Two followups in West Seattle Crime Watch:

CAR-ATTACK DRIVER CHARGED: The man arrested Monday and accused of deliberately running over his girlfriend at 24th/Holden is now charged, and his bail has been tripled. 25-year-old Eric J. Frank Jr. is charged with three felonies – first-degree domestic-violence assault, second-degree domestic-violence assault, and domestic-violence vehicular assault. The latter charge incorporates his alleged intoxication at the time – .16 blood alcohol, twice the legal level for DUI, according to court documents. The charges also accuse Frank of using the car as a potentially deadly weapon. The charging papers say the 26-year-old victim is in the ICU and has already endured multiple surgeries. Bail for Frank, an Alki resident who had been arrested once before for threatening the victim, is now at $250,000.

ROBBER PHOTOS: Police have provided security-camera photos of the person who held up the Rite Aid pharmacy at Westwood Village on Wednesday:

Police say witnesses described him as “Black, slim build, wearing a white hoody with black writing on the chest, a blue bandana mask, black jeans with white lettering ‘TC’ on back, red sneakers, and carrying a red and blue quilted hand-bag.” If you have any information that might help detectives, call 206-262-2526 or email david.simmons@seattle.gov.

Some days (like yesterday) there’s no crime news to report. Today has not been one of those days. Here’s another West Seattle Crime Watch update:

WALGREENS SHOPLIFT-TURNED-ROBBERY: Big police response this past hour at the South Delridge Walgreens after what was described in radio communication as a case of shoplifting that became robbery when a gun was pulled. Officers were in a brief standoff with the suspect – but it ended a short time ago with them taking him into custody. More information when we get it.

ADDED 9:49 AM THURSDAY: A few more details from the preliminary police summary: “The (adult male suspect) was known to the workers for having been previously trespassed from the store for numerous theft incidents. When contacted by store employees, the suspect produced a weapon and threatened to harm all persons in the store if they did not allow him to leave. Employees self evacuated.”

ID THEFT ARREST: This happened at the Westwood Village Bank of America around 4 pm this afternoon. According to the preliminary police summary:

A bank manager called 911 to report a suspect attempting to access a bank account with fraudulent documents and ID. The bank confirmed with the account holder the suspect did not have permission to access the account and stated the items being used had been stolen during a burglary in Kent. Officers arrived and investigated the incident. The suspect was taken into custody for forgery and ID theft. Search incident to arrest, officers located multiple ID cards, access cards, and personal financial documents belonging to several possible victims. The suspect was booked into KCJ for investigation of forgery and investigation of ID theft.

We’ll follow up on the suspects’ status in both cases tomorrow.

Amy hopes you can help find her van and/or the merchandise that was inside it:

My white 2009 Ford E-250 cargo van was stolen from our apartment building garage, 3622 California Ave SW, yesterday 4/13 between 4:45-6:30 pm. We have both keys to the vehicle, so it was rigged to start. The van is a business vehicle, so it was stolen with a significant amount of retail inventory consisting of artisan clothing and home decor. The van was full of blue plastic storage boxes containing our inventory and retail fixtures (canopy tent, rolling rack, etc.).

The license plate number is C15608T. (Here) is a photo of the same make/model/year as our van. On our van, the front plastic bumper is sagging on the right side, and the metal bumper is pushed in with some breakage to the headlight. The right back bumper is also pushed in. The is a small number 4 on the upper window of the driver’s side door.

Our inventory is stored inside the van in blue Sterilite boxes (photo). These are just as valuable for us to retrieve as the car, so any boxes found would be greatly appreciated!

If you see the van, call 911. If you find any of the containers/merchandise, let us know and we’ll connect you with Amy.

Three West Seattle Crime Watch reports:

WESTWOOD VILLAGE ROBBERY: Police are investigating a reported armed robbery at the Westwood Village Rite Aid store right now; a note on the door indicates it’s closed until 1 pm as a result. We’re hoping to get more information at the scene but in the meantime, police-radio exchanges indicate the robber(s) are believed to have escaped in a light-blue small-SUV-type vehicle last seen eastbound on SW Barton, and that this could be related to similar robberies in the region.

