West Seattle, Washington
24 Wednesday
In West Seattle Crime Watch this morning: Besides more followup on last night’s RapidRide-robber-rousting (updated coverage here), 
we’ve obtained another noteworthy report from Seattle Police: The arrest of an indecent-exposure suspect in The Triangle.
Two WSB readers messaged us about the incident, which happened early yesterday outside Link at 38th/Alaska. Two women using the on-site gym on the east side of the building called police after seeing a man standing in the alley outside, looking into its window while exposing himself and masturbating. Police found the 38-year-old suspect “in a doorway alcove just south of the apartment gym” and say they “smell(ed) a strong odor of intoxicants on (his) breath.” He was booked into King County Jail, where the register shows he is still being held, in lieu of $500 bail.
In case you wondered, this suspect is NOT the one arrested in the similar Westwood Village case a month ago. Municipal Court records show this suspect, however, was arrested for indecent exposure in August of 2012, but the charge eventually was dropped for “lack of a prosecuting witness.” (We haven’t yet found details of that incident.) He’s due in court shortly; we’ll update the story later with information on his status.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports to share. The first one was just published on SPD Blotter:
A store clerk chased away would-be robbers last night in West Seattle. On 11/23/13, at approximately 10:00 pm, two unknown masked males went into a store in the 8800 block of 9th Av. SW and pointed a gun at the clerk, demanding money.
The clerk recognized that the gun the suspects were using was a fake, so he reached down and brought his own gun up, telling the would-be robbers that his gun was “bigger.” The suspects ran out of the store, and quickly left in their getaway car. An area check for the suspects was negative.
And this reader report is from Jay:
Car prowls … in the 6100 block of Admiral. Two hardtops stolen from convertibles. Both were Mazda Miatas … Windows (were) busted to get in, but no attempt to take the cars themselves.
He says it happened overnight Thursday into Friday. We checked police reports and Tweets by Beat for other car-prowl reports in the past week:
*2 reported yesterday in Arbor Heights, one in the 10000 block of California SW, another in the 10000 block of 41st SW
*One Friday in the 9000 block of Fauntleroy Way SW
*One Tuesday in the 5400 block of 23rd SW
*One Monday in the 6900 block of Delridge Way SW
*One Monday at Fauntleroy/Cloverdale
*One last Sunday in the 7200 block of 12th SW.
If someone breaks into your vehicle – or tries – be sure to report it, even if nothing is taken. (Here’s how to file online reports about car prowls and certain other types of crime.)
ADDED 2:43 PM: One more car prowl to add – Dustin reported via Facebook message: “Car prowl 46th and SW Raymond St last night. Nothing in car to steal, but some damage.”
As police warned during the most recent West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meetings, approaching holidays tend to mean increasing package theft. From Seaview, POC reports:
Today I witnessed the theft of a UPS package from my neighbors’ porch. I saw UPS deliver the package and also noted a suspicious vehicle pass by. Within minutes of the UPS truck pulling away, I saw the suspect vehicle circle back around the block and park in front of their house. The driver casually stood outside his vehicle and acted like he was arranging items in the back seat of the SUV. Then he turned and walked up the sidewalk and picked up the package. I ran out and yelled at him but he continued to his vehicle. I was able to photograph the vehicle with its license plate and filed a police report. The USPS delivery man also witnessed the act and called the police. This is not a secluded porch and the thief did not appear concerned that people were around.
Location is in the 5400 block of 46th Ave SW. Vehicle was an older gray Dodge Durango 4×4 with one male occupant. It appeared that there were numerous other items in the back of his SUV.
See anything suspicious outside O’Neill Plumbing (WSB sponsor) in north Morgan Junction overnight? They’re offering a reward in connection with a bout of vandalism that damaged/broke windows at their offices.
Tim O’Neill tells WSB, “I am still reviewing our videotape as well as our neighbors’ across the street, but would like to offer $500 reward for any info leading to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for this.” In addition to what you see in our photos, the damage also included large circles scratched/etched into another pane of glass. If you have tips for police, the incident number is in this tweet.
