11:30 PM THURSDAY: Just sent by Joellyn:

My sister’s car was stolen sometime between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm tonight.

Parked on California Ave in front of California Nail Salon and across the street from Soundview Apartments at the south end of the Junction.

Red 2017 Lincoln MKZ
License Plate: BWU 9390

Police Report 22-067080

FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE: Car’s been found.

Four notes in West Seattle Crime Watch so far today:

VAN STOLEN: A reader found the last “distinctive” van reported here – maybe you’ll be the one to spot Cindy‘s van (above). She emailed to report: “My ’94 Dodge Ram van has disappeared from the street behind my house. It was parked on 46th (near Erskine Way SW close to the Alaska Junction). It’s turquoise and VERY distinctive. License CCM1046.” 3/22 UPDATE: Found in SeaTac.

GUNFIRE ON THE ROAD, #1: Around 4 am, police say, someone fired a shot from “a silver-colored vehicle (that) was westbound” in the 2200 block of SW Thistle. No injuries or property damage but police report finding “evidence” (presumably at least one shell casing).

GUNFIRE ON THE ROAD, #2: This didn’t happen in West Seattle, but the targets were on their way here – the crew of Seattle Fire Department Ladder 4. From the SPD summary and our followup from SFD, here’s what happened: Around 2:15 am, the truck was headed to West Seattle from Belltown to backfill at a fire station while both WS-based ladder trucks were out on the Beach Drive house fire. While Ladder 4 was exiting the southbound Highway 99 tunnel, the police summary says, “the rear driver of the ladder truck heard 4 shots and whizzing noises going past the truck. A gray BMW sedan (no plate) then fled at a high rate of speed.” The truck was not hit, but police later found “evidence of a shooting” in the area.

WINDOW-SMASHING ATTACK: We mentioned this last night and promised to request the report narrative from SPD today. Here’s what it says: Police were called to Bellevue Rare Coins at California/Oregon at 3:18 pm Wednesday. The initial dispatch was that someone was “threatening employees with a gun” though none was seen, and “hitting windows.” Police were told the suspect had been in the store less than an hour earlier to sell some jewelry for about $300. He returned about 40 minutes later and angrily accused an employee of mistreating him because his bank allegedly refused the check. He allegedly spat in the employee’s face, then left the store, got a crowbar (not a bat as reported by a witness) from the van in which he had arrived, and smashed windows in the front and on the side of the shop. He then left in the van; someone got the plate, but the police summary says “it came back as a stolen vehicle.”

Two West Seattle Crime Watch/police notes:

BUSINESS VANDALISM: Multiple readers have reported window-smashing at Bellevue Rare Coins (California/Oregon) in The Junction this afternoon. One reported seeing it done by someone with a “baseball bat” who ran to a “tan van” that quickly sped away. We won’t have access to the report on this until tomorrow but will follow up.

CARS PROWLED: Via text:

Reporting our cars being broken into. Both on the driveway, both cars were unlocked. They took coins and a couple of designer sunglasses. Property was not damaged. 45th/Findlay.

THE SHOTGUN SHELL THAT WASN’T: If you follow SPD’s automated Tweets by Beat – automated tweets of call types/times/vicinities that are aggregated on our Crime Watch page and in several unrelated apps – you might have noticed some changes in call classifications. That led to a question sent to us this morning about a call labeled as “Found gun/shell casings” last night in the 4000 block of SW Alaska. We asked SPD about it; the reply: “This call came in as a report of a loose shotgun shell. Upon further investigation they determined the item was not, in fact, a shotgun shell and did not require police action.”

3:27 PM: Lots of good work by WSB readers lately getting stolen stuff back to their owners, so here’s something else to look for – a stolen motorcycle. The report and photo are from Rebecca, who says this happened last night in Highland Park:

My husband’s black Harley Davidson motorcycle was stolen from the driveway in the alley between SW Kenyon and Portland St (near 11th SW). The license plate is 0F0048 and the police report case number is 22-64607.

9:43 PM: Rebecca found out from neighbors that a red Jeep towing a trailer took the motorcycle away.

