West Seattle hatchet job? Tree takedown in front of Madison
(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli)
Thanks go to Lynda and Nancy for alerting us to this sad sight: Two young trees destroyed in front of Madison Middle School (north of the main entrance path, as the top photo shows). When we heard about it, we wondered if it was related to our recent bouts of wind, but Christopher Boffoli went over for photos and reports it’s clear they were taken down by a hatchet or pick-axe. (Note the debris in the next photo.)
We have a message out to police to ask if this has been reported and whether any other vandalism’s been reported in the area; no reply yet, but we’ll add any more information we get. (If you’re wondering when it happened – sometime before midnight, which is when Lynda’s note came in.)
West Seattle Crime Watch: 2 thefts – 1 car, 1 converter
Two more West Seattle Crime Watch reports this afternoon. First, longtime WSB’er JanS reports in the WSB Forums that her car’s been stolen. Details here.
Second, Todd at West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsor) shares the latest warning about catalytic-converter theft:
A customer just called [early this afternoon] and informed me that his catalytic converter was stolen off his Toyota 4-Runner.
There was a rash of this a couple of years ago, and it may be starting again. The thieves use battery-operated saws and just cut the pipes, preferring Toyota 4WD vehicles because of ground clearance (no jacking needed) and a large market for the item.
A catalytic-converter theft was part of this WS Crime Watch report eight days ago
West Seattle Crime Watch: Fauntleroy prowler on the run
Out of the WSB inbox, from Eric:
This morning as I was leaving I spotted a guy prowling around a house (at the corner of 46th and Hemlock Way [map]).
I walked down and looked around the house but didn’t see him. I went back up and got in my car and drove down that way. I decided to take the hairpin turn onto 46th north of Rose to get a view of the back of the neighbor’s house. The frame of her electronic dog door was lying on the ground, which got me even more suspicious. Then as I pulled forward a bit farther I could see the guy hiding up against a wall of the other neighbor’s house. Called the cops. Three units showed up within five minutes. All this time I was thinking that the neighbor whose house was being prowled was out of town, but as it turns out she was there with her little boy. Her dog finally heard the guy trying to break in and she saw him as he went running down the street.
He was a Caucasian male, under 6 feet, thin, wearing a grey hoodie under a dark
jacket … spiky blonde hair sticking out from under the hoodie.
Keep your eyes peeled. And have a safe holiday, everybody.
The WSBeat: Out of sight, out of … computer
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Three young men showed up at a Fauntleroy business Thursday afternoon and purchased one item. But two of them also distracted the clerk while the third — claiming to have gone to use the bathroom — made off with a laptop computer from the rear of the store.
*Early Thursday, a man with a history of mental illness showed up at his brother’s Avalon-area house to retrieve a special copy of Playboy (special because it featured his “girlfriend,” the late Anna Nicole Smith). When he refused to leave, officers were called to provide assistance. They offered to call him a cab, but he walked off, saying that he was willing to “trust Steve Sarkisian” (the UW football coach) but that he “needed his Cougar gloves.” Football was still on his mind the next morning, when he was found throwing garbage on a statue at Admiral Viewpoint and mumbling about terrorists, 9/11, and former NFL star (killed in Afghanistan) Pat Tillman. The 37-year-old was transported to Harborview for an involuntary evaluation.
Five more summaries after the jump:
Read More
West Seattle Crime Watch: ‘Who could do such a thing?’
From Ray:
Our Volvo wagon was broken into overnight. It was parked in our alley carport between Graham and Morgan/ 39th and 38th Sts. SW. (map) They rifled through the glove box and another compartment between the front seats. They took our daughter’s canvas swim bag from the back seat and scattered its contents down the alley: a purple swim cap, one pair of blue goggles, a green diamondback suit, a YMCA card. The sight of her cherished swim gear trashed in the alley was quite the cold awakening this morning for our seven year old. “Who could do such a thing?” she cried.
Another sad reminder, as per the current SPD awareness campaign, that *nothing* is safe, left in a vehicle – even if you are sure it’s something in which no thief would take an interest.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Pickup/trailer stolen; decorations taken
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports this afternoon – first, from Dena:
Last night 12-12-2010 between the hours of 12 midnight and 7:00am 12-13-2010
Stolen in the 6900 block of California Ave SW
1996 champagne F250 Diesel w/ USCG vanity plate and with 20′ U-Haul trailer attached.
Any information can be e-mailed to me @ dena-engen@comcast.net
And from Jen:
We had some lighted candy canes along our walkway from the street and someone made off with them sometime between late last night and this afternoon. We don’t use the front entrance much, so cannot pinpoint the time any further. We live on 44th, just north of the Junction. I’ve read other accounts of people getting stuff taken from their yards around Halloween, so I know it happens, but it’s still lame.