Almost one month after a Highland Park man was arrested 
following a report he was masturbating in his van a block from Chief Sealth International High School, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed a charge against him. 34-year-old Danen Romine is charged with one count of indecent exposure. KCPAO spokesperson Dan Donohoe says that was the one and only case referred to them for consideration of charges. You might remember that Romine was originally facing a Seattle Municipal Court charge, but then the city realized it was not empowered to prosecute indecent-exposure cases until this month. The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is asking for $30,000 bail in the case; Romine is scheduled for arraignment on November 27th.
Tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting featured crime-trend updates from Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Pierre Davis and transportation-safety info from SDOT’s Jim Curtin (who started speaking about 26 minutes into our video). We’ll add toplines later but just in case you’re interested, we recorded the entire hour and a half meeting on video and it’s just finished uploading, so we present it here for your potential late-night/early-morning viewing. More later!
ADDED 9:40 AM WEDNESDAY: Toplines from WSB’s Katie Meyer:
*From SDOT community traffic liaison Jim Curtin’s presentation – the top spots in West Seattle for collisions, October 2010-October 2013:
1) Olson Place SW and 1st (aka, east end of Roxbury)
2) 35th/Avalon (that includes collisions near the bridge entrance)
3) 8th SW and SW Roxbury
Major causes of collisions:
33% caused by speeding
48& of fatal crashes involve impaired drivers (alcohol or drugs – no increase in marijuana so far)
22% of fatal crashes involve distraction
Most common type of collision in West Seattle:
“Hit parked cars” (1,150 hit parked car hit “incidents “in the three-year time period Curtin covered – some are multiple-vehicle incidents, so higher total of hit parked car numbers).
CRIME TRENDS: Lt. Davis stressed both the importance of reporting crime AND suspicious sightings – “partnership with the community” – and of prevention. People are still, he lamented, leaving keys in cars, leaving home doors unlocked, etc. Also, he warned, mail and package theft ramp up this time of year (for obvious reasons), and he reiterated something noted last month, that West Seattle will have holiday-season emphasis patrols, with officers out on foot beats. Traffic emphasis patrols will be “highly visible” in the months ahead, too.
NEXT MEETING: WSCPC is taking December off; at 7 pm January 21st, Ann Graves from Seattle Animal Shelter will be on hand to discuss various animal-control issues.
Another West Seattle business has just received the scam call claiming that City Light will cut off their power immediately if money isn’t handed over. This time, the report comes from Wendy at Flower Lab in Admiral. We’ve reported on two others in the past week and a half – here and here. If you get this (or another) scam call, report it to police! It’s not new – as City Light explains here – but the scammers are gambling they’ll find someone who doesn’t know it’s fake, so spread the word, especially to businesses. (You can use the Share This feature at the bottom of this and every WSB story – mousing over it enables you to e-mail a link or share it via multiple social-media services.)
We’re continuing to follow the case of Michael S. Stanley, 
the convicted rapist who cut off his monitoring equipment in Canada and eventually turned up in West Seattle. He was back in court today for another hearing related to the misdemeanor harassment and resisting-arrest charges filed against him in connection with his arrest in an Admiral alley four weeks ago. City Attorney’s Office spokesperson Kimberly Mills tells WSB that Stanley’s bail remains set at $100,000, the level to which it was raised days after the arrest. However, no charges are filed against him yet in connection with a claim that he sexually assaulted a teenager just before the harassment incident. Seattle Police finished their investigation and forwarded the case to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which has to decide whether to charge Stanley; KCPAO spokesperson Dan Donohoe just told us the case “remains under review.” His Municipal Court trial on the harassment charge, in the meantime, is set for early January.
We start West Seattle Crime Watch with notes received today reporting two burglaries last night:
*A resident near 41st/Graham reports someone broke in while she and her husband were asleep: “Must have been a one-person job because they only took a 32-inch Vizeo TV and my husband’s $1500 Toshiba work laptop.”
*A resident near 49th/Brandon reports, “Our house was broken into last night. … They came in through the basement window. Police were here last night. They focused on money, prescription drugs, credit cards, and Seahawks jerseys!”