118 people responsible for more than 2,400 criminal cases in Seattle in the past five years. That’s who the City Attorney’s Office says it’s targeting for starters, as it launches the newest attempt to address frequent offenders, called the High Utilizer Initiative. The announcement from City Attorney Ann Davison says this program will “identify individuals responsible for repeat criminal activity across the City of Seattle and aims to dramatically reduce their public safety impacts” by prioritizing their cases to “ensure they have access to critical social safety programs.” The 118 initially identified people, according to Davison’s office, were charged with “theft (1,019 charges), trespassing (589 charges), assault (409 charges), or weapons violations (101 charges).” The program won’t involve domestic violence or DUI offenders, which the announcement says “are already the subject of additional attention.” Davison is quoted as promising to “advocate for both accountability and behavioral health and substance use interventions to help stop the cycle of addiction, crime, and human suffering we are seeing on our streets.” No specifics on which “interventions,” though. The list of High Utilizers will be kept by the City Attorney’s Office, but coordination is promised with SPD, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, King County Jail, and “service providers.” This isn’t the first time the city has talked about dealing with repeat offenders, though – today’s announcement ends with the note, “The High Utilizer Initiative follows in part some similar recommendations made by the 2019 High Barrier Individuals Working Group, organized by Seattle and King County.” (More about that here.) As for whether West Seattle offenders are on the list, we’ve asked the City Attorney’s Office if any geographic information is available.

Just got a call about another car theft – this time, the owner says her locker was broken into at LA Fitness and the stolen items included her car keys, so the thief subsequently stole her car from the Spruce garage. It’s a royal blue 2015 Hyundai Sonata SE (similar to this), 4-door, no window tint, blue interior lights, license #BNF4676. There’s some driver’s-side damage, as the thief took off with some blue pieces of the car mirror left behind.

In West Seattle Crime Watch:

STREET ROBBERY: The full report narrative on this wasn’t available but a woman reported being held up at gunpoint near California/Alaska in The Junction on Saturday night. Her purse and phone were taken. No description of the robber other than he was “short.” If you have any information, the incident number is 22-062983.

STORE SHOPLIFT-TURNED-ROBBERY: This happened around 3 am Saturday at the Harbor Avenue 7/11. According to the police summary, the clerk reported that “a group” had come in and while one was buying a beverage, another was grabbing alcoholic beverages, lighters, and health/beauty products. While that person was in the process of leaving without paying, the clerk “verbally challenged her to pay for the items,” and the thief “lifted her shirt and exposed a short knife in her waistband.” That made it a robbery. She and the group left in two vehicles; the summary does not include descriptions.

CATALYTIC CONVERTER STOLEN: In a garage in the 1100 block of Alki Avenue SW, the catalytic converter was stolen Saturday night from Jill‘s 2006 Lexus RX 330. She says the thief left in this red Volvo:

Its plate starts with CAZ. Jill says people in a red Volvo were also seen a few days earlier “casing our building and turning our cameras.” (TUESDAY UPDATE: The car was stolen March 3rd on Genesee Hill, its owner tells us.)

THEFT TOOL? Rich found this stashed/tossed in shrubbery by his residence on Fauntleroy Way south of The Junction:

We discovered an automobile jack hidden in the bushes next to our house. When I saw it, the catalytic converter thefts leapt to mind.

But if you happen to have had one stolen and this looks like it … let us know. (TUESDAY UPDATE: Heard from the jack’s owner.)

DUMPED SKI GEAR: Ken found this dumped in a Fauntleroy alley:

If it looks like items you’re missing, let us know and we’ll connect you. (TUESDAY UPDATE: Heard from the items’ owner.)

CAR-THEFT ATTEMPT: One last reader report – Steve in Fauntlee Hills says someone tried to steal his car, parked on the street. He found the steering column and ignition damaged this morning. It was clear that an intruder had been in his car for one other reason – it reeked of cigarette smoke.

In West Seattle Crime Watch, another stolen pickup truck. Jason emailed this morning to report: “My truck was stolen from my driveway (6500 block of Delridge Way SW) at 1 am this morning (March 14th). ’99 Dodge Ram 2500 4×4 extended cab, dark green with amber beacon light on roof, license plate C74086X.” We’ll have other weekend Crime Watch reports later today.

We didn’t want to let the night end before making note of this anniversary: 10 years have passed since the as-yet-unsolved murder of Greggette Guy.

On March 12, 2012, the 51-year-old Kent resident’s body was found in the water off Beach Drive, south of Cormorant Cove Park and the Harbor West condos. Ms. Guy was a former West Seattleite who police believe had come back for a walk the night before; her car was found parked at Emma Schmitz Overlook, a few blocks south of where she was found dead of what investigators eventually described as “severe wounds to the neck.” One week after her death, 75 people gathered for a vigil and walk along the Beach Drive shoreline, not just to remember her, but to also declare they would not let safety concerns scare them away from the shore.

