In July of last year, we reported on a local doctor charged by federal authorities with fraud for allegedly fraudulently seeking more than $3 million in pandemic-relief loans. Today, the Department of Justice announced that a federal jury found Dr. Eric Shibley guilty. From the announcement:

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Eric R. Shibley, 42, of Seattle, submitted several fraudulent PPP and 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 otherwise misrepresenting the business’s eligibility. In the applications, Shibley falsified the number of employees and payroll expenses 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 received over $2.8 million in COVID-19 relief funds as a result of the fraud.

Shibley was convicted of multiple counts of wire fraud, multiple counts of bank fraud, and money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 22, 2022, and faces 20 years for each count of wire fraud, 30 years for each count of bank fraud, and 10 years for money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

According to the online inmate roster, Shibley is in custody at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac. The announcement says the feds have “prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases and has seized over $75 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds.” They accept tips online here.

Two incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch today:

HOME-INVASION ROBBERY: According to a brief SPD summary, officers were called to a residence in the 7900 block of 8th SW last night around 10:10 pm. A home-invasion robbery was reported there, with two armed men coming in and robbing a couple of money and jewelry.. The robbers then fled and got into a vehicle. No one was hurt. No description information in the summary; we have requested the detailed report narrative and will add anything more we find out.

BUILDING BURGLARY: The report and security-camera image were sent by Rick:

We have had some recent security issues in our building. We are on Harbor Ave SW right by the water taxi. Recently someone tried to break into our main entry door, damaging the lock and rendering it unusable. Over this past weekend this man pictured broke into our building, broke into a secured room, and stole keys.

Prior to this, an outside camera was stolen by the main entrance. It’s obvious these are professionals and our building is being targeted for theft and who knows what else. The police are being contacted, and yes, I realize we can’t expect much from them right now, and we are replacing locks and codes and stepping up security. Neighbors on Harbor Ave and in the area at large, be on the lookout for this individual. He carries a duffel bag which likely has tools for picking locks, which is how he gained access to a secured room to steal keys. Incident occurred early Sunday morning 11/14.

We’ll add the case number when/if we get it.

Earlier this week, we reported on the arrest of a man accused of molesting and exposing himself to two children in West Seattle on Sunday. He was accused of approaching the elementary-age victims at 8th/Roxbury as they walked home from a park, This afternoon, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged 39-year-old Anthony M. Bell with two felonies – indecent exposure and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. Bell was already a registered sex offender because he was convicted of third-degree rape in a domestic-violence case in 2008. The photo at right is from the sex-offender registry. Bell has other previous convictions including indecent exposure and assault. Prosecutors asked the judge to keep Bell’s bail set at $250,000 and the judge agreed; he remains in jail tonight and will be arraigned later this month.

A 39-year-old Boulevard Park man is jailed tonight, bail set at $250,000, after being arrested for suspected child molesting and indecent exposure. Court documents say the man was arrested Sunday evening, about two hours after the two elementary-school-age victims told their parent about the incident. A Seattle Police investigator wrote in probable-cause documents that the children were at 8th SW and SW Roxbury, walking home from an unspecified nearby park/playground, when a man approached them and asked for “a hug.” They said no but he touched them both and then exposed himself. At that point, the report says, a person yelled from a car that was stopped at the intersection, telling the man to stop, and the children ran away. Both that witness and the children’s parent reported the incident to police, and the description led to the suspect’s arrest near 16th/Roxbury. The suspect, who is not yet charged, was convicted of indecent exposure almost three years ago following an incident in Top Hat.

Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

GAS THEFT IN ARBOR HEIGHTS: Bill reports, “Our son’s truck had its gas tank drilled last night. We’re right on 35 Ave SW at 110th, this was before 11:00 p.m., under a street light, at a bus stop.”

BROKEN WINDOWS: We haven’t heard directly from anyone affected by this, but Nate reports the sightings:

“On our walk from Fauntleroy to the Junction, we’ve seen four Audi Q5 and Q3s with broken front windows. It was super weird that three of them were the same car. One in Fauntleroy, two in Seaview and one in Gatewood. One poor guy had walked out and discovered it just as we were walking by.”

1:17 AM: The report and photo are from Jennifer:

My son-in-law’s truck was stolen the morning of November 11th, between 5 and 6 am, from High Point Dr. about two blocks east of Sylvan.