Checking trends, the Seattle Police crime map shows 16 burglaries reported in the past week – the 49th/Brandon break-in is one of them; the other one isn’t on the map yet:
Ahead, the list of dates/locations for the other 15 shown on the map – last Sunday was by far the busiest day of the week for burglars:
Another West Seattle business has received the “your power’s about to be cut off and you need to pay us now” scam call. Last week, a WSB reader tipped us that a local business had received the call, in which someone claims to be from Seattle City Light and claims the business’s power bill is overdue and that service will be cut off unless money is provided immediately. Here’s our ensuing story. Authorities have made it clear these are scams – you wouldn’t ever get that kind of call from the city-run utility, which also would not cut you off for being one month overdue, and would provide multiple written warnings before a shutoff. Donna at Stuffed Cakes in Westwood called us today to say she received the scam call, and warns that the callers are very insistent – don’t let yourself be bullied! As SCL’s earlier alert exhorts you to do, please call police if you think you’ve received this (or any other scam) call.
Thanks to Wendy for the photo and West Seattle Crime Watch report:
Just wanted to get the word out that there was a stolen car left in our alley this morning around 7:30 am and we saw a man and woman (20s-30s, woman had long, brownish-red hair) get out with backpacks on. Our neighbor saw them walking down 39th Ave SW, near Hanford. They are on foot and could be in the North Admiral/Belvidere area.
There is a lot of stolen goods in the car so they might be out stealing again so it would be good to let people know to keep an eye out for this couple and watch out for their cars and garages. The police are here now looking through the car.
It’s a Plymouth Sundance, and Wendy says it’s listed on the SPD stolen-car Twitter feed @getyourcarback. If you think you see the suspects, call 911.
Two more car crimes to report in West Seattle Crime Watch:
CAR STOLEN, 2 WEEKS AFTER GETTING HIT: Allison reports a car theft that hurts extra:
Our red 1997 Subaru Legacy Wagon was stolen last night between 5:45 – 7:30 pm on Avalon Way. License plate AGY2872. If anyone sees it around or parked somewhere please call 911? To add insult to injury, this was one of our cars that got hit on Avalon on 10/28/2013, the big hit-and-run where the gal flipped her Hyundai and totaled my little Tercel. Now the Subaru gets stolen? Really?? What the heck is going on around here??? This is not MY West Seattle!
ANOTHER CATALYTIC-CONVERTER THEFT: The one in last night’s Crime Watch roundup was the first one we had heard of in a while. Now there’s another. Janet e-mailed to report:
I just saw your Crime Watch post from last night, and wanted to add that our catsitter had the catalytic converter stolen from her truck parked on our street in Seaview late Sunday night or early Monday morning. She said it looked like they had used a sawzall or something along those lines.
P.S. Next community crimefighting meeting is Tuesday (November 19), West Seattle Crime Prevention Council, 7 pm at Southwest Precinct, all welcome.
Four reader reports and an update tonight:
BURGLARY: Michael’s home camera system caught that quick clip one week ago, on November 5th, when the two people in the video broke into his home in Upper Morgan. In the video, you see them running into and out of a glass door they broke to get in. The main loot, he says, was money that one of his children had been saving up – it appears they left fast because of Michael’s “ear-piercing alarm.” The telltale hat in the video helped him spot one of the suspects near 35th and Morgan two days later; police were called and while Michael says they didn’t have enough evidence to hold anyone at that time, the case is advancing and he’s hopeful of an eventual conviction.
CATALYTIC CONVERTER STOLEN: From Ray: “Just wanted to alert the neighborhood… The catalytic converter was removed from my truck (Toyota 4-Runner) early Monday morning. It was parked in front of my house but on the street. I was told that the thief used pipe cutters and it only takes a few minutes. We live on 40th/Dakota.”
CAR PROWLS IN ADMIRAL: From someone who wants to remain anonymous:
Monday morning (Nov. 11), when leaving for work, I discovered my car broken into. Incident occured on 2700 block of California Ave, right by Freshy’s Coffee. Note, this appears to be the fourth similar occurrence within a few blocks in just the last two weeks. Our GPS was stolen, loose change stolen, and all car compartments were emptied and strewn about. Our car was locked, it’s a 2004 Ford. This is also the second time our car’s been broken into while parked here. Police report was filed.
