West Seattle, Washington
23 Tuesday
In our first report Tuesday about Southwest Precinct Officer Scott Luckie‘s “tweetalong,” we mentioned his account of an incident the previous day involving someone reportedly using a chainsaw to try to break into a house. The police-report narrative on that case is now available, and here’s the story it tells – involving TWO chainsaws, and more:Read More
From a theft victim who signed this report “West Seattle taxpayer who wants justice”:
Happened at 2:30 (Wednesday), 46th & Genesee, dog barked and possibly chased off the crooks but the packages are gone. UPS showed up at 2:35, FedEx at 2:45, crook stole the packages at around 3. From what I understand the crooks are following the trucks; I recommend that you send packages to your work or have them held at FedEx or UPS.
Even if you are not expecting any deliveries yourself – if you see someone suspicious in the vicinity of a delivery truck (or anywhere else!) don’t hesitate to call 911 – someone’s tip might just catch serial thieves with a trunkload of other people’s holiday presents.
During his Tuesday “tweetalong” (explained here), SPD Southwest Precinct Officer Scott Luckie tweeted about helping search for two people who “robbed somebody at gunpoint.” Tonight we have more information on the robbery – from the victim, who says it happened in his own neighborhood:
I was walking up Croft Place from Delridge [map] and Juneau when two younger Americans of African descent started following me up the hill. As I got towards the top of the hill and was in that patch where the streetlights are sparse by the small children’s play area, they approached and politely asked if they could use my phone to call their parents. I handed over my phone, an HTC 4g 3D that was in a black Otter case but the phone itself is red with a two lens camera. He acted like he was dialing home and stepped a couple steps away. That is when he pulled out a gun and pointed it at my head and informed me he was taking my phone and advised me to just walk up the hill and if I didn’t turn around, he wouldn’t shoot me.
Lilith e-mailed WSB, wondering if you’ve seen any or all of the bicycles stolen from her porch.
Last Friday night someone stole three bikes off our front porch. We live between Genesee Hill and Alaska Junction. No, they weren’t locked. (Though some of the ones that weren’t stolen were locked–yes, we have a lot bikes.)
We actually heard the noises on the porch about 3:00 am, but initially thought it was our nephew getting his bike to go to work. They made a big crashing noise when they took the second and third ones, though, and didn’t come back for more since we came running out. They must have ridden them away, because we didn’t hear a car or footsteps.
These bikes really have no resale value, so I can’t imagine they were stealing them to sell. They are probably in someone’s alley or at a park. We have looked, but are hoping that someone else may have seen them.
Photos and more information ahead:Read More
3:47 PM: Thanks to everybody who called/e-mailed about a major police response in Highland Park, in the 16th/Trenton vicinity. It started with an attempted burglary, according to officers at the scene – including today’s tweetalong-ing Officer Scott Luckie, who hadn’t even gotten a chance to put the news on Twitter yet. Three people in custody, and one vehicle under investigation (in photo above). If/when we get more details, we’ll add them here. (added – one of Officer Luckie’s later tweets, with a photo)
Also via Twitter, the officer says two of the suspects were found in that vehicle, one “hiding in the bushes” at the targeted house.
ADDED 4:15 PM: Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen tells WSB the suspects in this case are “2 males, 1 female,” and are indeed suspects of which police were “aware.” Moments before we asked him about this case, he had sent this update on the overall burglary situation in West Seattle:
As I have stated previously, since Thanksgiving, the West Seattle community had experienced a significant increase in residential burglaries. The men and women of the Southwest Precinct have made apprehending the suspects in these crimes their major priority. Each time a suspicious circumstance call is dispatched, multiple officers have been dropping what they had been doing and rushing to the area.