It’s a red, 2001, Chevy S10 pickup truck. The front driver-side headlight is held on with a zip tie. There is a dent in the hood and the metal is exposed, a dent on the tail gate, and a standout black front driver side body panel. These are a few identifiers, along with stickers on the back windshield.

We’ll add the plate # when we get it. Call 911 if you see this pickup – refer to incident 21-299367.

10:40 AM: Update from Jennifer – the pickup’s been found.

Last weekend, we published Amy‘s reports about a car theft followed by a burglary while she and her daughter were asleep in their home. On Sunday, we added her update that a reader tip helped police find the suspect’s car – but not him. Still looking, she says, and wanted to re-enlist the community’s help:

The perpetrator in the home invasion in North Admiral from this past weekend is still at large. We need your help tracking him down. There is a warrant out for his arrest.

Progress so far: The police identified a second vehicle belonging to him, and my daughter’s laptop was in it. He/they tried to reset it so it’s a bit screwed up but we are working on it.

Between his 2 cars, there were several stolen items including more electronics and jewelry. The police have not been able to get a judge to sign a search warrant for his apartment yet.

The case was assigned to the Major Crimes unit yesterday.

If you see him, please let SPD know. It was a community tip that got him identified … let’s help get him where he belongs.

The case # to reference is 21-294795

Multiple readers asked about a sizable police response last night at Cal-Mor Circle (the cylindrical apartment building in Morgan Junction). We had only fragments of information last night but now we have details. After a standoff, police arrested a 44-year-old man suspected of incidents earlier in the day, including this one at 11:40 am Monday, as summarized by police:

An individual walked into a bank in the 4200 block of SW Edmunds, approached the teller, and told her, “give me all your money or I will f-ing kill you.” The suspect has an account at that particular bank, so the teller knew who he was. He left with no money. The suspect is known to officers and suffers from mental illness.

Police tried to find him at his residence after that but were unsuccessful. Then, they say, this happened:

The same suspect entered a store nearby from the rear entrance. The victim said the suspect was very aggressive and threatened to kill the employee because she asked him to put a mask on. When he refused, the victim asked the suspect to leave. The suspect refused to leave. The suspect’s behavior escalated, and he threatened to kill the victim as he was reaching into his jacket as if he was reaching for a weapon. The victim said she was terrified of the suspect’s threat and action. The suspect then fled the scene on foot.

Police found him at home at Cal-Mor Circle later after being dispatched there “because the suspect had threatened to kill other residents and pulled the fire alarm.” Police say he barricaded himself inside his apartment; they called in negotiating-team officers, then got a search warrant and arrested him. The SPD summary makes one final note: “During transport to King County Jail via AMR, the suspect spat on an officer and two AMR personnel.” So far the jail roster shows his bail set at $3,000, and that his case was sent to Seattle Municipal Court. We’ll add anything more we find out.

The report is from Virginia:

I am a resident of Alaska House at The Junction. My catalytic converter was stolen sometime before Saturday morning (the 6th) while my car was parked in the Alaska House garage. A care-support person, who was also parked in the garage, reports that his was stolen as well.

Alaska House is the building between the 42nd SW parking lot and Junction Plaza Park. Virginia has filed a police report.

While routine lost/found items can be posted in the WSB Community Forums, some “found” items seem likely to have been stolen and dumped, so we mention those here. The latest examples:

JEWELRY: Gretchen emailed to say that she found, near Genesse Hill this morning, “a collection of personal jewelry items. Watch, bracelets, 2 necklaces, earrings. Fashionable but not high value.” If you’re missing jewelry, let us know and we’ll connect you.

And two bicycles:

48TH/CHARLESTOWN: Steve 37TH/spotted this one:

37TH/98TH: Lorraine spotted this one:

She adds that as of yesterday, it had been there “for at least 3 days now.”

SATURDAY MORNING: Last night we published Amy‘s report about someone stealing her car from outside an Alki business. Hours later, this happened:

Last night, I reported that my Audi A7 was stolen near Alki around 5-6 pm. It contained my registration with my address. At 4:30 am today, a white SUV (don’t know what kind this is yet) pulled up directly in front of my house, idling as this guy looked around my house. He then attempted to get in the front. No luck.

He went to the back door, threw a rock through a window, and entered the house.