POSSIBLE PROWLER: Elizabeth noticed a car driving slowly back and forth along her street (SW Monroe in Gatewood) last night, light-colored boxy sedan, possibly early to mid-nineties Toyota or Honda: “The driver picked up speed pretty quickly when they saw me watching. This is a good reminder that we all need to keep a watch out for unusual activity to prevent crime in our neighborhoods.
OUT OF JAIL: Alan Polevia, the convicted burglar/thief sentenced to six months in jail back in September after serving three months, is out. His release on October 21st carries the note “sentence expiration.” We recorded video of his sentencing hearing September 27th (that report also recaps his lengthy backstory).
According to the Seattle Police crime map, 13 burglaries have been reported in West Seattle in the past week. Tonight, we’ve heard from a victim in one of the two most recent – newlywed Kathryn, who lives near 35th and 100th in Arbor Heights:
The police that came to the scene said they felt like it was someone who knew us, because they knew right where to look and left (other valuables). So we feel fortunate for that. We thought the West Seattle Blog should be notified, and if anyone hears of someone trying to sell the laptop or iPad, to contact the police ! I have serial number for both if that’s helpful.
Arbor Heights was not a hot spot this past week; in addition to this, only one other break-in is shown on the map – Monday near California/100th.
The old “utility-bill phone call” scam is targeting new victims and would-be victims, so we’re recirculating the alert. A WSB reader told us she was in a local business yesterday and found out the proprietor had been a victim of this; we’re not identifying the business, since we don’t have firsthand confirmation, but we do know an FBI alert is out about a similar scam in the north metro area. The scam basically involves someone calling a small business, saying their Seattle City Light bill is overdue and demanding money immediately to avoid shutoff. SCL issued an alert earlier this year, noting that for one thing, they won’t cut you off for just one overdue payment, and they won’t cut you off without at least two written warnings. If you think the scammers have hit you, or tried, contact police.
Three Four reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch today – click ahead for details:
(WSB photo, September 26, taken while law enforcers were searching Puerto Vallarta)
Six weeks after the arrest of Eduardo Morales-Cardenas, owner of Puerto Vallarta in The Junction, for allegedly buying stolen liquor, he is now charged with two felonies. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed charges against Morales-Cardenas and four others this afternoon; he is charged with trafficking in stolen property and attempted trafficking in stolen property. Prosecutors are asking that bail for Cardenas-Morales be set at half a million dollars, though he has no criminal history. He is scheduled to answer the charges in King County Superior Court two weeks from today. We just received the charging documents and are reviewing them now .
ADDED: Charged along with Morales-Cardenas are Amber Vincent, Shaye Glenn-Nitschke, Eric Olson, and Michael Jensen. Jensen, Olson, Glenn-Nitschke and Vincent are charged with 2nd-degree organized retail theft, with the victim named as QFC; Jensen, Olson, and Vincent face a second version of that charge, with the victim named as Safeway; Jensen and Olson face a third version of that charge, this time against Costco. The charges against Morales-Cardenas mention Safeway and QFC. Here’s what the charging documents say happened:
Another day in court today for Michael S. Stanley, the convicted rapist who cut off his monitoring bracelet and fled Canada, turning up eventually in West Seattle, arrested for harassment and under investigation for sexual assault. The City Attorney’s Office has added another charge to the case that started with harassment, when Stanley was arrested in an Admiral alley two weeks ago – he is now also charged with resisting arrest, and pleaded not guilty this morning. We have an inquiry out seeking more information on the new charge and will add it here when we have it; meantime, Stanley remains jailed, bail still set at $100,000, and he’s scheduled to return to Seattle Municipal Court in two weeks.