ADDED 3:48 PM: From the preliminary police summary:

At approximately 10:22, officers responded to a robbery at the Rite Aid located at 2600 SW Barton Street. Witnesses described the (robber) as a juvenile male between the age of 14 and 18. The (robber) jumped over the pharmacy counter, demanded Promethazine and Codeine, and threatened the victims with a firearm. The (robber) was armed with a handgun. Victims complied and provided the (robber) with an unknown amount of product.

VEHICLE ARSON: Another suspected arson at an encampment near the 1st Avenue South Bridge; the early summary on this one says it happened after 2 am, and that a witness reported that someone poured gasoline on a vehicle and set it on fire. SFD was called and extinguished the fire. No arrest or injuries reported.

STOLEN-LIKELY-DUMPED BICYCLE: From Elyse:

Recently this lovely Peugeot bike was left in our community (Duwamish Cohousing) near the 16th Ave entrance, across from the college. It was dumped with a hodgepodge of what looked like stolen items. It’s a nice bike and we’d love to return it to its owner.

For those who always ask, yes, they’ve already tried other ways of trying to find its owner. If the bicycle might be yours, contact us and we’ll connect you.

Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch, all involving catalytic converters:

PRIUS: Steve in Upper Alki reports, “My catalytic converter was stolen from my 2008 Prius, parked in my driveway in front of my house, sometime between Wednesday evening and Saturday morning.”

BUSINESS TRUCK: Someone stole the catalytic converter from a work truck at a West Marginal Way SW business over the weekend.

ELEMENT ATTEMPT: Rachel in Gatewood reports, “Came out to my Honda Element this morning for work and noticed the car was running loud. Looked under the car & there was one Sawzall cut – not all the way through the pipe – near my catalytic converter. Could have happened last night or Saturday night – did not drive car all weekend.”

SIDE NOTE: This continues to be a coast-to-coast problem (international too). In Northern California two weeks ago, according to this report, two people were arrested for possession of hundreds of stolen catalytic converters, and investigators say they have made hundreds of thousands of dollars selling them. Tips for preventing this type of theft include parking your car in a secure garage if you can, parking it somewhere brightly lit if you can’t, setting your car alarm to go off if it detects vibration, or adding a protection device/shield.

Three more West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight:

SHOPLIFT TURNED ROBBERY: The initial police summary says this happened at the Westwood Village QFC this morning. A 911 caller reported a man in the store, stealing beer and threatening employees with a fixed-blade knife. Police arrested the suspect several blocks away and booked him into King County Jail for investigation of robbery.

PURSE-SNATCHING SUSPECT CHARGED: The Westwood Village purse-snatching suspect arrested last Sunday is now charged with felony theft. The charging documents have more information on the incident, including an intense struggle. The suspect is 55-year-old Charles A. Waller. The charging papers say he approached the victim as she walked from QFC toward Rite Aid, carrying a bag of groceries and her purse. He tried to grab both, police say; she fell down and he grabbed her wallet out of the purse. She grabbed it back and tossed it into the open window of a car stopped nearby. According to the documents, he grabbed it out of the car and tried to flee with the victim’s phone and cash but fell. By then, the people in the car and a QFC employee were standing over him, and a police officer patrolling at the center had seen the commotion and gone over to investigate. Waller has several convictions from more than a decade ago, including harassment and resisting arrest. His bail is set at $40,000.

CATALYTIC-CONVERTER THEFT THWARTED: The photo and report are from William in Upper Morgan:

Last night someone got about 1/2 through the front pipe next to the catalytic converter on my 2008 Honda Element; the car was parked in our driveway with a light overhead. I guess I was lucky and something scared them off.

Two late-night incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:

WOMAN ASSAULTED: If you saw a police K9 team along Spokane St. or Harbor Avenue north of the West Seattle Bridge last night, here’s what that was about: Around 10:15 pm, according to the police-report summary, an 18-year-old woman reported she had been pistol-whipped. This happened in a group of people hanging around near the 5-way intersection. A man tried to take the woman’s phone; she wouldn’t let him, so he pulled out a gun, pointed it at the others, and then hit the victim’s head with it before fleeing. Police-radio exchanges indicate officers were given the suspect’s name, but they didn’t find him. SFD says the victim was treated at the scene.