We also have asked police for an update on the investigation of the car vandalism we reported Sunday; no word on that yet.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Vandals hit cars behind senior housing
A vandalism spree smashing out car windows is bad enough. For it to be done on an intensely rainy night, even worse. But to top this off – the vandal(s) struck cars in the parking area of a low-income senior-housing complex. Our photos show three of about half a dozen cars reported to have been vandalized behind Island View Apartments in the 3000 block of California, part of the city’s Senior Housing Program. We went over after getting a phone call; later, we received a note from Paul, who said they think rocks were used, as big ones found nearby are not the type usually found in the area. He added, “I am a caregiver for a tenant in this building and our car was not hit, but I tried my best to cover all the cars with plastic to keep the rain out.”
West Seattle Crime Watch: Stolen car; stolen converter
2 West Seattle Crime Watch reports from the WSB inbox. First, a truck stolen and stripped before its owner, LB, even knew it was gone:
Writing to report that my truck was stolen sometime after midnight last night from in front of my house near SW Andover and 40th Ave. SW.
Seattle PD knocked on my door at 4 a.m. to let me know it had been stolen and found stripped and abandoned on 30th Ave. SW directly behind Luna Park Cafe. Thieves tore out the ignition to start the truck and drove it to the location behind Luna Park Cafe where they proceeded to remove parts of the body, major parts of engine, including the hood and front grill. Also stolen from inside the truck were my laptop, CB, Radio, Tools, etc. Even the ashtray and lighter were taken.
Letting you folks know so you can get the word out the rainy weather is good cover for this sort of crime. Nobody in my house or neighborhood saw or heard anything. Apparently neither did the folks living in the houses 10 feet from where the truck was stripped and dumped.
And from Sam:
Yesterday, sometime between 10 am and 1 pm, someone sawed off my catalytic converter off my Toyota Tacoma. This is the second time now in less than 4 months. I couldn’t believe this happened in broad daylight while my truck was parked on 42nd Ave SW right at the junction of 42nd and Fauntleroy. This happened in the middle of the day and pretty much in the middle of Morgan Junction! So just a heads up for people who live in the area that own Tacomas and 4Runners. They seem to be the targeted vehicle due to ease of access. These cat thefts seem to go in waves too.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Burglary-attempt alert
This happened within the past hour in Highland Park, according to BigRed:
I just wanted to put the word out on an attempted break-in on our house around 12pm today; we live on 17th and Trenton [map]. I was home sick and my husband works from home and we have a rather large dog, so I am not quite sure why they picked our house but it worked out well! My husband was working in his office with his curtains closed and heard something on his window. He opened his curtain and found a younger African-American male, age 15-16 trying to pry our window open. This scared the robber off and he escaped down our alley. My husband also saw a younger female with the suspect, he didn’t get a good look at her but she seemed around the same age, possibly Hispanic. A section of our fence along the side was removed so they could get into our yard. Cops responded quickly and are canvassing the neighborhood for suspects. Our 95lb “guard dog” slept peacefully through it all.
FBI SWAT team arrests Arkansas explosives suspect in West Seattle
Two notes came in over the weekend asking about what appeared to be an FBI SWAT team raid early Friday at a home on Genesee Hill. We have finally confirmed what that was about. It’s a case you might already have seen in regional/national media, though the stories published so far did not mention the “Seattle” arrest was in West Seattle. Agents arrested a suspect, 40-year-old Arkansas resident Mark Krause, who was visiting someone here who by all accounts has no tie to the case. Krause is accused of placing a homemade explosive device six months ago at a church in Osage, Arkansas, that was serving as a polling place (which is why this is a federal case). The device was inside a soda can, and that’s what several people thought it was when they picked it up at the church and moved it around in subsequent hours until someone noticed it had wiring.
Read More
West Seattle Crime Watch: Front-porch theft; midday burglary
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight – first one from John in Gatewood:
I live on California Ave near Thistle Street [map]. We had a Christmas gift stolen off our front porch that was ordered off the internet and dropped by common carrier. I’ve heard of this happening but never experienced it until today. Probably happens more frequently than one would suspect. Just be aware there are bad guys out there. If it happened to us probably more will experience it this holiday season. Might want to warn W.S. residents. I’ve heard the crooks follow the trucks. Enjoy the Lego set, is all I can say. Hopefully someone who needs it more than our kids … eventually gets it.