Stanley is not yet charged in the alleged sexual assault of a teenager who reported it to police after the harassment arrest, but our partners at The Seattle Times reported last week that Seattle Police have completed their part of the investigation and referred it to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Five reader reports in this West Seattle Crime Watch roundup – starting with a business burglary. Louise at Life in Balance Physical Therapy and Pilates says:
Life in Balance was robbed last night and an assortment of items were taken including 2 laptops, iPad, iPod, Biofeedback and stim machines. A cervical traction unit, a printer and many other smaller items.
They’re at 5410 California SW. Further north, in The Junction, Marjorie at Ma’Ono Fried Chicken and Whisky reports vandalism/theft, with plantings taken from the tree wells outside the restaurant sometime Wednesday night/Thursday morning. “We had several succulents in our planting area stolen … It’s very sad that someone would do this.”
On to Lincoln Park, where Jesse reports a car prowl this week:
Just wanted to pass along that we had our window smashed out at Lincoln Park (Wednesday night) between 5 and 6 pm and purse stolen from the trunk. Someone must have been sitting in the lot watching us arrive and get out of the car, because they went straight for the trunk release and the purse we tried to hide. Definitely an unpleasant surprise but we’ve had exceptional service from 911, SPD, and the credit card companies. So, that’s a silver lining.
Janna e-mailed to report a burglary in Arbor Heights, near California/104th:
Tuesday (Oct. 22nd), sometime while we were at work (during the day), our house was robbed. When I arrived home we found the house completely ransacked, glass everywhere from the shattered slider, and the “guard dog” shaking like a leaf.
In the end nobody was hurt, they really didn’t take anything of value – house was staged, electronics were unplugged and all lined up – but we think they got spooked and ran off without the loot. They did get away with jewelry, cameras, change jars, and some other weird stuff…etc.
My concern, is them coming back. We do have an alarm system, but these thieves are smart and know how to avoid tripping the alarms. And gave the dog treats to keep her quiet, which ultimately made her super sick – not awesome!
And Meg in the 4200 block of Beach Drive reports vandalism and theft, with stolen items to watch for:
On Saturday, Oct. 19, I was leaving my condo building at about 5 pm and noticed that the right panel of the door buzzer system had been loosened (that’s the vandalism part) and was not secure. I attempted to correct it, but it came off in my hand, so I placed it inside the building. This was finally corrected Monday, Oct. 28.
In the meantime, a package was delivered by UPS on Tuesday, Oct. 22 and brought inside by my neighbor and placed on my doormat (which is not visible from any exterior door). My neighbor said it was no longer there when she left her unit on Saturday morning, Oct. 26. On Monday the 28, she came home to find the buzzer repairman working on the door unit, and saw the opened package down by our mailboxes (inside the front door). The package had been opened with a sharp instrument and the contents and packing slip removed (the burglary part). It contained one of a kind collectible stones and a metal specimen valued at over $700.
The seller will be sending me photos of the 3 stones and the metal specimen that I’ll provide to the police, but in the meantime I would appreciate anyone who may have received either offers to sell these to them or gotten them as gifts to be aware they are stolen property. I will offer a reward for their safe return.
Here are photos she just sent – click any image to see a larger view:
Four days after a 34-year-old Highland Park man was arrested in his van near Chief Sealth International High School and cited for indecent exposure, the City Attorney’s Office says the charge was dropped today, announced when the man appeared in Municipal Court for what was supposed to be an arraignment. CAO spokesperson Kimberly Mills explained via e-mail that the city did not have the jurisdiction to charge him: “The City declined to file in this instance because it is not a crime that can be charged under the Seattle Municipal Code right now. It is a charge that is filed under the Revised Code of Washington (which is the county prosecutor’s purview). The case is being sent to SPD and the county, where it will be considered for a charge in King County District Court.” Mills explained that this type of charge and others WILL be part of the Seattle Municipal Code as of November 1st; here’s the September news release explaining that
Tonight’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup starts with an incident late today in Morgan Junction: We received several messages about a guns-drawn police response in the California/Beveridge vicinity; here’s the explanation from Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams:
An adult male was arrested after he allegedly pointed what appeared to be a handgun at an adult female victim. The suspect also was reported to have verbally threatened to shoot the victim. Southwest Precinct patrol officers arrived quickly and arrested the suspect. A weapon that appeared to be a handgun, but actually was a pellet gun, was recovered from the suspect’s person. The suspect was booked into King County Jail for Felony Harassment.