He grabbed my purse with wallet from the kitchen, and then went into my teenage daughter’s bedroom. (Thankfully she was sleeping upstairs with me.)

He stole her computer and phone. He then left out the front door. I discovered this when I got up at 6 am. He is using my credit cards.

He has very distinctive tattoos on his face and neck. Thin, 5’10 to 6’ 1. He wore a Patriot jersey with 12 on the front, necklace, long offwhite coat, light pants.

It’s all on my nest cams. If you know who this is, please let me and/or the police know.

We’ll add the report number when available.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON: An update from Amy:

Update: 11/7: The police received an anonymous tip from the community and located him this am. Thank you whoever you are! They found a credit card tying him to the home invasion among other things in his GMC vehicle. They now know his identity. They impounded it.

Your continued help is vital to ensure this does not happen to other families.

If you see him, please let the Southwest Precinct police know ASAP or respond to the editor to pass along messages.

The case # to reference is 21-294795.

Your help is sought in these two cases:

THEFT TURNS TO ROBBERY/ATTACK: From Lara:

Yet another catalytic-converter theft. However, this one escalated into assault, battery and robbery of a witness resulting in a significant head injury. We are trying to help SPD identify the suspects.

On 11/3/21 at around 3:10 pm, my friend witnessed two men stealing a catalytic converter on her street (34th Ave SW and Cloverdale) with a power saw. When they saw her, one of the men approached her, stole her phone and assaulted her by punching/shoving her backward. She fell down, hit her head on the street, and was knocked unconscious.

A neighbor came upon her, lying in the street, and called 911; however, he did not see the attack. We found out that there was an actual witness who was driving by. He also called 911 but wanted to remain anonymous.

My friend ended up having a cracked skull and brain bleed. It was very scary and potentially life threatening. Thankfully, it ultimately ended up a best-case-scenario and she is going to be okay. Such a huge relief!

Suspects: Two Black males, driving a very distinctive, multi-color “beater” car with red, blue, and silver paint. We believe it is an old Nissan Sentra. **See attached photo from a DIFFERENT incident earlier in the day by the same suspects and car. Note the man under the car on the right

One of the men had a beige pit bull on a leash and outside of their car – presumably for security. Thankfully, he didn’t release it to attack her, but it was aggressively barking at her during the altercation. NOTE: Another witness saw the dog off-leash at a different location.

Lara posted about this on social media and was told of sightings around West Seattle and White Center. If you have any information about them, the SPD incident to refer to is 21-252198. She adds, “Also, please be careful and do not approach these men if you see them.”

STILL SEEKING HALLOWEEN SHOOTER: This also happened on 34th SW, a little ways north. We published this report about a prowler who shot at a woman around midnight last Sunday night – just after she opened her front door to see what was going on. She was not hit, but police found bullets lodged in the house. The victim’s husband provided this photo from a neighbor’s camera:

He hasn’t yet been identified, according to an update today from the victim’s husband, but if you have any tips, you can directly contact the sergeant on the case at 206-684-5562 or spd6864@seattle.gov. The incident # is 21-290133.

Just in from Amy:

I left my Audi down near Harry’s Beach House, in front of 2137 60th Ave. SW. I left it at 4:45 pm today (Friday) and returned at 6:45 … no car.

I called, and the police called the towing companies, and there were no reports of it being towed.

It is a 2014 black Audi A7 4-door sedan, with roller derby and WSU bumper stickers. License plate BIF3757.

If you see this (or any other known stolen vehicle), call 911.

Three reader reports:

HALLOWEEN NIGHT GUNFIRE: This happened on 34th SW in Sunrise Heights and the victim’s hoping you recognize the shooter:

Halloween night we had an incredibly scary situation take place in front of our home in West Seattle. We need the help of West Seattle residents identifying the culprit.

We were cleaning up from a small gathering we had in our front yard for neighbors and trick and treaters. At around 11 PM, one neighbor and I during the cleanup witnessed a prowler in his car. We confronted the culprit, who exited the car and walked away from us while my neighbor dialed 911. The culprit was incredibly casual and slowly made his way to 35th Avenue SW as we followed him while talking to the 911 responder. The culprit turned up 35th Avenue SW and eventually we turned around to head back to our homes when he was out of sight. We then heard a bang that we assumed was a firework.

