(WSB photo from December 2013)
4:12 PM: Seattle Police have just announced an arrest in the murder of 46-year-old Nga Nguyen, found dead at her home in the 5900 block of High Point Drive in December, the cause of death later described by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office as strangulation and blunt-force head injury. The announcement this afternoon on SPD Blotter says a 20-year-old man was arrested today:

On March 1st, 2014 at approximately 11:00 a.m. Seattle Police Homicide detectives, following up on information developed during the course of their investigation, arrested the 20-year-old male suspect at his residence in the 10700 block of 18th Avenue SW in White Center.

Homicide detectives interviewed the suspect and subsequently booked him into the King County Jail for Investigation of Murder.
There are no additional suspects being sought in this case, which remains an active and on-going investigation.

Police had hinted an arrest was near – as reported here January 21st, Capt. Pierre Davis told the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council that detectives were “working on something – hopefully they can bring something to a close very quickly.” The police announcement has no information about a motive nor whether the man had any prior relationship with or knowledge of Ms. Nguyen; we’re researching further and will add anything more we find out.

5:41 PM UPDATE: So far we have found two court cases listed for the suspect – in one, he is listed as the respondent in a protection-order filing dated four days after Ms. Nguyen is killed. The online court-records system withholds details and documents in these types of cases so we don’t know who sought the order. Also, a summons was issued for him to appear in court later this month in connection with a year-old case listed as trafficking in stolen property; the document contains no further details, but we are continuing to research. The suspect will almost certainly have a bail hearing in the murder case on Monday, and we will find out more then, if not sooner.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The first full week of testimony in the murder trial of Lovett “Cid” Chambers is over.

Before court adjourned Thursday afternoon, jurors spent a second day hearing from just one witness – Jonathan “Jamie” Vause, who was with Travis Hood the night of January 21, 2012, when Hood was shot and killed by Morgan Junction Park.

Vause’s second and final day on the stand was something of a followup to Wednesday, and even more contentiously so, as it began in the middle of his cross-examination by defense lawyer Ben Goldsmith, focused on inconsistencies in his story dating back to his first statement to police, given in the back of a squad car at Providence Mount St. Vincent, where he had driven Hood after the shooting, thinking it was a hospital.

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Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes this morning. From Dave:

Sometime last night between 10 pm and 6 am, our car was stolen. It was parked directly in front of our apartment complex near the intersection of 61st and Beach Drive. We had just purchased the car about a month ago. It is a silver 1996 Honda Civic hatchback. There are stickers on the back in the shape of the states NJ and CA and also a blue W sticker on the back window. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

We also have a report of a car break-in in the south lot at Lincoln Park – a window shattered, items taken from the trunk, including a Toshiba laptop computer in a maroon slipcover and a bag with cards, phone, etc. The victim got the bag back – it turned up “stuffed in my mailbox with a police officer’s business card attached” – but the laptop remains out there somewhere. Let police know if you find one.

SIDE NOTE: Car prowls were described as Lincoln Park’s most-common crime problem when the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council sponsored a safety walk at the park last year.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“Quit talkin’ to me – talk to Jesus.”

That’s what Jonathan “Jamie” Vause testified he told his dying friend Travis Hood as he drove frantically away from where Hood had just been shot, toward what he thought was a hospital a mile and a half away.

Vause was the only witness to testify Wednesday at the trial of the man who shot Hood, Lovett Chambers, and he will be back on the stand today.

The fact that Chambers fired the fatal shots is not disputed – but the reason for the shooting is, as is Vause’s behavior preceding it. As laid out in opening statements last Wednesday, the prosecution contends he was a shocked witness who has no idea why Chambers, who had been drinking at the same Morgan Junction bar as he and Hood moments earlier, opened fire, while the defense contends Vause and Hood, both white, taunted Chambers, who is black, with racist insults and provoked a confrontation that led him to act in self-defense.

Yesterday, after prosecutor Margaret Nave led Vause through the story of his longtime friendship with Hood and the night he was killed – January 21, 2012 – defense lawyer Ben Goldsmith began the most intense cross-examination of the trial, first asking Vause: “You are a fugitive felon from North Carolina, is that correct?”

But first:

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

A 40-minute primer on DNA testing led off the third day of witness testimony in the Morgan Junction murder trial.

