Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this morning, starting with a burglary attempt at an Admiral District restaurant. Pizzeria 22 proprietor Cary Kemp says it happened last night:

Burglars broke off our back door handle to the restaurant and tried to pry open the door, couldn’t get past deadbolt. Then attempted to enter through small window in front. Broke all the Italian pottery in the windowsill but could not fit through window.

We also have two car-break-in reports – first, from Jeff:

Our minivan was the subject [of a break-in], at 39th Ave SW and SW Austin Street in the Gatewood neighborhood. It seems the the prowlers were looking for items of value, rather than to steal the vehicle. The glove box had been emptied onto the passenger seat, and other things had been moved around enough for us to notice. Missing is our CD case, containing about $500 worth of music. Fortunately most of the CDs were copies; however, there were enough originals in there to make us pretty mad. A police report has been filed.

And from Mia:

My SUV was broken into Friday night around 7:45 pm at Lincoln Park’s south end lot. Please don’t leave valuables in the car even if they are covered. Although it is a busy parking lot, there are prowlers sitting in cars waiting for you to make that one mistake. Please be more vigilant, as my family and I learned the hard way. We came back to find a smashed window and two hidden purses with wallets gone.

SIDE NOTE: Just two more weeks till Night Out (Tuesday, August 6th) – registered your block party yet? P.S. – if you’re having one and are OK with us stopping by, please let us know – every year Team WSB hits the road for “as-it-happens” coverage, and we appreciate having a list of potential stops all over the peninsula – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!

Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight – first one from a Gatewood resident who interrupted a burglary at her home near 44th and Othello:

Despite having protective film on our basement windows, intruder punctured window to unlock and slide open. He didn’t get anything and drove away in his own car parked right out front. He didn’t injure me and wasn’t armed. I got plate number. SPD says plate matched car I described and car owner matches my physical description. A known burglar on probation just arrested a few days ago.

She says it was a red ’92 Toyota sports car, first three digits AHZ. The other report comes from a Highland Park resident

I live on the 7500 block of 15th Ave SW, between Holden and Webster. During the day on Tuesday July 16th, someone (or two) broke into my house, through a small and high “back of house” window I had stupidly left unsecured. I’ve talked with the police and filed a report. The thieves entered my house and grabbed small items (sentimental to me) they probably thought might be worth something, and emptied a container of pennies. They could only exit through the same small window so that was all they stole, thankfully. When I returned home, it took me an hour of feeling like something was “off” before I finally realized I had indeed been burglarized. It pisses me off that my house was invaded/violated by little s—heads (clearly wee s—heads due to the size of the window), and they stole things my deceased family had given me over the past 55 years, but they also put my indoor cat at risk. I’m extremely angry right now for multiple reasons.

Side note from the crime-prevention department: Is your neighborhood signed up for Night Out (two weeks from Tuesday)? If not – go here.

A witness who wanted to be anonymous reports a hit-and-run Thursday night:

I was traveling West on Fauntleroy just past the Morgan Junction when 1 car with three teenagers come around the corner heading east on Fauntleroy going about 70 mph are fishtailing around the corner. The driver overcompensates and fish tails into on coming traffic just missing me, but hitting the SUV behind me head on. I pull off the road looking to give aid and act as a witness to the entire accident when I see the teenagers start to flee the scene in the car pictured (above). I see them turn down that side street and knowing it’s a loop I can head them off at the next street, so I go and block their escape with my truck. I pull up just as the driver is opening the door for his passenger. The driver run into a neighbor’s yard while his two passengers head straight toward me acting as if they’re just taking a walk in the park. I dial 911 and tell them I am holding two kids involved in the hit and run. A neighbor gives assistance, but one kid runs off while I keep the other by the shirt collar.

Police then arrived, the witness reports, but we haven’t yet found a related police report, so we don’t know whether an arrest ensued, or whether the other suspects were found. The Seattle Fire log entry for the crash shows an engine dispatched but not a medic unit dispatched, which generally means no major injuries.

Meantime, a bicycle-theft victim shares a surveillance photo, in hopes you might recognize the thief:

This tipster says the theft happened back in May – the timestamp is accurate – but hasn’t been solved yet, so he’s distributing the photo. The building where it happened is near 54th and Alki. If you have any information, contact Seattle Police and refer to incident #13-162005.