In the past 3 weeks, we have identified 20 individuals as well as many vehicles. A number of these individuals have been committing burglaries in other Puget Sound communities. We have been collaborating with a number of police agencies who have experienced similar trends and suspects. Most if not all of the suspects are not from the West Seattle community. To date, we have arrested 8 in the past couple of weeks. Our residential burglaries have been reduced by half just within the past week. We will continue to locate and develop probable cause for the outstanding suspects.
Again, I would like to thank our West Seattle community for their assistance in reporting suspicious activity in their neighborhoods…Their observations and 911 reporting have had a tremendous impact in helping us apprehend these individuals which in return have made their neighborhoods safer.
From Cyndi and Steve:
Just a heads-up – last night after 9:00 two of our large outside Christmas decorations were stolen in the 5400 block of 49th Ave SW [map]. One was a a lighted polar bear & the other was a lighted Christmas stocking with presents.
What makes this more difficult is that we lost both of my parents this year as well as other things & we were not going to put anything out but we did it for the neighbors.
This West Seattle Crime Watch reader report carries a warning that sadly needs to be repeated this time of year. From Kaela:
Just want to let people know that a package was stolen from my doorstep this afternoon, so be careful sending/receiving gifts and keep an eye out for your neighbors. I live in a townhouse on California just south of Morgan Junction. While I was at work, my neighbor saw a car with three women in it following a UPS truck. After the UPS driver dropped off my package, my neighbor saw a woman get out of the car, grab the package, and drive off, so called the police. The police found the car, which was apparently stolen, just down the street at the Subway across the street from Thriftway.
Three reader reports to share: The first one, you’ve probably seen if you read the WSB Forums, but the discussion involves lots of great advice, so we wanted to share it here too: KatieK reported someone stealing her car tabs while she was shopping; police (and subsequently others) offered advice on deterring that type of theft. Read her report and the ensuing discussion here. Next – a discovery of apparently stolen mail, and a sighting that stirred suspicions:Read More
Happening as of a short time ago in the Admiral District – police are looking for a suspected hit-run driver who apparently took off after hitting a parked car at California/Hill (the red one in our photo) and then a utility pole. We’ll check with police later to see if they ever found the hit-run driver (no description at this point). No serious injuries reported.
Meantime, also in West Seattle Crime Watch this morning, two reader reports about recent burglaries – read on:Read More
‘Tis the season for holiday crime as well as holiday joy, holiday giving, holiday celebrations … We have two reports of decoration theft in this West Seattle Crime Watch roundup. Linda e-mailed to say that “outside Christmas lights and lighted candy canes (were) stolen from the 4800 block on 49th Ave SW.” Molly (35th/Trenton/Henderson) reported a similar theft in this WSB Forums post, with another member adding a mention of a Fauntlee Hills theft later in the thread.
On a non-holiday note, from Carolyn:
I just wanted to let people in the Highland Park area know that this morning we found mail that belonged to a house about 2 block away in the road. There was an envelope with pictures that had been opened and an offer from a credit card company also opened, but the mail containing bills were left unopened. The mail was found at the corner of 8th Ave SW and SW Elmgrove St. We took the mail to the house it belonged to, but nobody answered, so we left the mail on the door step. Just a reminder for people to be extra vigilant during the holiday season. We will continue to keep a close eye out for any other suspicious activity.
Seasonal crime-prevention advice is in the latest SPD crime-prevention newsletter, by the way.
More than 40 people gathered at the Pathfinder K-8 cafeteria tonight for a Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council meeting that primarily served as the annual holiday potluck – the first year the community party wasn’t at the home of the late community activist Vivian McLean, who died this past spring.
There was a bit of business for the group to handle, before they got down to serious revelry: The recent rash of burglaries, which has hit Pigeon Point hard, as well as several other parts of West Seattle. The group was briefed by Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. (second-in-command) Pierre Davis, who didn’t have news of any new arrests, but did answer questions, and provided a general update.