We have (updated) four reader reports to share tonight too. Matt e-mailed this morning to say:
I noticed there is a string of car break-ins reported recently. Last night our Honda Accord had the driver-side window smashed in. They didn’t take anything as there was nothing to take; however, it did look like they rifled through the car. We live on Beach Drive, near Lowman Beach Park.
Steven reports a theft over the weekend from his home in Highland Park:
My garden zombie and doormat were stolen. Also, a black skeleton hanging from the house. These items cannot be seen clearly from the road, unless you are looking from neighboring streets. I am including a picture of the garden zombie, and it should be easy to locate should it be outside.
Also, the doormat is easily identifiable as it says “Oh sh** not you again”. If you have seen any of these items please let me know. I have filed police reports already.
And a followup on the Infiniti reported stolen from 35th SW early Friday:
So Seattle Police found my Infiniti last night in the International District. No obvious damage. Outside is ok; inside is trashed and needs extensive detailing. In it, I found many comfort items (clothes, cooking pots, mechanical radio, phone chargers) of an urban nomad, it seems, including a crack pipe. Gas level was at E.
ADDED: One more reader report, from Joel, shortly after we published this. He reports an attempted burglary at his Gatewood home in the 8300 block of 39th SW, second time in three months, with a burglary attempt at his neighbors’ home on SW Rose as well.
8:38 AM: Be on the lookout for SB‘s car:
Our white 1994 Honda Accord was stolen from the back of our house in the 3800 block of 35th Ave. SW early this morning. I noticed it was gone when I woke up and looked out the window just after 3 a.m. It was there when I went to bed just before 10 p.m. License plate is 182 ZVK. I filed a police report and noticed that this is just a block from where an Infiniti was stolen about the same time yesterday. They’d wiped the condensation off of the window of another car we have…apparently to look inside and see if there was anything valuable in it…or if the keys were inside?
We have pictures since we’ve been trying to sell it. It was all cleaned up and ready to go. :-(
We’ll add a photo if we get one.
10:26 AM UPDATE: SB says police found her car:
SPD called just after 9 a.m. to let us know they found it. It was abandoned with a bunch of stuff inside and minus the stereo in an alley behind 60th just north of Admiral.
Unfortunately, if you check the comments, another car was then stolen there. If we get more info on THAT car, we’ll update this again.
Two more reports for West Seattle Crime Watch tonight. First – multiple West Seattle High School parents shared an e-mail sent by the school administration:
… Around 2 p.m., a man who is a parent of a student at our school, entered the main office and was acting suspiciously.
Security was called and in talking to the man, noticed he had a knife attached to his belt buckle. This is a violation of our zero tolerance of weapons rule. 911 was called and the Seattle Police Department arrived quickly. The man had left our school already, but was arrested outside and taken into custody.
We are proud of our staff and security for acting so quickly. No students were in the area or involved in the incident.
We are looking forward to a safe and fun homecoming dance tonight, and we want to let families know that we will continue to be vigilant when it comes to safety in our school.
We don’t have any other details about this yet, nor do we know the man’s status. Meantime, we have a reader report from Jude, asking you to be on the lookout for a car stolen early today:
My Infiniti FX35 was stolen from right in front of my house at 3 am on Friday, 10/25. I live on the 3700 block of 35th Ave SW. The vehicle is brown with a silver roof rack. Plate 520-XWQ. I have all spare keys so it interesting how this was done given that a key fob is required to allow ignition — not to mention how the door was opened. Hope the car died out somewhere for lack of a RFID key on the perpetrator. Wishful thinking. I did file a police report this morning with the Southwest Precinct.
If you see it or have information about it, call 911.
P.S. This isn’t crime but it does involve the local precinct – if you have leftover/unneeded/expired drugs in your home, TOMORROW is the day to drop them off at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster) front desk, 10 am-2 pm, for the fall edition of National Drug Take-Back Day.
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