Also tonight, Jen wanted to get the news out about an earlier burglary:
Not sure how to get this out, but our house was broken into today. We live at 32nd and Juneau [map], near High Point. It was between 10 am and 2 pm today. They threw a rock through the window, crawled through, and helped themselves to our electronics, jewelry, gift cards, etc etc etc.
Just want to get the word out and heighten awareness. Maybe it will help someone else going through what we are now.
The WSBeat: Wrong holiday; officer bitten; smashing spree…
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*After several trips to the area of 30th and Andover, officers were finally able to speak with three men –- very intoxicated men — who were partying and disturbing the neighbors with fireworks. The yard smelled of recently exploded materiel and the nearby area was covered in spent bottle rockets, mortars and a roman candle. The house was littered with beer cans, 400 bottle rockets, and 12-gauge shotgun shells. (The group hadn’t been shooting the shotgun but had been racking and unloading it.) One of the men was very apologetic at having disturbed the neighbors (he had no idea it was 3 AM) and all received a stern warning about handling a firearm while intoxicated. The three were told to go to bed, clean up the neighborhood in the morning, and stop by the precinct when they were sober to pick up the shotgun, which was temporarily confiscated.
*Early Thursday, officers were called to Morgan Junction to investigate why a woman was sitting in her parked car, screaming. She refused to exit or unlock the vehicle, and according to the officer’s report, “her mood swings were near hysterical … calm, then crying, then laughing, then angry in a matter of seconds.” She finally rolled the the window down a crack, and as the smell of intoxicants wafted out, she rooted through an assortment of bags in the vehicle. When she still refused to come out, an officer managed to reach through the cracked window and unlock the door. But he wasn’t quick enough: The “completely irrational” woman bit the sergeant’s gloved hand, clear through to (and breaking) the skin. She was finally handcuffed and transported to Harborview for an evaluation.
Another human-bite case, same area, along with 12 other summaries, after the jump:Read More
West Seattle Crime Watch: Car prowling/egging combined
At the last West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, while noting that local crime has been down lately, Southwest Precinct leadership also warned that some categories invariably go up during the holiday season. Too soon to crunch the local stats but we have received more direct reports in the past few days than we have for a while, and this one from Sandy is the latest:
Sometime between 10 pm and 11 pm last night my Subaru Outback was broken into and when the perps couldn’t find anything, they egged the inside of the car. ARRRGH!! This was at 45th and Andover in the Genesee neighborhood of West Seattle. When I discovered this, I saw a young man running through the neighborhood. I called 911 and the operator was very blase about it. I saw the same young man running through the neighborhood between 11:30 pm and midnight and again called 911. This time I got a different operator who said he would send a patrol car through the neighborhood.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Highland Park car break-ins
A second West Seattle Crime Watch report tonight – this one from John and Lisa, asking that it be shared “for neighborhood awareness”:
When: Wee hours after Black Friday
Where: 7000 block of 13th SW, near Riverview Park [map]
Multi-vehicle, VERY aggressive break-ins of cars and house porches, driveways. They stole lots and didn’t restrict their choices and if they saw items on your porch, those were taken too.
Items ranges from work truck oxygen tanks, scooter, backpacks from vehicles, and more. Lots of time spent searching thru cars. Police report made and multiple case numbers issued.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Genesee Hill break-in
Out of the WSB inbox, from a neighbor who didn’t want her name used:
Just learned that my neighbor (2 doors down) was (burglarized) this morning in broad daylight. They left their home at 9 AM and returned at Noon and many electronics were boosted. Most of us on the street were home during that time, but didn’t notice anything.
Another neighbor thinks she saw an older model rust-colored car in the driveway during that time. Around 11 AM, I went on a walk nearby … didn’t notice anything at their house, but did take notice of a car fitting a similar description further down the road. It was a 80’s style small sedan, rusty red color with a bit of a loud muffler/engine. I noticed the car because it was older looking and it was driving rather fast and loud down the road while I was walking.
House is between Dakota and Andover on 50th Ave SW. [map]
The city’s “My Neighborhood” map often shows incidents like this within a day or two – but e-mails like this can get the word out quicker. The map’s default view is for reports filed during the week preceding your map view – three West Seattle burglaries are shown on or since last Saturday, November 20th: that date in the 3300 block of Admiral Way; last Sunday (11/21) in the 8600 block of 35th SW; Wednesday (11/24) in the 12000 block of Marine View Drive.