FOUND BICYCLE: These often tend to be stolen bikes, so in case someone is looking for this one, here is the information sent by Leah:

We found a women’s mountain bike, maker Norco, in the street (Wednesday) morning just north of the waters towers on 35th and Myrtle. There is an intact cable lock wrapped around the base of the bike. If it’s yours, please email us at llacivita@hotmail.com and let us know what the color is.

A judge has reduced bail for the woman charged with three felonies in the South Delridge crash that sent two people to the hospital last month. According to court documents, 26-year-old Kalameu Paulo of Seatac pleaded not guilty yesterday; she is charged with two counts of vehicular assault and one count of hit-and-run. Prosecutors allege she was under the influence when her van smashed into a smaller car at 17th and Cambridge early the morning of June 23rd, sending driver Logan Wicker and his passenger to the hospital; police say they caught Paulo running away from the scene.

At the arraignment, King County Superior Court Judge Ronald Kessler granted her request for lower bail, reducing it to $5,000 from the previously set $75,000. If she posts bond and gets out, she is supposed to participate in the alternative program known as CCAP (explained here), but will not be allowed to drive. If she does not post bond to get out of jail, she will be able to leave during the day for work or school release, according to court documents, which say that in either case, Paulo is supposed to be tested for drug or alcohol use twice a month. She is scheduled to return to court on July 24th. Meantime, as reported here earlier this week, a fundraiser for Wicker’s medical bills is set this Saturday at his workplace, Skylark Café and Club.

SATURDAY UPDATE: According to the jail register, Paulo posted bond and was released Friday afternoon.

Our West Seattle Crime Watch roundup tonight includes reports from the past few days, right after a followup. First, a followup on the Beach Drive flag theft first reported here Friday: Citywide media has picked up the story, including this KING 5 report Sunday and ongoing discussion on KIRO Radio’s Ron and Don Show – here’s their update posted tonight. Ron & Don and their listeners have put up a reward now totaling $1,500. Meantime, we exchanged e-mail again today with Sharon Kennedy, who originally reported the theft to us; she said they are amazed at the community kindness, including:

And get this, a UPS driver came over yesterday, knocked on the door and said that his father died in Vietnam, and he wanted to give Duff his father’s flag from his casket!

Makes me tear up to write this, so overwhelmingly generous!

Meantime, their flag is still out there – somewhere.

Now, the new Crime Watch reports, starting with this one received today from Jeff:

My truck got broken into a few nights ago in Arbor Heights. My wife and I have had vehicles broken into in the past, but this time is more than just a feeling of violation. Whoever broke into my F-350 pickup decided to punch the lock, and when they did so, not only did they destroy the plastic unit that surrounded the lock cylinder, but they also dented my door. The cost to fix this far surpasses the funds that I have.

I’ve included a picture to show what I’m describing, but the image does not clearly illustrate the damage that occurred during the destructive break in. I’m hoping that whoever damaged my vehicle might see this and realize the financial hardship they create on a family that just wants to buy enough diapers, formula and pay the mortgage on time. I know there are kids out there that sometimes participate in damaging activities. Maybe he or she will think twice after reading this.

Carl had a bicycle theft, car prowl, and even (briefly) lost dog over the weekend:

(Saturday night) there was a car prowler in our neighborhood that left the neighbor’s papers on our front lawn and stole my daughter’s bicycle. I suspect the same thieves left open our side gate, which is how the dog got out. … Here are the details as submitted – abridged – to the Seattle PD:

A purple women’s Schwinn 21spd bike with a large (replacement) seat was stolen from the front porch last night. Also found at the property were papers from a neighbor’s car suggesting evidence of a car-prowl that occurred over night. The papers were returned to the neighbor at [7500 block of] 28th Ave SW at 10:20 AM. No further information or identifying details of the stolen bike are available, save that it is in used – not new – condition.

Their dog, at least, returned even before we could post an announcement on the WSB Lost/Found Pets page. But the bicycle theft was particularly painful, Carl says, happening right before his daughter’s birthday.

Jennifer shared this bizarre note left by someone who had to walk down an off-the-beaten-path driveway in the 10200 block of Marine View Drive to get to the door – and she says the note bore no relation to anyone in her home or any property with which they’re associated:

This is a note we received on 7/5/2013 between 10:45 AM and 11 AM.