It was courtesy of state crime lab forensic scientist Katherine Woodard, who testified about testing evidence gathered at the scene of the January 21, 2012, shooting for which 69-year-old Lovett “Cid” Chambers is charged with second-degree murder.

The testimony most likely to be revisited later involves what she said about what was not tested – the passenger door handle of Chambers’ car, which he contends was pulled open in a threatening move moments before he shot and killed 35-year-old Travis Hood.

Besides Woodard, Tuesday’s witnesses were two Seattle Police officers who had been part of the response the night of the shooting – one where it happened, alongside Morgan Junction Park; the other, at Providence Mount St. Vincent, where Hood had been taken by his friend Jamie Vause.

Early in the day, Vause’s upcoming testimony was again the subject of arguments made by the legal teams to Superior Court Judge Theresa Doyle outside the presence of the 15-member (including three alternates) jury. The argument was about what he might say, how it might compare to a statement by a police officer, and how he might be impeached and subsequently rehabilitated.

The discussion wrapped up around 9:30 am, and it was time for testimony to begin.

Woodard, from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab – which does testing for criminal-justice agencies around the state – took the stand (which is really a seat, a chair between the judge’s “bench” and the jury “box,” which also is really just two rows of chairs).

As with most expert witnesses, time was taken to establish her credentials – 12 years at the lab, after time in the private sector, with a degree in cellular/molecular biology. She estimated she’s testified as a DNA expert about 25 times before.

The courtroom’s big-screen display monitor was used for slides explaining DNA testing, narrowing in on the specific types done by the lab, particularly “STR” – short tandem repeat, looking at repeating genetic sequences that help distinguish individuals.

After explaining how testing is done, she was asked about “degradation” of samples, which included a mention that the person who last handled something is not always the person who will have the most DNA on that object.

This specific case finally became the focus after more than 40 minutes. Woodard recounted receiving for analysis a pistol, magazines, swabs from the shovel that Hood was holding when he was shot, and a small folding knife. These items were present in court, and some were handled during Woodard’s testimony – she and the lawyers all wore gloves when touching the items.

It was noted that she had begun working on the case in June 2012 – almost five months after Hood’s death and Chambers’s arrest.

She described what she swabbed and tested, and explained that the work was done in line with a “case scenario,” explained as testing “what’s likely to give us the best answers, a guide to go by.”

There was a “blood indicatory sample” on the shovel, found lying across the curb and street where it fell when Hood was shot. On the knife, Woodard said, the blade was found to have Hood’s DNA; the handle indicated DNA of two people, mostly Hood.

After an hour, prosecution questions ran out, and the defense team’s senior lawyer Ben Goldsmith began his cross-examination. He hoisted the shovel – the most sizable piece of evidence shown in court to date – and asked how decisions are made regarding what will be tested and what will not. It’s under the direction of investigators, Woodard replied. And the DNA must be compared to “reference profiles” – it is not just tested to come up with an ID of whose DNA it might be, it is compared to someone’s DNA for reference. The detective with whom Woodard worked on the case, she testified, had not asked for analysis of whether Vause’s DNA was on the knife, only whether Hood and/or Chambers had DNA on it. And, she confirmed, there was no request to test for DNA on the passenger door or trunk of Chambers’ BMW.

Many variables go into test samples. At this point, we learned that “some people are sloughers” – they shed more skin cells than others. And then we learned that many factors can “degrade” a sample, even a change in temperature.

Exposure to water and sand could wash DNA off something like a door handle, Goldsmith sought to confirm – something mentioned in his co-defender Lauren McLane‘s opening statement, their contention that the condition of the car, towed along wet, gritty streets and then stored, made it impossible to get a good DNA sample.

But, he said yet again, you were “never asked to check the passenger door handle.”

No, Woodard affirmed, she was not.

The morning ended on that note, and the customary hour and a half lunch break ensued. Woodard returned to the witness stand when it was over, though not for long – just a few more questions, from both sides, about aspects of degradation of DNA samples.

Next witness was questioned by the senior member of the prosecution team, Margaret Nave: SPD Detective Tanya Kinney, who was a patrol officer the night of the shooting, in the William-1 sector, focused around the Alki area, but for an incident like this, she said, it was typical for just about everyone in the precinct to rush that way. “All we heard was, shots fired at that location, possibly a truck involved … my purpose was to go to the scene and see where they need me.”