Ms. Guy, mother of a daughter, was remembered for her devotion to Girl Scouting, and a tribute plaque was placed at a Scout camp in east King County, dedicated one year after her murder. We last mentioned the case two years after that, in 2015; what police told us then was the same thing they told us when we inquired this week – that the Greggette Guy murder case remains an “active and ongoing investigation.” If you have any information, the SPD Homicide Division tip line is 206-233-5000.

From Mark in the 3400 block of 33rd SW:

We had a garage burglary Thursday night. Garage door was closed , but entry was apparently through unlocked side door. Stolen: a small propane heater and a black Rad Power Bike City 4. Second Rad left behind.

Two auto-theft notes start West Seattle Crime Watch this morning, followed by a break-in attempt at an auto-repair business:

ANOTHER STOLEN PICKUP: In addition to the stolen work truck noted early this morning, we have word of another pickup theft, from Chad:

Unfortunately our truck was stolen sometime between Thursday evening and Friday morning from Fairmount Ave at Stevens.

It’s a black 1993 GMC Sierra stepside, license plate B72971Z

I’m reporting it to SPD now but would appreciate data if it’s spotted. She’s been in the family for almost 30 years and is loved!

(Update: Found!)

CHARGE FILED IN THEFT OF DELIVERY DRIVER’S CAR: The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged the suspect in a West Seattle car theft earlier this week. 43-year-old Mark A. Walker of Kent is accused of stealing a package-delivery worker’s car this past Monday night. Court documents say the driver left his 2005 Camry running while making a delivery near 24th/Holden, and while he was gone “for two minutes,” somebody jumped in and drove it away. His Apple AirPods were in the car and had a tracking feature, so he used that in addition to calling police. Less than an hour and a half later, officers spotted the stolen car being driven near Rainier/Walker. They followed it, attempted to pull it over, and finally caught up with the driver at a stoplight – at which point, they say, he took off again. Ten minutes later, police again spotted the car downtown, and this time were able to contact and arrest the driver, identified as Walker, who the charging documents say told police “I’m so high, man, I don’t even know what I was doing” and admitted to taking the car. He was booked into jail; prosecutors asked for $10,000 bail and the judge ordered $5,000, on which he’s still being held. The charging documents say he has one adult felony conviction, for theft, almost 20 years ago.

BUSINESS BREAK-IN ATTEMPT: Todd at Swedish Automotive (35th/Kenyon; WSB sponsor) reports a break-in attempt:

sometime overnight, someone tried to get into our back lot and wound up cutting a hole in our gate and tried cutting the locks, but were not successful. Fortunately, it doesn’t look like anything else was damaged and we are waiting for repairs now. Police report is filed and I just wanted to add this to the ever-growing list of crimes like this going on these days.

1 AM: From Anne at Ventana Construction (longtime WSB sponsor):

Our silver 1999 F-250 was stolen while parked in front of our office at California and Raymond in Morgan Junction a little after 6 pm Thursday evening. We saw it driving through High Point on Graham a few minutes later, but then it disappeared in the side streets. The truck has lumber racks and Ventana Construction signage on the sides and back. Please call police if you see it. Case # 22-060507. License plate begins with B082.

1:30 PM: Anne reports the pickup was found in Federal Way and is “on the way back to West Seattle.”

Kate reports a stolen van that is easily recognizable:

10:10 AM: Our 1986 Volkswagen Vanagon was stolen sometime overnight or early in the morning March 10. It was parked on SW Trenton between 10th & 11th, across the street from Highland Park Elementary. License plate 674-YLE (WA). It’s pretty distinctive — brown and gold, hard top “Get Away” camper conversion — so we’re hoping someone might recognize it.

Call 911 if you see it.

1:59 PM: Found a bit further east by a WSB reader, and back with its owners!

That’s what was hauled out of 4700 36th SW this morning, shortly after this eviction notice went up:

That’s the Triangle office of former physician Eric Shibley, found guilty last November of pandemic-loan fraud. We took the photos after a tip (thank you); as we were starting to research his status, this news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office arrived:

A former Seattle doctor was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 4 years in prison for fraudulently seeking over $3.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) COVID-19 relief funds. Eric R. Shibley, 43, of Seattle, was convicted following a trial in November 2021.

At today’s sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said the sentence was due to “the blatant nature of the fraud and its size.” Judge Coughenour also noted Shibley’s decision to testify in the case saying, “I have to say it was one of the worst performances of a criminal defendant. There was very little willingness to adhere to the truth while testifying.”

