(November 25th photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
The man arrested after armed robberies aboard a Metro RapidRide bus in West Seattle one week ago (WSB coverage here) is now charged with three felonies. The charges filed this afternoon against 19-year-old Trevonnte Brown are two counts of first-degree robbery, one count of attempted first-degree robbery.

Charging documents say Brown confessed to police, said he did not regret what he had done, and “confessed to being involved in multiple additional thefts and robberies over the past few years.” If you missed the story last week – police say Brown had boarded the bus downtown and then, as it got to West Seattle, started holding up passengers at gunpoint, until one passenger grabbed his gun-wielding arm and others joined in subduing him. Court documents say he told police he decided to rob people because he needed money to get his car out of impound, and that he told them he had previously committed several “snatch-and-run” robberies. Stolen iPhones, he is reported to have told police, get him about $400 on the street.

Brown, a Beacon Hill resident, remains jailed in lieu of $350,000 bail. If convicted, he faces extra time for using a gun while committing the crimes; police have said a semi-automatic handgun was found at the scene. We’re still reviewing the charging documents and will add anything else notable.

According to the Twitter log that automatically updates on the WSB Crime Watch page, two burglaries were reported in West Seattle today. We’ve heard from one of the victims, Tom, who tells the detailed story, and hopes you will watch for the distinctive items that were among the loot:

We live on SW Cloverdale Street off 35th, between Thistle and Trenton…

I left my home this morning to take our baby to day care at 7:15. I returned home from work for lunch at 11:30. I found that our front door was open. Nothing was broken on the door so I proceeded in thinking it was odd that it was wide open. Our dog was in the living room, visibly upset. I went into our bedroom and found that our pack-n-play was on end and our nightstand drawers were ajar. All of the jewelry we kept there was gone. Now knowing that we had been broken into, I grabbed the dog and headed outside, not knowing if someone was still down in the basement or garage. THANKFULLY, our dog was unharmed and still in the house.

I called the police. They arrived and swept the house. All was clear. They found that a window had been broken in our basement guest bedroom for entry. It is a really small window, so whomever broke in is either very small, or very limber.

Aside from all of our jewelry being taken, they took our Apple laptop, video camera, Canon Camera, iPad, Bose wireless speakers, our daughter’s baby monitor, a Red Gibson SG electric guitar, and red sunburst Fender electric guitar, a record player, a number of records, power tools, a very unique set of military-issued binoculars in a very worn case issued to my grandfather during WWII, and medication from our bathroom pantry. They had to have had a vehicle for this haul. There are marks in the front yard that look like they had a bin of some sort. Another very telling piece taken was a gold and onyx ring from the 1800s that belonged to the then-Gov. of the Philippines. It’s been in the family for over 100 years and should stand out if someone tries to hawk it. A gold engagement band with two baguette diamonds was also taken. The center diamond is not on this ring, so it too may stand out.

They jostled about through our entertainment center and it looks like the tried to unplug our equipment, but due to the weight of things and the location of the plug, the appear to have given up.

The police were able to lift a number of prints, so we hope that helps.

If anyone reading this happens to own or frequent any of the local pawn shops, we appreciate folks keeping an eye out for some of the more obvious stuff taken.

These fellows were quite brazen as this happened during the daytime. I have notified our neighbors and it appears that they did not see anything. My wife mentioned that she did see a white van parked out front of our house about a week ago…she made eye contact with the guys in side and they sped off. Not sure if someone has been casing the neighborhood. I did learn today that the house across the street and down a bit was broken into last month.

Just wanted to let folks know.

All that aside, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Tom

In a followup note, Tom added, “Both electric guitars have the wiring broken where the plug in is. So they are not currently functional, so to speak.”

The other burglary logged today was in the 8400 block of 20th SW. Haven’t heard from the victim(s) in that case, and detailed reports take up to a week to show up in the SPD online system, so we don’t have details.

(WSB photo from Monday night, near California/Raymond)
In a jailhouse courtroom, a King County Superior Court judge has just set bail at $350,000 for the 19-year-old man accused of robbing people on board a RapidRide bus north of Morgan Junction last night until passengers fought back, with one grabbing his gun and others sitting on him until police arrived. (Here’s our Monday night coverage.) The suspect waived his right to be present for the hearing, but a woman identifying herself as his mother cried out in the courtroom, “No! That’s not my son!” and told reporters (including WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand) afterward that she apologizes to Metro and the passengers, that her son is not like that, and she doesn’t understand what happened.

5:38 PM UPDATE: A statement from Metro, via spokesperson Jeff Switzer:

We’re cooperating with Seattle Police in this ongoing investigation. When the fight erupted, our driver followed longstanding procedures designed to keep our riders as safe as possible during a serious incident – he hit his emergency alarm, pulled over the bus and opened the doors to let passengers escape. We’re extremely relieved no one was seriously injured.

The suspect is due back in court next Monday morning.

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.

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:

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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.

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:

On Friday night between 4 pm and 10:30 pm, our house was broken into and burglarized. The door was kicked in; they didn’t touch anything in the living room and went straight for the bedroom. They found our safe and took $1500 cash that we had received from friends and family at our recent wedding (Sept. 29th) plus more in gift cards. They also stole my 17″ Toshiba laptop and my white iPad 4, 3 bottles of wine, and that’s it.

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.

Three Four reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch today – click ahead for details:

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(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:

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