Having gone through special “evidence training,” Kinney was assigned first to take photos of the shell casings found at the scene; she also placed numbered placards over them, “to make it easier for CSI” (the Crime Scene Investigation team). Photos were shown of the placards, and of the scene in general, including the yellow crime tape, and some blood spatters – the first graphic evidence shown, and – audibly – a difficult moment for friends and family of the victim, who have been in the gallery daily, a box of tissues nearby.

Kinney did not touch the evidence, she testified – that’s for the CSI detectives (who arrived, she said, around 12:30 am); her job was to make sure it was not tampered with, and she continued to assist with containment of the scene even after she was done with photos and placards (the latter of which blew away a few times that night, she said).

Her next job, assigned by a detective, was to start “logging the scene” – keeping track of which officers/detectives came and went. Her log from that night was placed into evidence, and a few points reiterated before her hour or so of testimony ended.

Following the afternoon break, the day’s final witness was SPD Officer Brandon McDougald. On the night of the shooting, he was headed to the scene at Morgan Junction Park when he heard the victim had shown up at Providence Mount St. Vincent, to which he was closer.

He explained that it “looks like what most people would think of as what a typical medical center would look like” (the reason Vause has given for why he drove his wounded friend there).

Upon his arrival, he saw Seattle Fire Department medics “working on somebody lying on the ground just outside the front door of the facility.” Standing to the left of the person on the ground was Jamie Vause, who McDougald said told him that he was the person driving the red pickup truck (seen leaving the shooting scene), and that the person on the ground was who he had brought from that location. McDougald subsequently had Vause get into his patrol car so he could “take a statement.”

He described Vause as “very coherent … I didn’t smell any alcohol on him .. he seemed rather in shock.”

After talking with Vause, McDougald said, he drove him back to his house. And then he had one more task related to the investigation: He was asked to go to the suspect’s house in Gatewood to impound the BMW.

It had been backed into a detached garage behind the house. McDougald said he had been given the task because he knew how to drive a stick shift. The tow truck arrived at 4:07 am (by which time six hours had elapsed since the shooting), and he followed it to the SPD processing room at Park 95 (off Airport Way).

McLane cross-examined him, at which time he said he wrote Vause’s statement and Vause indicated it was correct and signed it. On redirect from Isaacson, the officer was asked if he found “anything memorable” when he checked Vause’s background. “Not that I recall.”

The lawyers were done questioning him at 3:45, too close to the 4 pm adjournment time to call another witness. At least two SPD officers who were mentioned Tuesday morning as expected afternoon witnesses were yet to come, so we expect they’ll be called Wednesday.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE AND BACKSTORY: Links, in case you are catching up:

Trial report, Monday 2/24/2014 (5 more witnesses)
Trial report, Thursday 2/20/14 (first witnesses)
Trial report, Wednesday 2/19/14 (opening statements)

Charge reduced to second-degree murder (August 9, 2013)
Charges filed against Chambers (January 25, 2012)
Coverage the night it happened and the morning after (January 21-22, 2012)

Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes:

IN CASE YOU WONDERED: Thanks to Guy for tipping us to a large police presence today at noontime at the former Life Care Center (47th/Admiral)/future Aegis Living site. The last officer leaving told us they were checking out an alarm – but they found no one, and no signs of break-in. Since it’s a big campus, there was a big initial response.

HOME BREAK-IN: Greg (40th and Hudson; map) says he saw a “smash-and-grab”-type home break-in in his neighborhood this afternoon, and wants people to be on the lookout. He first noticed “2 or 3 guys in a light tan or light goldish colored compact car. They stopped their car in front of my neighbor’s house. One of the guys slowly walked around back of the house. I thought it was odd seeing him walk directly around back, but was wondering if it was a workman assigned to do some kind of work. … Shortly after this I thought I heard a loud sound from the direction of the house, but wasn’t sure if it was some kind of work commencing or what.” Then he noticed at least one other person was still in the car, and its engine was still running. The first person came back to the car “with some object like a box or a stereo receiver of some type,” and they left. He still wasn’t certain something was wrong, since his neighbor usually is home during the day and it might have been a pre-scheduled delivery – but he found out otherwise when police arrived later. He says, “The crooks seemed to have gotten away with a small safe box of some sort.” The only description information he had was that both suspects were male and African-American – the one who got out of the car was about six feet tall, wearing a dark cap.