Police report filed. A neighbor did get license plate and make and description.
Hispanic Male. Clean Shaven. Dark Black Hair. 5’10”. Stocky Build. Vehicle: 4 door sedan, Maroon / burgundy. No Bling
License Number: 819Z–

Our property … is tucked down OFF of MVD and the perp. is able to see into 3 plus properties by leaving us a bogus “neighborly” note. Just a heads up… Please post so folks in Arbor Heights and elsewhere are notified of such scams for scoping out break in options.

And Andrew has found a bicycle, possibly stolen:

I found a bike in an area of tall grass over at the intersection of 14th and Kenyon in Highland Park. Not sure if it was stolen or if the owner ditched it.

As promised, we’re following the case that broke here yesterday afternoon – a stolen truck spotted in the parking lot behind West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) by a WSB reader, who called police, leading to two arrests and the discovery of stolen property and two guns inside the truck.

Both suspects, the 20-year-old man found inside the truck and the 33-year-old woman he was waiting for, appeared for bail hearings at King County Jail today. Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe says bail was set at $20,000 for each. But since both suspects already had arrest warrants out for them, the total bail amounts are higher – $30,000 for him, just over $35,000 for her. They’re both due back in court Wednesday, by which time we will know the status of possible charges in this case.

We’re working to write up more details from the new court documents as well as from both suspects’ backgrounds, and will add to this story shortly.

ADDED 6 PM: The probable-cause documents tell the story along the lines reported here Sunday, with a few additional details:

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(UPDATED 11:02 PM with new details about suspects)

ORIGINAL STORY, 2:39 PM: Several people e-mailed to ask about that police activity in the back parking lot at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor). Bottom line, a stolen truck’s been recovered and two people have been detained, thanks to a tip from a WSB reader. Here’s how it unfolded:

WSB’s Katie Meyer heard scanner traffic with a police dispatcher sending officers to Thriftway because a caller reported seeing a stolen vehicle that had been featured here on WSB. We subsequently went over to check out the situation – and in the meantime heard from the tipster, James, who tells us he was shopping at Thriftway when he spotted the truck, recalling it from this West Seattle Crime Watch report published early Friday – a Nissan Frontier stolen just south of the city limits. He also sent us this photo taken after police arrived:

Police ordered that man out of the truck at gunpoint (standard procedure for felonies such as auto theft). When we talked with officers at the scene a bit later, they told us he was waiting for a female companion to come back from shopping inside the store – which is where police caught up with her, taking both into custody. James also reports seeing police find at least one gun: “As I was pulling away, to get my ice cream home, it looked as though officers had recovered a revolver from the truck – they were holding it like a stinky sock, so I suspect it is evidence. It is also a good reminder to not get overly involved and to let the police handle this sort of thing.”

We’ll do our best to follow up on this and see what we can find out about the suspects and where the case goes from here.

ADDED 2:52 PM: David, who had been shopping at the store with his girlfriend just before the arrests, e-mailed us to describe what he saw: “On our way to the car we had seen a police car enter the parking lot from California with its lights on, but no siren … (then) four additional police cars with lights on pulled into the parking lot from the other side … Then the officers got out of the cars and drew their guns in our direction and shouted ‘Driver, get out of the car!’ and they asked us to move aside quickly – we hadn’t even seen the guy sitting in a black pickup truck right near us. We watched from the sidewalk behind Thriftway as the driver got out and they arrested him. They also took a woman into custody shortly thereafter. After a short while one of the officers pulled a dark handgun from the truck and put it in a bag.”

ADDED 4:30 PM: Received from the truck’s owners:

Nathan I would very much like to thank the West Seattle Blog and the ever-searching eyes of its readers (Thanks, James! You rock)) for helping to locate our missing vehicle and apprehend the persons responsible for its theft. We hope to see them in court! What a great service the WSB provides for our community. In talking to the Seattle Police Department they had nothing but high praise for the WSB and its readers.

The truck had minimal damage, although the inside is pretty trashed. They even managed to rip the seats on a two month old pickup? There were several stolen items recovered, that were not ours, but very strangely from another Nathan Adams! Hopefully those items will make it back to their rightful owner. Word of warning to the WSB readers, the thief had a master key and was able to steal the truck with ease. We are taking extra precautions to make sure nothing like this happens to either of our vehicles in the future. Something for everyone to think about.

