Multiple break-ins, one person, reports Kelli:

At 5:08 AM on 11/24/21, our car and garage were broken into. A workbench full of tools, an Echo home studio speaker, a Kindle, a leaf blower, and my daughter’s green wagon was stolen. Next the thief went across the street and broke our neighbors’ gate and broke into their car as well.

This happened in the 6300 block of 44th SW in Morgan Junction.

The report and photos are from Tomba, who :

Our condo garage gate was broken into last night 11/23 at 3:00 am. ‘

Our security camera recorded the burglar checking out the gate at midnight, he arrived on a bike, returned at 3:00 am on foot with tools, broke into the gate, then cut the security cable on the Hand Trike and left at 3:15 am, riding the hand trike south on Harbor Ave.

This is a Top End Force Three Hand Trike, black with red lettering, customized for a young man that uses a wheelchair full time. This is not easily replaced. I would think this will be very hard for the burglar to sell.

Maybe someone in our West Seattle neighborhood has seen this burglar or this hand trike.

We’ve requested the report number. (Update: It’s 21-921955.) Meantime, if you find the trike, let us know and we’ll connect you.

Four days after a desperate father crashed into a stolen car to rescue his kidnapped toddler on Highland Park Way, the suspect is charged – and has a history that includes a case reported here earlier this year. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged 35-year-old Samuel M. Robinson with second-degree kidnapping and auto theft. Robinson has an extensive criminal history, including felony charges in three cases this year alone. One was reported here back in August, and its circumstances also were bizarre: Robinson was accused of breaking into a Westwood home, stealing car keys and the residents’ car, then returning to their cul-de-sac the next night – in the stolen car, to prowl other vehicles.

As we reported when Robinson was charged with burglary in that case, the suspect already had been charged with felonies in two other cases earlier in the summer – on July 8th, auto theft for stealing a pickup truck in southeast West Seattle, and on July 28th, second-degree burglary for a break-in at a Kent business a few days earlier. Despite all that, after the Westwood burglary/auto theft, King County Superior Court Judge Melinda Young set bail at half of the $50,000 that prosecutors had requested.

But the case gets more complicated from there. Robinson was found incompetent to stand trial, and was supposed to be admitted to Western State Hospital for 45 days of attempted competency restoration. Apparently there was no room, so in October, Robinson’s lawyer sought a dismissal for a due-process violation. Judge Young denied that motion but agreed to release Robinson on personal recognizance, with conditions including taking prescribed medication, so Robinson got out October 19th. After Robinson failed to show for a hearing November 8th, a warrant was issued. Robinson’s bail is now set at $315,000. The charging documents say the defendant, who has a Westwood address, claims to steal cars because of “projection” in which the cars communicate that they’re intended for Robinson’s use. In this case, Robinson acknowledged becoming quickly aware of the 15-month-old boy in the car but continuing to drive anyway, thinking about possibly taking the child to a relative’s house.

From Lori:

(Saturday in High Point) we found a shoulder bag with some electronics and other items in it sitting by the side of the road on Juneau Street, between 32nd and 33rd Streets. We brought it home and looked through it to see if we could find any name or contact info, but there wasn’t anything like that. Among other items in the bag, there was a PlayStation5. Happy to return it if someone can claim it by describing the bag and other items in it.

If this might be yours, contact us and we’ll connect you.

Two weeks ago, we published two reader reports from Amy – first, that her car had been stolen on Alki, then that hours later, a burglar had broken into her home while she and her daughter were asleep.

Images from the break-in led to a WSB reader tip pointing police to a suspect, but he evaded at least two arrest attempts. Tonight, we have an update from Amy:

Our intruder has been caught!

He had taken his white GMC with his wife to Nevada and was caught in a high-speed chase with police. When they apprehended him, they found my kiddo’s phone, my wallet with most of the cards in it, along with other people’s stolen items. And a gun.

He’s in jail in Nevada … he will be charged in Nevada and then after he serves time he will then be sent up to Seattle to serve time here.

P.S. Still no sign of my stolen car.

Amy says the arrest happened Thursday in Mineral County, Nevada, and she found out via a call from a deputy there. We’ll follow up with their authorities and SPD to see if we can find out more.

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.