The WSBeat: Where there’s smoke, there’s … warrants
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Thursday afternoon in Morgan Junction, the exhaust of one driver’s car was so thick that it seemed, to a passing officer, to be blinding the drivers who had the misfortune to be behind it. The officer made a U-turn to catch up to the driver, who simply hit the gas pedal (increasing the smoke) and refused to pull over until he reached his home on 47th SW. He was not carrying his license. A records check showed that he was wanted on three warrants: from Lynnwood ($5,100) for possessing drug paraphernalia), from Seattle for possession of cocaine, and from Seattle Municipal Court ($10,000) for assault. He was booked into King County Jail on the warrants and was cited for excessive smoke and for driving without a license.
(5 more summaries ahead:)Read More
West Seattle Crime Watch: Police search in The Triangle
Thanks to everyone who sent tips about a search around the Link site (38th/Fauntleroy/Alaska). It was breaking up when we arrived; one officer still on the scene told us there was a report of an intruder. We just confirmed that with Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams, who says the big response was because it was a big site to search, but “no sign of entry, theft, damage found.”
Burglaries down, police tell West Seattle Crime Prevention Council
First topline from tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting at the Southwest Precinct: Crime is notably down. If you’ve noticed we’ve had fewer crime reports lately, it’s not that it’s going unreported – it’s just not happening, according to Capt. Steve Paulsen. Last week, only one burglary was reported in all of West Seattle, he said – bringing the total for the month so far to 11, compared to what would usually be 27 to 30 by midmonth. (We crosschecked with the online police reports – indeed, only one listed from last Wednesday through today.) The precinct commander cited “significant recent arrests” – people suspected of burglarizing homes by day and prowling cars by night, arrested thanks to what Capt. Paulsen described as “outstanding detective work” as well as alert citizens and timely reporting by victims. West Seattle is getting a reputation among thieves as a bad place to do business, he suggested – while promptly cautioning that an uptick in theft is likely within the next month as holiday shopping begins. Time-honored advice: be aware of your surroundings; don’t leave purchases visible in your car while you go from store to store. In one unsolved case, Capt. Paulsen said there’s no arrest yet in last night’s Highland Park armed robbery. Meantime, he introduced “three-quarters of (his newly aligned) command staff”:
At right, Lt. Pierre Davis is the new operations lieutenant – second in command for the precinct – the job Capt. Paulsen had before leaving the SW Precinct early this year for a short stint at the West Precinct (where his SWP successor, Lt. Norm James, now works with former SWP commander Capt. Joe Kessler). At left, Lt. Alan Williams is third-watch commander (night shift); that’s the job from which Lt. Ron Smith, center, moved into the second-watch (day shift) role. Lts. Davis and Williams are new to the SWP. He also noted that the Community Police Team now has three officers (as reported here when one of them, Officer Ken Mazzuca, visited the Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting last week). CPT Officer Jonathan Kiehn, also at tonight’s meeting, praised citizens for providing improved info when calling 911 lately – a topic on which he spoke at the last West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network meeting. In particular, Officer Kiehn said, they’re giving better descriptions of suspects and the direction in which they’re heading.
Special guest at the meeting: Detective Suzanne Moore, who works on abuse/neglect cases, especially those with elderly victims. She shared two hotline numbers that can be used to report suspected cases – if they involve a residential facility, 800-562-6078; if they involve a private caregiver or home, 206-341-7660.
The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets the third Tuesday of the month, but they’re skipping December, so January’s the next meeting; keep an eye on www.wscpc.org.
2 court updates: Pedestrian-crash case; credit-card-skimming fraud
Two court-case updates with local links: First, the West Seattle woman accused of drunkenly running her car into people outside Showbox SODO on October 28th has pleaded not guilty. Juanita Wright was in court Monday to answer four charges of vehicular assault; prosecutors say her blood-alcohol level was .29. Wright remains jailed in lieu of a quarter-million dollars bail, and is scheduled to return to court on December 13th.
Meantime, court documents reveal a West Seattle link in the case against two men who prosecutors say “allegedly plac(ed) skimming devices on local bank ATMs to steal data from the magnetic strips of customer debit and credit cards.” While no West Seattle skimming is alleged in the current charges against Claudiu Tudor and Mihai Podaru, the charges say Tudor used a stolen card number (after trying unsuccessfully to use another) to withdraw cash from the BECU ATM at Roxbury Safeway – not far from where he lives in White Center. Prosecutors say the numbers were skimmed from a machine in Renton, where the two men are suspected of skimming more than 50 cards, using them for more than $170,000 worth of fraud. They are charged with 1st-degree theft, identity theft, and improperly obtaining financial information; both remain jailed in lieu of $250,000 bail, awaiting arraignment one week from today, and prosecutors say a third suspect is still under investigation, as are possible crimes that the documents say may result in “hundreds of additional counts of identity theft.”
| 35 COMMENTS