“Mr. Shibley took advantage of the community, disrupted and distraught by the pandemic, to try to enrich himself through fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “These funds were desperately needed to keep people employed by legitimate small businesses. This fraud made it tougher for those truly in need.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Shibley submitted 26 fraudulent PPP applications and 13 EIDL loan applications to federally insured financial institutions, other Small Business Administration (SBA)-approved lenders, and the SBA, in the names of businesses with no actual operations or by misrepresenting the business’s eligibility. In the applications, Shibley misrepresented the number of employees and payroll expenses in several applications and concealed his own criminal history. To support the fraudulent applications, Shibley submitted fake tax documents and the names of purported employees who did not, in fact, work for the businesses for which Shibley claimed they worked. Shibley was convicted by a jury of seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of bank fraud, and five counts of money laundering.

Shibley was ordered to pay $1,438,000 in restitution. Shibley’s license to practice medicine was suspended in 2020.

“As the American people suffered from the negative economic effects of the pandemic, Mr. Shibley chose to further this suffering by stealing funds meant to help small businesses stay afloat,” said Adam Jobes, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS:CI), Seattle Field Office. “Contrary to his oath as a physician to cause no harm, Mr. Shibley caused great harm to those around him as he illegally pocketed resources meant for those who actually qualified for and needed those funds. Financial crimes are not victimless, and IRS:CI will continue to investigate and bring to justice those like Mr. Shibley who choose their own greed above the well-being of the public.”

We first reported on the case last July.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT NOTE: We are continuing to try to sort out the specifics behind the eviction notice shown above. Commenters say someone else was living in the building, which county records show Shibley bought in 2015 – though court records show a foreclosure action pending that Shibley himself had initiated.

Two reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this morning:

ROAD-RAGE ARREST: A 39-year-old West Seattle man is in the King County Jail after an alleged case of armed road rage. We’ve obtained the police-report narrative, and that’s what we’re summarizing here:

Just before 2:30 pm Monday, a 911 call came in from a woman who said another driver flashed a gun at her. The officer met her at 8th SW and SW Cambridge; she was described as “visibly shaking.” She told the officer that she had just left work and, the report narrative says, “wanted to merge with the westbound lane of Olson Pl Sw from 2nd Av Sw. As she attempted to merge, (another vehicle) came up fast behind her. She then merged into a different lane and the vehicle changed lanes as well closely behind her vehicle … She was initially confused, thinking it was a police vehicle because it looked similar, and she thought she was in the way. But then she changed lanes again, and again the vehicle changed lanes with her. As they approached a stoplight [8th/Roxbury], the other driver … pulled out a gun and pointed it at her.” She said she asked him why, and that he told her to “shut the f*** up.” She took a photo of the vehicle, a Ford Explorer, and got the plate number.

Using that, police went to the registered owner’s house and found him there. The report says he acknowledged owning a gun, for which he had a valid concealed-pistol license, and that he had “drawn it during the (reported) incident.” He claimed the driver cut in front of him twice and, the report continues, said that “he could see the other driver yelling at him and he was not sure why since she was the one making the lane changes. As they got to a stoplight, he noticed the other driver rolling down her window. Because he was afraid of what has been happening here in West Seattle, he unholstered his gun from his waistband and only pointed it south. He assessed the situation and re-holstered his gun. The other driver was yelling at him and spit toward his vehicle. He said his window was up the whole time.”

So how did the investigating officer sort this out? They wrote, “I inspected the passenger side of (the suspect’s) vehicle but did not see any sign of spit or liquid. Both sides of the story were consistent with each other’s except for the point of where the firearm had been pointed.” Assessing the types of vehicles driven by both parties, the officer wrote, “The height of (the suspect)’s vehicle would not have given (the victim) a view of the gun if it had just been unholstered and not pointed at her. Since (her sedan) was at a lower vantage, she could not have seen the gun, unless it had been lifted high enough … At this time, I determined that (the suspect) violated SMC 12A.14.075 – Unlawful use of weapons to intimidate another.” With his permission, they located and confiscated the gun, described as a Glock, along with “a magazine carrying six 9mm rounds, plus one more in the chamber.” The suspect was then booked into jail. So far as we can tell, he has no criminal record.