We couldn’t cover this one in person because it was at the exact same time as the “prolific burglar” sentencing this afternoon, but just got the results from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office: The judge went with the prosecution’s recommendation for John C. Siegel, who pleaded guilty to setting his wife’s Gatewood home on fire last June. His sentence totals 20 months (as broken down in our earlier report on the guilty plea)
(Our hearing video starts with the victims speaking to the judge)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
We’re at the King County Courthouse again this Friday afternoon, a popular day/time for sentencings. This afternoon, King County Superior Court Judge – soon to become state Supreme Court Justice – Steven González has just sentenced 42-year-old John Novotny to 8 years – short of the 10 years the prosecution had asked for, but one year more than the upper end of the “standard sentencing” range.
We reported in October that Novotny, described by authorities as a “prolific burglar,” had pleaded guilty to 16 felonies, including burglary, forgery, identity theft, and “taking a motor vehicle.” Among the crimes with which he was charged in April were multiple break-ins victimizing elderly residents at the Arrowhead Gardens complex in southeast West Seattle. He had a unit at a nearby storage facility in which investigators say they found loot from other West Seattle burglaries.
In court for the sentencing: Five of Novotny’s victims, as well as the two lead detectives on the case, and several of Novotny’s family members and friends.
We start this West Seattle Crime Watch update with a followup, as promised, on the burglary/suspects reports from yesterday afternoon. Southwest Precinct commander Captain Steve Paulsen says there were four burglaries in the area, including the 36th/Myrtle one we had mentioned. Two possible suspects were detained, he says, but: “We didn’t quite have enough at this time for arrest, but we are following up with evidence collected. Both of these subjects are well known to us. Since the increase in burglaries, we have re-arranged our normal deployments which include modifying work hours in order to maximize the opportunities to apprehend the suspects. Our officers are chasing every suspicious circumstance 911 call that gets broadcast and we are flooding the area with multiple officers. We think we have 2-3 teams working in the West Seattle area. Our folks have been sharing information with other precincts as well as neighboring jurisdictions (Puget Sound region) who are experiencing the same issue and some of the same subjects.” Meanwhile, we’ve heard from some of yesterday’s victims – that, and other Crime Watch reader reports, aheadRead More
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports this afternoon:
Thanks to everybody who shared tips about police activity in Sunrise Heights in the past hour or so, near 35th/Webster. Police were chasing suspects in at least one burglary – and that general area, as reported here previously, has been a target lately; we don’t know if it was this same suspect, but there was a scanner report a while ago about a break-in attempt at 36th/Myrtle, not far away. At least one person has been arrested/detained. We’ll add details as soon as we get them.
And from Pigeon Point – pilfered packages and mail were found at noontime today, some with addresses from some distance away:Read More
Several West Seattle Crime Watch notes from the past day or so. First, Brian noted an unusual car-part theft:
Someone stole the Honda logo off the rear of my wife’s 2005 Civic. She noticed it missing Tuesday. She said that ones from nearby cars were missing too. We live in the 8600 block of 25th, 1 block north of Westwood Village. I don’t know if this was a prank or if those logos have some kind of value. Not a huge occurrence but kind of odd.
Ahead, a burglary, some protection tips, a suspicious-behavior report, and a possibly stolen bikeRead More
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Rene, who says it happened near the Fauntleroy ferry dock:
Be careful when you leave your home to put on lamp timers, switch up your routine, and have your Good Samaritan friends and neighbors stop by and/or keep an eye on the place. In this holiday season, please be wary of “false delivery” prowlers!