CAR BREAK-IN: Lisa reported her husband’s car was broken into in the Target parking lot at Westwood Village early last Saturday.

P.S. We were at tonight’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting, featuring new precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske – no new crime revelations, but watch for our report tomorrow on the discussion centering on how SPD can better collaborate with citizens on neighborhood safety.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

More challenges with witness-wrangling logistics led to a short Monday in the trial of Lovett “Cid” Chambers, the Gatewood man charged with second-degree murder in the deadly Morgan Junction shooting two years ago.

The trial technically is in its second month, having started weeks of motion hearings in early January, followed by jury selection, but presentations did not begin until last Wednesday, after the jury was seated, so Monday was the second day of witness testimony.

Today’s five witnesses included three Seattle Police officers with various roles in the police operation after Chambers, now 69, shot 35-year-old Travis Hood (photo at right). The shooting itself is not in dispute; jurors are being asked to decide if it was a crime, or, as the defense contends, self-defense.

But the day began with another former member of the staff at Feedback Lounge, where Chambers and Hood (accompanied that night by friend Jamie Vause, expected to testify later this week) had both been drinking – though nowhere near each other – before the shooting up the block.

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As promised, we followed up on the latest arrest of Ryan Cox, the West Seattle repeat offender who has been in and out of the criminal-justice and mental-health systems: The City Attorney’s Office tells WSB he will spend up to four more months in jail as a result of his most recent arrest. It dates back to the assault case in which he pleaded guilty last year. His original sentence ended New Year’s Eve. Three weeks after that, he was arrested for violating probation; though the CAO sought to have him kept in jail longer, a judge released him on personal recognizance after one day. Local business owners say he still wanders the area with disruptive behavior, and brought their concerns to the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting again this past Tuesday. Both new Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske and Seattle Municipal Court presiding judge Kimi Kondo, who also hears cases in the city’s Mental Health Court, were there. During the meeting, we discovered via the publicly viewable SMC docket that another probation-violation warrant had been issued for Cox’s arrest, two weeks earlier. The wheels began turning after the meeting; the following day (Wednesday) he was arrested and jailed. Since then, he’s appeared again in court. CAO spokesperson Kimberly Mills tells WSB that while they wanted all remaining jail time to be imposed (about 11 months), Judge Pro Tem Robert Chung instead revoked the suspension of 180 days – six months – and “struck active probation.” With the time he has served so far, that would mean a release date no sooner than mid-June, Mills says. Side note: The short account of Cox’s Thursday hearing says the court was addressed by an SPD officer regarding “community concerns”; Capt. Wilske had promised Tuesday night that he would make sure that information was brought to the court’s attention.

Topping this West Seattle Crime Watch roundup – a burglary investigation under way in Sunrise Heights. Martin asked us about a police response near 34th/Othello (map); SPD’s Det. Mark Jamieson says a resident called it in as a suspected break-in, hearing what sounded like breaking glass and then hearing sounds in the basement, where she said no one should have been, though the house has a basement living area. Police took one person into custody, but we don’t know yet if they were officially arrested (remember, that is a further step beyond being taken into custody for questioning – just because you see someone handcuffed doesn’t mean they were arrested) – we’ll be checking back with police.

Also:

CAR BREAK-IN: Krista e-mailed: “I would like to report to West Seattle Blog and your readers about my boyfriend’s car window getting smashed in the Highland Park neighborhood. It was parked on the street, block of 9th Avenue and Trenton Street (map). They didn’t steal anything from the car and it happened late last night or early this morning.”

BIKE-THEFT ATTEMPT: Andrew has a warning for bicycle owners, and it goes with this photo:

A thief attempted to steal my bike while I was at work (Wednesday). Luckily they must have got spooked, because they left my bike in my driveway. I’m in the townhouses by California and Myrtle (map). Please remind people to not leave anything they don’t want stolen outside.
Thanks, got lucky this time!

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The wheels of justice seem to rotate excruciatingly slowly as a case moves toward resolution – via trial, via plea bargain, via something else. A status hearing is rescheduled, then rescheduled again, then rescheduled again.

If and when a case gets to the courtroom, you would imagine, it’s full speed ahead.

Not necessarily.

