three-judge panel of the State Court of Appeals meeting in Seattle.

In West Seattle Crime Watch today:

ART THEFT: Artist Rebecca Woodhouse is asking you to be on the lookout for her stolen artwork. It’s an unusual theft case: She shipped 4 boxes containing 6 linocut-paintings to Ventura, California, for an art show and included the return shipping labels. The gallery didn’t tell her the work had been shipped back, and when it arrived at a mailing center here, it had someone else’s name on the labels. She says the center called that person, who then picked up the items and signed for them. She has been trying to reach that person for more than a week and since the messages have not been returned, it’s now being treated as a theft. “I was trying to give the guy the benefit of the doubt; he didn’t know what they were, took them home, works a lot, and didn’t prioritize calling the mailing center or the people who sent the boxes, but enough time went by, and with all the phone calls, it’s crossed the line to theft. The officer said it himself.” She says her name is on all of the art. We couldn’t post all the photos here so she has collected them on this page of her website as a gallery of stolen art. Let her and SPD know if you have information.

SEEN THIS MATH HOMEWORK? From another Rebecca, a car break-in report, with missing math homework:

Sometime between 5 pm Sunday and 6:45 this morning our car was broken into, and a blanket and 2 backpacks were taken from the back. One had school books, one had basic medical supplies in it (icy-hot spray and bandages for sports injuries). I am sure we left a back window open too far (it was hot!! we were tired). How they didn’t set off an alarm interests me, but so it goes.

Learning lesson, but also wishing there was a collection point for “oops, we stole some stuff that is of no use to us, so we can drop it here judgment free, since a semester of math homework probably means more to somone else than it sells for on the street.”

A police report is on file.

PACKAGE PROWLERS: The photo and report are from Patrick:

This is a photo of a package prowler I saw entering my neighbor’s yard as I was returning from work on Friday around 5:30 PM. This was on 34th between Webster and Holden in the Sunrise Heights neighborhood. The neighbor had packages and my wife had seen them driving slowly, stopping, and reversing back to the house. African American female driver, white tank top, African American male companion. Both late twenties to early forties. Car was a ’90s Chrysler or Dodge. Suspension completely blown, loud distinct rattle. Trunk appeared unlatched. Moments after posting this photo to the neighborhood FB page, another neighbor reported seeing the same car attempting to take a package before being confronted. It should be noted these people were doing this at 530, when most people are returning from work, with witnesses outside. Very brazen and most likely desperate. … Call 911 if you see suspicious behavior.

(Added: WSB photos)

2:45 PM: Big police response right now in the 10th/Roxbury vicinity, where police have found “multiple shell casings” after a report of gunfire. No shooting victim(s) reported so far but a crash nearby might somehow be related.

Per the scanner, police say witnesses reported seeing at least one person shooting on the passenger side of a “black Impala,” described only as a “black male, bald, white shirt, firing out the window.”

3:05 PM: We are in the area; Roxbury is closed 9th to 12th for this investigation.

Our photographer says King County Sheriff’s Deputies (some units are Burien PD, which is part of KCSO) also are investigating; they and SPD are canvassing both sides of the street looking for witnesses.

4:05 PM: Photos added. We’re heading back over shortly to see if the street has reopened.

5:16 PM: Finally got back over to check. All clear and open.

That’s the clearest image of the truck shown on security video, entering and leaving South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) in a span of less than 10 minutes, before and after Tuesday morning’s smash-and-grab ATM theft at Brockey Center (here’s our original report; here’s our followup on the damage done). While tracking technology led police to the ATM safe in an Arbor Heights backyard within a few hours, they have not yet found the truck or made arrests. SSC provided the video to WSB – here are the two sections showing the truck arriving and departing (at a time when the main-campus entrances on 16th SW are gated):

SPD describes the truck as a “white Chevrolet pickup truck with a crew cab” and asks that anyone with information about it, and/or anything else related to the theft, call the Southwest Precinct burglary unit at 206-233-2623.

In West Seattle Crime Watch:

DRIVE-BY CAR PROWLING: Shaun reports:

At roughly 1:28 am my wife witnessed this van driving down our street and stopping and opening car doors. Driver didn’t get out of van, just reached out of window to check if doors were open. We called it in, and followed at a distance. Once it stopped we got a picture of the van.

The License plate is: 01508 or 10508 – it was a specialty plate.

Shaun didn’t mention what part of West Seattle this happened in – we’re following up. (Update – Shaun says this was in Morgan Junction, and that they’ve since been told by police that the van was found and impounded, but no arrests so far.)

BROKEN WINDOW: In Admiral, two people reported seeing a broken window on a Jeep parked in the PCC Natural Markets-West Seattle (WSB sponsor) parking lot this morning, and “some contents” strewn outside.

And in the day’s biggest broken-glass incident:

ATM-THEFT AFTERMATH: We followed up with South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) about the considerable damage done by the ATM theft early this morning. SSC spokesperson Ty Swenson told WSB that the thief/thieves “seriously damaged” an external and internal set of entrance doorways made of glass. The north entrance of the Jerry Brockey Student Center was closed for several hours, and the missing sections of glass and door frame were boarded up:

By late morning, Swenson said they “were able to open the undamaged set of doors at the north entrance, so people can access the Brockey Center from the north. Load bearing pillars at the entrance were not damaged. Our facilities department is currently assessing the damage and working with a local glass supplier to get a bid. We do not have a solid timeline on the repair or cost at this time.” While they don’t have surveillance video of the actual theft, he said, they do have video of the truck that was involved, and we hope to have that for a Crime Watch update tomorrow.