The screengrab at right from the city’s police-call map tells the tale: The spray-paint can is the city map’s icon for property-damage reports; the map is not real-time, so the icons represent mostly incidents reported last night or this morning. Though details on those reports aren’t available, so we don’t know details of the “property damage,” the icon locations correspond with what we’ve heard anecdotally through a variety of channels – a spate of vandalism incidents against cars. First word we had was this morning, when a WSB’er who asked to be anonymous reported, “This morning coming back from coffee at 6 am i noticed a truck with its street side window broken out. The truck was on SW Hill St between 42 and 44th streets. And a few minutes ago I found half a blue rubber glove hanging on a trailer lock handle and a fresh thumb print in the dirt on the trailer door lock. This happened near Hill St and Sunset.” We got two other reports as well – read on:Read More
Out of the WSB inbox, from Gary:
My dark green 4-door 1996 Honda Accord was stolen yesterday (Fri 12/2) between 8 AM and 5:15 PM from the Metro park and ride underneath the WS bridge. I parked in the lot closest to Avalon. WA license #ABW 9695. Bumper sticker on rear says “All Mixed Up rocks.” Has been reported to Seattle police.
1:30 PM: We are in the courtroom of King County Superior Court Judge Bruce Heller, who is to sentence Monty Richardson in the Fairmount Springs attack case from last July. Judge Heller has just entered; defendant Monty Richardson, who entered a type of guilty plea while not acknowledging guilt, is now at the bench. The victim is here, as is her daughter and three family friends. On behalf of Richardson is his wife, their daughter, a former landlord of theirs, and the church he attends. Richardson is being sentenced for burglary and assault, to which he pleaded guilty on November 17th. Here’s our most recent report, after we discovered that plea bargain in court records.
The attack “fairly shocks the conscience,” says senior deputy prosecuting attorney Erin Becker, saying Richardson went into the victim’s home – across the street from his – and “inflicted extreme injuries … 26 fractures” including two spinal fractures. She was “left unconscious and alone when the attack ended. … Frankly, it’s very hard to have to explain to victims that this is what the Legislature proscribes for a crime .. a standard range of 26 to 34 months.” She mentions that some letters written in Richardson’s support allude to comments here that suggested somebody else did it.
1:36 PM: The victim is now speaking.
(Our as-it-happened coverage continues ahead, concluding with the sentencing decision just after 2 pm – video added of the judge explaining his decision):Read More
Another West Seattle Crime Watch report this morning: We just confirmed that a police search in the Delridge/Findlay area last night was because of an armed robbery at a local store. Read on for details:Read More
Be on the lookout for the car at left – stolen, according to the first of three West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports we have tonight. Z says it’s a 1991 Nissan Sentra, red, 2-door, black trunk and spoiler, gray interior, license plate # 051UEJ, stolen near 41st and Admiral Way sometime over the holiday weekend while Z was out of town. If you spot it, please call 911.
Ahead – burglary and car-prowl reports, plus a bonus link!Read More
In addition to the burglaries and break-in attempt featured in our West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports earlier today, we had an inquiry out to police about two other possible incidents heard on the scanner. In response to it all, Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen confirms there’s a “notable increase” in home burglaries tracing back to last week – a surprise during a holiday week, he says – and shares these details on trends:
The neighborhoods that are being affected the most are:
· East of Delridge from Spokane St to about SW Holden St, West of the Duwamish.
· South of SW Morgan to the City boundary Line, West of 35th SW.Days and Time:
· Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
· 7 am to 6 pmCurrent trends include 2-3 subjects in a large car (old-retired taxis have been used) in order to put large objects in the trunk or back seat area. The suspects are knocking on the front door, waiting for an answer. If no answer, they are forcing entry via a non-visible door/window.
Our West Seattle folks are doing a great job by calling 911 when they see suspicious circumstances in their neighborhoods. I would also like to remind our citizens to closely work with their neighbors, watching out for each other particularly during times when their homes are vacant during the day.
I don’t want to take the fun/joy out of the Holidays, but criminals will target homes for the gifts lying under the tree. Also, while shopping, please be aware of your personal surroundings as you walk to your car with gifts…It is not unusual for subjects to approach shoppers and forcibly take their packages as well as break into parked vehicles at shopping centers.
There’s more holiday crime-deterrence advice in the latest newsletter from SW Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon, published here a week ago.
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