For one, there is the pace of testimony. Most witnesses are not the dramatic bombshell-droppers of TV, movies, theater. They are brought in to provide a few details that might (or might not) prove later to be key

There’s the matter of logistics.

On Thursday, the first day of witness testimony in the murder trial of Lovett “Cid” Chambers began an hour later than planned.

The first scheduled witness for the prosecution, it seemed, had overslept.

Dominoes then fell, as the second scheduled witness had been told to show up around 10, the third witness around 10:30, so neither had arrived. Calls were made. A cab was even sent to fetch one witness.

The fourth scheduled witness was on videotape – but that couldn’t be moved to the head of the line because of an ongoing discussion over what could be heard on the tape besides the witness – a discussion requiring further review and a decision from Superior Court Judge Theresa Doyle before the video could be played for jurors.

Eventually, it all worked out, and the first witness to arrive took the stand at about 10:10.

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

No one disputes that longtime Gatewood resident Lovett “Cid” Chambers fired the shots that killed recent West Seattle arrival (Michael) Travis Hood by Morgan Junction Park on January 21, 2012.

The question to be settled is why – and whether he is guilty of murder.

After six weeks of motions and jury selection, the heart of Chambers’ trial began this afternoon in the courtroom of King County Superior Court Judge Theresa Doyle. Jury selection concluded before lunch; afterward, prosecution and defense lawyers presented their opening statements.

Their styles and stories contrasted dramatically.

First, the basic backstory as reported here. The incident unfolded – with much initial confusion resulting – at two locations that night.

That’s the red pickup truck in which Hood’s friend Jamie Vause drove him to the Providence Mount St. Vincent retirement/rehab center, believing it was a hospital. That’s where emergency responders first learned someone had been shot – but the shooting itself took place more than a mile southwest:

As reported in WSB as-it-happened coverage that night, we also had received reports of gunshots heard in Morgan Junction, and police quickly converged there to look for evidence. Hours later, in the early morning, SPD confirmed Chambers’ arrest, and family members confirmed Hood’s death. Four days after the shooting, Chambers was charged with first-degree murder (last August, that was reduced to second-degree).

No clear story emerged of what preceded the gunfire. And today in court, two very different versions were told.

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(PHOTO BY KEN LAMBERT/THE SEATTLE TIMES – republished by WSB with permission)
1:41 PM: We are at the King County Courthouse, in the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Theresa Doyle, where – after a month and a half of motions and jury selection – opening statements are about to begin in the trial of 69-year-old Lovett Chambers. He is the Gatewood man charged with second-degree murder in the January 2012 shooting death of 35-year-old Travis Hood alongside Morgan Junction Park. By all accounts, Chambers and Hood did not know each other; all they had in common is that both had been in a nearby bar moments before the shooting. We’ve read hundreds and hundreds of pages of court documents in the case in the past two years; they indicate that Chambers will contend self-defense, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder from the defendant’s experiences in prison and with police decades earlier. Under another name, he had a record, but nothing for the past 20-plus years while he lived and worked in West Seattle. About a dozen people are here in the gallery, watching the lawyers prepare. Depending on how it goes, we’ll likely add some updates here during the afternoon, in addition to more detailed coverage after proceedings are done for the day.

3:56 PM UPDATE: Court has recessed for the day, after both sides presented their opening statements, and jurors will hear from the first witness tomorrow morning. We have also added a photo, courtesy of our partners at The Seattle Times, who are also covering the trial; it was taken in the courtroom hallway at midday, showing Chambers at right with a deputy at left. We will publish a separate story later today with details of the proceedings.

That’s one of just dozens of images in a photo gallery showing unclaimed stolen property from a burglary spree – jewelry, phones, wallets, photos, sports cards, prescription drugs, more. We don’t know so far whether any of it is from burglaries in West Seattle. But just in case – we’re sharing this found-property info just in from King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West, who is asking that it be distributed far and wide:

Were you the victim of a burglary between January 2012 and July 2013? If you were and you live somewhere between Mill Creek, Washington and Tigard, Oregon, we may have property that was stolen in your burglary.

Detectives from the Sammamish Police Department and the King County Sheriff’s Office are trying to find the owners of stolen property that was recovered last July after the arrest of a couple who admitted to committing dozens of burglaries between Tigard, Oregon and Mill Creek, Washington.