An hour later, I was in our backyard locking up when I heard footsteps again. I looked over our gate and saw the same culprit this time by my vehicles. I began yelling at him in an effort to get him away from the cars and out of our neighborhood when I shockingly realized he had a gun in his hand. My wife heard the yelling and opened our door thinking I was in trouble. As soon as she opened the door — he fired at her twice thankfully missing her but very close to where she was standing.

It was a scary situation and hard to take in. We really questioned for a while whether the gun was real but the Police did confirm it was. There are bullets lodged into our house and we found an unused bullet and shell casing outside of our house.

The Police responded quickly after the shooting and also came the next day to take statements and gather additional evidence.

What’s crazy about the whole experience is how casual the shooter was. He never seemed in a hurry. He also never said a thing.

Thankfully our neighbor caught him on video just before I encountered him a second time that night when he entered the neighbor’s carport in the alley in an effort to find items to steal.

We need help identifying the shooter — please contact the Police Department and reference this incident number (2021-290133) if they know anything additional about what happened that night or can identify the shooter or can offer anything to assist in his arrest. He’s incredibly callous and the police and we are worried it could happen again.

One of our neighbors who saw the video recognized him as a shoplifter she saw at the Westwood Rite Aid in September. She also believes he was a frequent shoplifter based on the reaction he received from the Rite Aid manager.

The first incident with the shooter was around 11 PM. The second incident when he fired at my wife took place around midnight. And then later that night we heard a shot again at about 1:30 AM/2:00 AM.

ANOTHER CATALYTIC-CONVERTER THEFT: Kyre‘s Toyota Highlander hybrid was hit Tuesday;

I would like to report a picture of the car that carried the thieves who stole my catalytic converter in the middle of the day, at a brazen 10 min to noon, on a well=traveled street near Fairmount Park Elementary.

People can keep an eye out so it won’t happen to them. Red Audi, blacked out windows, black license plate. Took 3 minutes!

STORAGE BREAK-IN, KEEPSAKES STOLEN: From Samir:

I just learned that someone was able to break into the storage unit of my (Harbor Avenue) apartment and steal my backpack full of my gear. While the gear can be replaced, I was wondering if you could put out a notice for Philmont bag tags that were attached to the bag.

I got these tags when I was 16 with the Boy Scouts. There will be 2 blue ones and 1 yellow one (2 belonging to me, 1 belonging to my dad). The backpack itself was a blue backpack with orange straps. If the tags are still on the bag they would be attacked to the outside by a carabiner.

The backpack contained items including a sleeping bag and pad, an inflatable pillow, and a water filter.

Two more West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight:

STOLEN PICKUP: Vance‘s.dark green 2014 Ford F-150, “slightly lifted, with an Aloha and a Montana sticker on the back windshield” was stolen. Plate C42998U, taken from the 5900 block of 41st Ave SW. Call 911 if you see it.

CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT ON VIDEO: Sent by Justin:

Justin says it happened on SW Edmunds near The Junction: “Broad daylight on a fairly busy street – unbelievable! Keep an eye out for the vehicle that did it, I bet they’re hitting a bunch of cars.” His car, like the theft target reported here earlier today, is a Lexus RX 400h.

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports:

BIKES STOLEN, ANOTHER DUMPED: Less than a week and a half ago, we published Margaret‘s report about losing a bicycle to a thief/thieves who left another behind. Now it’s happened again:

We had two more bikes stolen from our shed (Sunday) night, and again, another bike was discarded. We live on Andover between Admiral and Alaska Junctions. The blue Schwinn bike and black Diamondback bike were the ones that were taken. The orange bike was the one that was discarded.

Please let us know if you are looking for an orange bike or if you see the ones we are missing.

CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT: Just in from Matt: “The catalytic converter was stolen off my car while it was parked in the parking lot of the YMCA on Snoqualmie yesterday, between 6 pm and 7 pm.” (Added) Matt’s car is a It is a 2006 Lexus RX 400h.

The photo and report are from Derek:

Once again I have to report another stolen vehicle. On Thursday or Friday our gray 2003 Ford F-250 diesel was stolen from our shop on West Marginal Way SW. WA license plate B70024X. Police report 21-290159.

Call 911 if you see it. (Derek’s previous stolen-vehicle report was this, in August.)