Also today, one reader report:

BUSINESS VANDALISM: At least two Triangle businesses were hit by vandal(s) overnight, according to a texter who sent photos from neighboring Rudy’s Barbershop and Realfine Coffee, including this one:

The texter said they had heard other businesses might have been hit, but we’re not seeing police-report numbers yet.

Police confirmed gunfire on Harbor Avenue early Sunday, according to a preliminary summary report. It says they were called about 1:35 am Sunday about possible gunfire in the 1300 block of Harbor (the Don Armeni Boat Ramp vicinity). As officers headed that way, they got an update that, the summary says, “multiple vehicles were involved and actively shooting as they fled the area southbound.” On arrival, they “located a sprawling scene that stretched from the 1300 to the 2300 block.” They found “evidence of a shooting … along this stretch of road,” which generally means casings, but “no victims (and) no property damage,” nor did they find anyone who could tell them more than that “three vehicles were likely involved.”

(WSB photo, February 2020)

Last Sunday, we reported on the guilty plea entered by 23-year-old Allan D. Hawley of Marysville, two years after he shot two acquaintances at Alki Beach. Hawley was sentenced on Friday for the February 2020 shootings. He lied to police, claiming the shootings were done by someone trying to rob the victims, but security video from a nearby business showed the truth, and he was arrested days later. Both victims, then-21-year-old men, survived. As we reported last weekend, prosecutors recommended a sentence of 7 years and 9 months in prison, with credit for time already served, and court documents say that’s the sentence Hawley received yesterday from King County Superior Court Judge Michael Ramsey Scott.

(January 2016 WSB photo – SFD responders to rescue callout after trench collapse)

ORIGINAL FRIDAY NIGHT REPORT: Six years after 36-year-old Harold Felton died in a trench collapse at a West Seattle worksite, his then-employer was sentenced today to 45 days in jail. We last reported on the case in 2018, when Phillip Numrich, owner of Burien-headquartered Alki Construction LLC, became what the state described at the time as ““the first … Washington employer (who) has faced felony charges for a workplace fatality.” He was charged with manslaughter. Earlier this year, in a plea agreement, Numrich pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of attempted reckless endangerment, a gross misdemeanor. The charge carried a maximum sentence of three months in jail; prosecutors agreed to recommend one month. The court file for this afternoon’s hearing includes this letter from state Labor and Industries supporting jail time, which L&I called unprecedented, detailing what its investigation found:

After several days of heavy rainfall, (Numrich) allowed Mr. Felton to enter an eight- to ten-foot deep trench to work on the sewer replacement. It had been raining heavily, but Mr. Numrich had only brought enough shoring (safety equipment) to protect two of the four sides of the trench from a cave-in. It’s common knowledge that soil becomes less stable following heavy rains. While Mr. Felton was working inside the trench, the sides collapsed, burying him under a massive amount of dirt and killing him. The requirements to protect an excavation such as this one have been in place since the 1970s, and are well known to everyone in the industry.

The defense filed a document quoting Mr. Felton’s co-worker at the site as suggesting insufficient shoring was not at fault, but rather “tunneling” done by the victim. Today’s hour-plus-long hearing also incorporated sentencing for a charge to which Numrich’s company agreed to plead guilty, “violation of labor-safety regulation with death resulting.” King County Superior Court Judge Michael Diaz ordered the 45-day sentence for Numrich on the attempted-reckless-endangerment charge; the sentencing minutes don’t show whether a fine was ordered for the company charge, but the plea bargain included a state recommendation that he be fined $100,000. (We’ll follow up Monday for additional details.)

ADDED MONDAY: Court documents that weren’t available until today show that the judge ordered a $25,000 fine.

11:08 AM: Back in October, we reported on the theft of this 1997 red Nissan pickup. Now it’s been stolen again:

The theft of the pickup with door signage for Harold’s Fitness (WSB sponsor) was just reported by Deborah, who says not only is it a repeat theft for this vehicle, it’s the third auto theft by Murray Wet Weather Facility and Lowman Beach Park in two weeks – the area’s even been hit during the daytime. The pickup now has the license plate C11469Y. If you see it – last time it turned up in southeast West Seattle – call 911.

9:04 PM: Deborah reports that a WSB reader found the truck – not far from home – and notified Harold, so they have it back.

Jessica sent the photo and report:

I parked my car at the 3400 block of California. I went to my car to discover that someone attempted to break in (I’m assuming anyway). The front window on the driver side was smashed in. Even with insurance, it’s a costly fix. Wondering if anyone saw anything. Happened in the late hours of the first to early hours of the 2nd.