Thanks again for helping us recover our pickup. We so greatly appreciate it.

Michale Farrar
Nathan Adams

7:51 PM UPDATE: Turns out police found more than the aforementioned handgun – this case has now turned up on SPD Blotter, where the story includes:

… The stolen truck had weapons inside including a .22 caliber revolver and a loaded shotgun. The truck was packed with stolen property taken from a number of burglaries ( jewelry, laptops, etc.) and carprowls in both the city and KCSO’s jurisdiction. It took multiple officers hours to catalog and process all of the stolen items. The female suspect also had outstanding burglary warrants. Both suspects were booked into the King County Jail for the felony charges. Detectives will handle the follow up investigation.

11:02 PM UPDATE: More details on the 20-year-old man and 33-year-old woman arrested – both have records; hers dates back 20 years. According to the King County Jail Register, she is being held for investigation of unlawful firearms possession and for a $15,075 warrant related to a failure to appear in a case involving an attempted burglary in south King County last year. Off-and-on technical trouble is still keeping us from bringing up details on his booking, but his record shows a guilty plea to a drug charge last year. Court documents show the drugs were found when he was arrested on suspicion of car prowling – in the 9400 block of 25th SW, four blocks from the scene of the theft of the truck in which he was found today.

MONDAY MORNING NOTE: Once the jail-register website started working again, we found that this is the sixth time in jail for the male suspect in the past year. He is being held for investigation of car theft, investigation of stolen property, and failure-to-appear warrants.

Working right now on the story of a DIFFERENT stolen vehicle just recovered thanks to a WSB reader. But first – please be on the lookout for this one, reported by Kathy:

Our dark green Chrysler Cirrus, plate 129WJF, was stolen between 2:15 and 5:45 in the afternoon on July 6th from in front of our house on the 44 hundred block just down from Genesee. I appreciate folks keeping an eye out for it.

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports to share tonight. First, Al‘s bicycle was stolen – again – in Highland Park. Be on the lookout for a blue Trek 7300 mountain bike; 2 locks were cut by the thief/thieves. Al explains, “It’s blue and has a mount on the back of the bike. It was a gift from my best friend.”

Meantime, Ernie has a car-prowl alert:

We’re at 47’th and Walker in the Admiral District and last night (7/5) someone rummaged thru our car. They took some change and a gold men’s wedding band but left other items of value (leatherman tool, GPS, sunglasses etc.). We suspect it was amateur car prowlers.

Normally we lock the doors on all our vehicles; last night was the night we forgot to do so. Just a friendly neighborly reminder to remove all valubles and lock up your vehicles at night.

Seattle Police say the suspect in a street robbery/attack in The Junction last September is now in jail. Police in Shoreline stopped the suspect in that city last night and discovered he was wanted in Seattle, so he’s now been booked into King County Jail. Details of the September incident are part of the report on SPD Blotter.

Many places display flags on the 4th of July and other patriotically themed holidays. The West Seattle home of Sharon and Duff Kennedy is among them. Or – has been. The flag they hang every 4th of July was stolen last night; the photo above shows where it had been displayed. This is not just any flag, Sharon explains:

We hung the flag that was given to my husband when his son Roger was laid to rest.

It was the flag presented to him at (Roger’s) burial; he was a Vietnam War casualty.

We hang it every 4th of July, and this year we hung it in a new spot, and after our company left late the night of the 4th, we forgot to take the flag down.

It is a very large flag and we hung it so proudly each year.

The thief took it down carefully, and all the hangers we used are still in place.

We want our flag back, we will buy a replacement flag for the person who stole ours, not ask any questions, no bad feelings.

The flag is about 10 feet wide and about 5 feet long.

The sentimental value is priceless.

Perhaps the thief can simply return it – the Kennedys are at 4234 Beach Drive SW.

Michale e-mailed to ask that you keep an eye out for this truck stolen from the 9800 block of 25th SW, just south of the city/county boundary:

Just wanted to report that last night around 4:30 am our 2012 Black Nissan Frontier 4×4 was stolen out of our driveway at 9808 25th ave sw 98118. License plate B88732x. If anyone see this truck they can contact the King County (Sheriff’s Office) or us at 206-310-2661.