Krystal Sweetman, 27 of Puyallup and Steven Tipton, 27 of Tacoma were arrested last July after an investigation that revealed the couple had committed more than 80 residential burglaries between January 2012 and July 2013. The couple sold many of the stolen items at area coin shops, netting over $346,000 in the 18-month crime spree.

Detectives also discovered that the pair had a storage unit that was packed with property taken from the burglaries. Many of the stolen items from the storage unit have not been claimed and detectives are hoping to reunite victims with their property.

In January, Sweetman pleaded guilty to multiple charges and was sentenced to 36 months in prison and 36 months in community custody. Tipton is expected to plead later this month.

Detectives have photographed the unclaimed property and have provided a [password-protected] link to photos for the public to view. Detectives are asking anyone who was the victim of a burglary between January, 2012 and July, 2013 to look at the photos to see if any of the property belongs to you.

If you have questions please call 804-885-KCSO (5276) – do NOT call other police department numbers. If you see property that you believe belongs to you, follow the instructions on the link. You will be asked to provide the case number of your burglary and will need to provide some proof the item is yours.

If you have trouble accessing the site, please try at another time. We expect the site to be inundated with viewers and access may be limited during the initial release of information.

Here again is the photo-gallery link; the password is SammamishPD – and it IS case-sensitive.

(Sunday morning photo courtesy Jason)
Since information was scant when we checked out the Roxbury/Olson one-car crash early Sunday (original report here), leaving multiple questions unanswered, we just followed up with media liaisons for Seattle Police and Fire. Police do believe the driver fled the scene, through a window; the three people found in the car were in the front-passenger and rear seats. All are described by Seattle Fire as men in their late teens/early 20s; though they were taken to the hospital, none had serious injuries. The report also notes that while police tried to talk with them at the hospital to find out more about the crash and the apparent hit-run driver, none would respond. The ownership of the crashed red Lexus wasn’t clear, either; the report says the person on record as its registered owner had sold it to “a presumed auto dealer” a month ago. It was totaled, and impounded; other damage involved the shrubbery into which the car crashed – the officer writing the report noted, “It appears as if the vehicle was traveling in a northeasterly direction on Olson Place when it drove up over the curb and struck a tree on (a) planting strip. The car continued across the sidewalk, where it struck the shrubbery in (a) front yard.”

P.S. That intersection is West Seattle’s top spot for collisions, according to an SDOT presentation covered here last fall.

Another stolen car to look for – Trevor reports:

My tan-colored Nissan Maxima ’92 was stolen last night from right in front of my house on SW Cloverdale and Delridge [map]. Police says thieves often take older cars like this for a ride and then abandon them. If you happen to see mine, #275USV with chrome rims, please shoot me an e-mail at trevorny (at) gmail.com. Thanks!

Since it seemed anecdotally as if we are receiving more auto-theft reports than usual – knowing that we don’t hear about them all – we checked the Seattle Police Reports map to get a sense of the trends. Here’s a screengrab showing West Seattle auto-theft reports for the past week, February 9th through today:

10 reports in 7 days is about the same a year ago, 43 reports for the Southwest Precinct in February 2013, averaging 1.5 a day. Crime stats are published for last year through November; the lowest month for auto theft in 2013 was July, with 25, fewer than one a day, while the highest was January 2013, with 61, almost two a day.

11:23 PM SUNDAY: Just in from the 1500 block of California SW (map), a texted report about a black Acura stolen by a man driving a white “unmarked” tow truck. The car’s owner is talking to police right now, we’re told. The neighbor reporting it on the victim’s behalf says it headed southbound on California and that the victim says there’s no chance it was towed as a repo attempt. Apparently the alarm was going off as the car was taken away around 10:35 pm. More details when we get them.

12:09 PM SUNDAY: Added a e-mailed photo; no view of the driver but he is described as “a white male, largish build, wearing a red sweatshirt.”

Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes tonight: First, a hit-run that Shannon hopes you can help solve:

(Photo added Saturday – click it to see a larger view, rotated so coding is readable)

We were the victims of a hit and run today. Sometime this afternoon between approximately 3:30 pm and 4:20 pm someone sideswiped our silver 2005 Dodge Neon, which was parked facing north on 48th Avenue SW between Juneau and Findlay. There are scratches and body damage starting from the rear driver’s side door continuing up to the front driver’s side tire area, including scratches on the windows and smudges, scratches, and denting on the driver’s door and the driver’s side mirror and casing were smashed. Whoever hit it was going pretty fast and sustained damage to their vehicle as well. I found parts of their smashed passenger side window and casing, along with other car parts as far as 30 feet in front of my car. Enough pieces were found to determine that the person who hit our car was driving a silver Volkswagen – either a 1999-2005 Golf Mk4, 1999-2005 Jetta Mk4, 1998-2001 Passat B5, or a 2001-2005 Passat B5.5. If you know of anyone with a vehicle matching this description that has passenger side damage or is missing a passenger side mirror, or if you saw this happen, please contact me at mitts1212@yahoo.com.

Karen‘s home was burglarized on Thursday:

Our house, located across from Lincoln Park, was broken in through the window of our basement. Camera and about $20 change were taken. House is in a bit of disarray, but doesn’t seem to be missing anything else. They had shoved our dog in a room while rifling through our house.

And one of this week’s stolen cars has been found – Stephanie first reported in this comment Wednesday that her green ’97 two-door Honda Civic had been stolen Monday afternoon from outside her home on Pigeon Point. She didn’t expect to ever see it again. But police found it less than two miles away, she says, at 23rd and Findlay.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL TUESDAY: Come hear from West Seattle’s new precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske, find out about the city’s Mental Health Court, and share neighborhood concerns, 7 pm at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster).

He was about to go on trial – but instead, 23-year-old Donald Plute pleaded guilty today to charges stemming from a morning-long rampage six months ago, in which he stole a truck on Alki, then rammed it into two vehicles before ditching it in Gatewood and running from police. The first vehicle he rammed had two men inside, one of whom was the owner of the truck Plute had stolen; after that crash in Upper Alki, Plute was spotted by police in Morgan Junction, where one officer thought he had him pulled over – until Plute put the truck into reverse and crashed it into this SPD car before taking off again:

Today, he pleaded guilty to the four charges filed against him in that August case – robbery, two counts of assault, and a charge of attempting to elude. The plea-agreement documents we just downloaded say prosecutors will recommend concurrent sentences equal to a little over 10 and a half years, minus the five-plus months he’s already served. Plute’s record included seven previous felony convictions between 2005 and 2010, including burglary, theft, possession of stolen cars, and another attempt to elude; the earliest crime on the list was committed when he was 14 years old. Plute is scheduled for sentencing on March 14th.

FIRST REPORT, 11:30 AM: Reported to the police this morning and via West Seattle Crime Watch now – a dark green Acura Integra “that’s lowered and has tinted windows and has a decal that goes across the top of the entire back windshield that says ‘Cascade Honda Crew’.” It was stolen from Fauntleroy Way east of Morgan Junction. If you see it, call 911, as advised in the @getyourcarback tweet (which includes the plate number).

ADDED 3:20 PM: In comments, AE reports another stolen car, a teal 1995 Honda Civic taken in High Point – plate number’s also in an SPD tweet.

Reader report from “Drahcir61“:

Approx 1:20 pm, Tuesday, Feb 11th – intersection of 16th Ave SW & SW Orchard (1/2 mile south of the community college) & 1/4 mile north of SW Holden … west side of 16th Ave SW.

I witnessed 2 men walk past my house on 16th Ave SW across from Orchard … 1 black & 1 hispanic. Probably mid-20s, 5’8″ to 5’10”, slim build, dark clothes. I watched the hispanic man open my neighbor’s mailbox & physically remove all of the mail … he walked away.

The hispanic male is wearing a teal & black checkered hoodie … the teal is very bright, like a chess board … teal & black … his hoodie is covering his face. The other male, black, was wearing dark clothes, nothing special … appeared to be clean cut in appearance.

If you see them “wandering” your streets call 911 … these guys are “working this afternoon.”

Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes this afternoon:

PLAYGROUND VANDALISM: Got a text about something poured on/applied to the Hiawatha (map) playground equipment, rendering it unusable – and Christine sent the photo at left, saying the slides were “un-slideable.” She reported it to the community-center staff just in case they hadn’t heard.

MAIL THEFT/ATTEMPT: From Sheridan: “Found our mailbox lock drilled out this morning in 8600 block of 24th Ave SW (map). People should keep an eye out for prowlers.”

SIDE NOTE: These types of crimes can be reported online – go here.