SUSPECTED RV ARSON: This happened at an encampment near 2nd SW and SW Michigan, west of the 1st Avenue South Bridge, after 11:30 pm. The victim told police he went to a store and returned to find his RV in flames. He told officers he suspected his girlfriend set the fire. SFD responded to extinguish it; no injuries reported, and no arrest reported so far.

From Delana:

My boyfriend’s car was stolen sometime between Saturday morning (April 3rd around 9 am) to this morning (Monday, April 5th). It was last seen on 60th Ave SW, near Alki. It is a silver 1997 Honda Accord. License plate ARU9091. It has damage on the front driver’s-side door and also the rear driver’s side has a dented tail light. The driver’s-side mirror is shattered and still attached but has a small mirror attached to it.

Call 911 if you see it.

Four reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

PURSE SNATCHED: According to the police-report summary, an officer at Westwood Village (2600 SW Barton) noticed a “disturbance” in the parking lot around 2:15 pm today and went over to investigate. A 56-year-old woman told police her purse had been stolen; she fought the robber but he shoved her to the ground and took her purse. They found a suspect, “who still had the victim’s property,” according to the report. He was booked into King County Jail for investigation of robbery. The victim suffered neck injuries.

CATALYTIC CONVERTER STOLEN, AGAIN: We got a call this afternoon from a woman who reported that her Honda Element’s catalytic converter had just been stolen. It happened in the parking lot of Bridge Park (3204 SW Morgan), while she was there visiting her mom for Easter.

GUN ARREST: A man was arrested for unlawful gun possession after an incident in the 9400 block of 18th SW just before 11 am today. The police-report summary says a 911 call came in from a woman saying she had been threatened by someone with a gun. Police say the victim and suspect, who know each other, got into a fight about a jacket. The suspect got mad and pulled a 9mm handgun from his fanny pack, then walked toward the woman. She fled and called police. They found and arrested the suspect, discovering he had a felony criminal record and so could not legally possess a gun. He was booked into King County Jail.

MAIL-THEFT SUSPECT ALERT, AGAIN: A week and a half after repeat mail-theft suspect Jason A. Turner‘s most-recent release from jail – seventh time this year – North Delridge residents say he’s still stealing mail and packages. We got a text from one person last night, and today we heard from Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Kevin Grossman, who says he’s been hearing from upset residents. He says, “I’d like to encourage people to call 911 if they see him stealing mail. SPD will respond and arrest him — again. We are just as frustrated with Mr. Turner’s continued criminal behavior as the residents of West Seattle, and we will continue to work with the King County Prosecutor’s Office to persuade the judge to keep him in custody.” Turner is tentatively set for trial in May on the four counts of felony stolen-mail possession filed against him in February. (Here’s the original police alert we published in February, including a police-provided photo.)

Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch today:

ANOTHER CATALYTIC CONVERTER STOLEN: Cole reports, “We had the catalytic converter stolen from our 2009 Kia Sportage last night on Erskine @ Hudson.” As we’ve been noting, this is a type of theft that’s been spiking nationwide, fueled by astronomical prices for a particular metal they use.

LAWN/GARDEN TOOLS STOLEN: Kevin reports this happened after 7 am today near 34th and Morgan, He says the thief was in a black BMW, plate beginning with BDE, and believes they first cased the area yesterday.

We reported on Wednesday that suspected repeat mail thief Jason A. Turner was in jail again, for the seventh time this year. Tonight, he’s out again, and we have some details of his most-recent arrest. Court documents show that police took him into custody just after 7 am Wednesday, after 911 calls about someone who appeared to be stealing mail. They found him in the 4700 block of Delridge, in possession of what the police report lists as 19 envelopes and 2 packages “belonging to more than 3 victims.” In court the next day, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office requested that bail be set at $10,000, arguing that he had a history of warrants as well as a pending trial, plus other cases. Judge Lisa Paglisotti set his bail at $750. No new charges were filed by his second appearance this afternoon, so he was released. That’s also why he was released March 19th, after his March 16th arrest for alleged theft from Home Depot. This doesn’t mean he won’t ever be charged in those cases – but prosecutors have to get investigation results from police before they can make a charging decision. Turner has no felony convictions on his record; a May date is tentatively set for his trial on the four felony charges filed last month.

Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes:

ANOTHER CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT: Just got another reader report, from D, who says thieves took the catalytic converter from her 2003 Honda Element in an apartment parking lot near Avalon/Genesee. Elements are a hot target right now – you might recall our recent report about this happening to four in two days, including ours. Catalytic-converter theft is a nationwide problem, the Washington Post explained earlier this month, largely because of low supplies of, and high prices for, a metal called rhodium.

ARRESTED AGAIN: Two familiar names are on the King County Jail roster right now. Repeat mail-theft suspect Jason A. Turner was booked this morning for investigation of theft. We haven’t been able to find out details of the arrest yet. This is his seventh jail booking since the first of the year. He was charged last month with four felony counts of stolen-mail possession. … Also on the jail roster since last night – though it appears he’s in the process of getting released – Jerry S. Plute Jr., one of the two men charged in last month’s Westwood Village burglary. The reason for his booking is listed as a failure-to-appear warrant in a domestic-violence assault case. As reported here last week, he and burglary co-defendant Rafael Meyers did not appear for arraignment in the Westwood Village case two weeks ago but the judge decided not to issue warrants.

ADDED 6:02 PM – AFTERNOON ARREST: A texter asked earlier about a sizable police presence near 35th/Morgan. We went over to check – all gone. But we just received some information from SPD: A person under Department of Corrections supervision had allegedly failed a drug test, a violation of supervision rules, so DOC was searching their vehicle. In it, they found “a Grendel 380 handgun and a small quantity of narcotics,” the summary says, so they called in SPD, which seized those items and arrested the suspect.

The photo and report were sent tonight by Tina – a stolen motorcycle to watch for:

I’m an apartment manager in the Alki neighborhood. A recently deceased tenant’s Harley-Davidson Electra Glide (photo attached) was stolen at 6:20 this morning. It was stolen from a parking space next to the alley on the 3000 block of 60th Ave SW.

Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch today;

STOLEN PLATES TRAVEL FAR: From Jay:

I wanted to reach out in case others in WS have had their plates stolen. Sometime this week the license plates were stolen off my Jeep near 35th and Barton. I was notified of this by the Auburn PD this morning when they called stating my vehicle was caught on video during a theft. My vehicle was still parked at home, but my plates had been swapped out to a very similar plate number (my plate started AVD, “new” plate started AAD and are from a stolen car). They even left my license plate frames and swapped over my current registration stickers to help make sure it was hard to notice. The Auburn PD let me know the vehicle used was also the same make, model, and color of my Jeep. The Auburn PD case # is 21-02833 and the SPD incident # is 2021-68789.

This afternoon we heard a conversation on police radio about other stolen plates, so keep close watch on yours – it might be a trend.

CAR-PROWL LOOT TO LOOK FOR: From Dan:

Our car was broken into last night in the Genesee Hill neighborhood (4100 block of 53rd Ave. SW). The only thing of value taken was a backpack full of golf discs, some with some sentimental value. It’s a green Dynamic Discs Paratrooper bag. There were a variety of discs in the bag, but they all have my initials and phone number on them.

No police-report number yet; let us know if you think you have found the bag and/or one or more of the discs, and we will connect you.

PAINTED PEEPHOLES: From Stefan:

We wanted to report that Friday 3/19 night or Saturday 3/20 morning, someone spray-painted over the peepholes on both doors of our 2-unit townhouse.

They also stole a toolbox that was cable locked to the bed of a neighbor’s pickup truck. We assume that they are related.

Our units are on the alley off Fauntleroy adjacent to FairmoUnt Park School. There have been a lot of incidents lately. Our car was broken into 6 weeks ago. Our immediate neighbor has had the catalytic converters stolen twice from his car, and the neighbor who lost the toolbox also had a scooter stolen from the same area. … We’ve owned our unit for 10 years and haven’t had this many issues combined previously. There is typically a lot of foot traffic in the alley since people are walking to Fairmount with kids and dogs.