Two reader reports this afternoon – starting with this one from a concerned parent, which might not have been a crime but was enough to raise her suspicions and get the word out:

I am writing to report a suspicious person who tried to solicit a conversation with my 13-year-old daughter after following her several blocks and passing her in his car 5 times while she was out walking our dog. Starting in the area of the 4000 block of SW Charlestown St. and contact made on the 3400 block of 38th Ave SW. Police were contacted and report filed.

Description:
late 20s/early 30s
white/caucasian male with glasses
normal build (unknown height)
dark or brown mid-length hair
driving small silver 4 door car

She was walking a 100+ pound dog! Gutsy!!

Also: Rachelle reports a search in her neighborhood, the 4800 block of Delridge Way, early this morning:

I woke up at 3 am 7/2/13 to my dogs barking in the backyard and flashes of light coming through the bedroom windows. I went to the front door and saw police searching outside our house, neighboring houses, and throughout the block. I asked what was going on and they said there was someone breaking into cars/houses and they had just jumped the fence into our backyard. He advised us to stay inside the house. Shortly after, a K9 unit arrived, so they asked us to bring our dogs inside. They searched around our house and block until about 5 am at which time they came and told us they had finished their search. The suspects had gotten away, probably headed south. They said the call came in when the suspects had broken into a garage north of our house. Apparently, there were 2 of them and they were seen with a yellow crowbar.

As much as stuff like this sakes me up a bit, I am so thankful that at least we have the officers in the SW Precinct. They always respond so quickly and are very thorough in their searches/investigations. Their kindness, communication with us, advice and understanding always helps put us at ease (if such a thing exists in a situation like this). This isn’t our first rodeo with events such as these in the neighborhood. Its reassuring to know they’re looking out. Hopefully they catch these guys. Just wanted to make the community aware. Be safe, folks.

We haven’t heard directly from any of the reported break-in victims but we do see a police auto-tweet about a middle-of-the-night break-in report in the 4700 block of 25th SW.

ADDED: After publishing this, we received two notes possibly related to the aforementioned incident:

Read More

Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight, starting with this one just out of the inbox – Ellie has a warning about package prowlers east of The Junction:

We live on 39th and Oregon and discovered torn-open UPS packages in our front yard this evening, about 9:30 pm. They had not been there a few hours prior. The shipping labels were still intact, so we took the empty boxes and a packing slip that was found further down the sidewalk back to the house the packages were addressed to and gave them to the people who had been expecting their items to arrive safely. Please put a crime watch notice about this on the blog so people in this area can be on the lookout for package prowlers.

This morning, Scott e-mailed word of a theft:

We live on 49th SW between Admiral and Charlestown. Woke up this morning to discover someone took my Yakima roof rack and one bike carrier and fairing. I thought it was locked down but apparently it wasn’t or they broke the locks. The rack and bike carrier were both pretty old and can’t be worth much but I guess desperate people aren’t always rational people. Looking at the crime report on WSB I see there was at least one other vehicle accessory theft last night in the vicinity. Lesson of the day, please lock your cars and make sure accessories are locked down.

And Josh‘s car was prowled near Lincoln Park over the weekend:

I just wanted to let you know that our car was rummaged through (Saturday) night. We live on Kenyon Place by Lincoln Park on a dead-end street. Unfortunately, we forgot to lock the door and they rummaged through and stole our iPod and charger. They left everything else and didn’t do any damage, so that’s a plus.

P.S. Five weeks till this year’s Night Out on Tuesday, August 6th – plan a block party with your neighbors to show solidarity against crime. Register here.

Karen is hoping you can help her find her stolen car:

My black 2005 ford Mustang was stolen last night (6/28) around 11pm. It was parked outside my home on the street (in the 1700 block of) Alki Ave SW. The license plate is AGX1087. If you have seen anything suspicious or were taking photos in the area, please e-mail Karen at kkapsca@yahoo.com.

And to let police know, they request a call to 911.

2:37 PM: Early this morning, some High Point residents thought they heard gunfire. Police checked it out – nothing and no one found. Then, about 10 hours later, someone turned up at a hospital many miles away, claiming they’d been shot in West Seattle. >SPD Blotter has details.

ADDED 3:03 PM: SPD Blotter has published another West Seattle story today as well – involving suspects caught in connection with break-ins at Highland Park and Sanislo Elementaries.