The photo and report are just in from Reese: “We had our U-Haul, with our car attached, stolen this morning. Possibly around 3 am. It was parked at Willow St. and 35th Ave SW. Black Kia Forte, California License Plate 7TUN117; 15-foot U-Haul, Arizona License Plate AH01818.” If you see either, call 911.

Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes as the week gets going:

BACKYARD SURPRISE: From the “likely stolen/dumped” file, reported by Terry:

Found Sunday, in our Admiral District backyard (!): a gray, plastic, Plano-brand storage container. If it’s yours, call 206-932-8051, identify the contents, and it’s yours again.

CAR PROWL: Clayton reports, “In case anyone else had a car broken into (like we did) in the vicinity of 38th and Hinds. We caught the thief on our Nest Cam, though the video isn’t good enough to see his face. It looks like he was just walking up the street checking doors, and somehow got into our other vehicle, which was parked further up on the street.”

Quick updates on four of the many cases we’re continuing to watch but haven’t updated in a while:

MURDER SENTENCING: Anna Kasparova and Abel Linares-Montejo, found guilty two months ago in the 2017 murder of Edixon Velasquez, are scheduled for sentencing this Friday (February 7), 1 pm, before King County Superior Court Judge Kristin Richardson.

ATTEMPTED-BURGLARY-WITH-KNIFE SUSPECT: This Friday is also the next date for Gabriel Putnam, who you might remember as the suspected would-be burglar shown on porch video with a large knife. He subsequently skipped a court appearance; a warrant was issued, and he was arrested in October in Idaho and extradited back here. He’s been in the King County Jail ever since, in lieu of $25,000 bail; on Friday, a trial-readiness hearing (aka omnibus) is scheduled.

SAWED-OFF SHOTGUN SUSPECT: Michael Mullen, originally arrested for an incident last June in a Junction alley in which he was found in possession of a sawed-off shotgun, has been back in jail since mid-October. He was recently found competent to stand trial and has a bail hearing tomorrow afternoon.

FORMER COACH PLEA BARGAIN? Court documents indicate a plea hearing is tentatively scheduled Wednesday for Michael Gutierrez, the former West Seattle High School JV-girls basketball coach charged with inappropriate sexual communication with two players. No details, though, of the potential plea agreement or recommended sentence.

From Emily:

Our car was “broken” into sometime Friday night/Saturday morning between midnight and 10 AM on 47th Ave between Hudson and Dawson. I put the word broken in quotation marks because there were no signs of forced entry and I can’t be 100% sure I didn’t accidentally leave the car unlocked. The contents of the glove compartment and the center console were strewn about the front seats, but nothing appeared to be missing. We’re happy no windows were smashed, but a good reminder to be mindful of what we leave in the car.

A Fairmount Park Elementary parent forwarded a letter sent to families today by principal Julie Breidenbach. The parent noted, “Because there is a community park adjacent, this should probably (get( community-level attention.” Here’s the letter:

Dear Fairmount Park Parents,

I want to share information about an incident in our neighborhood. This morning before school, one of our students reported to her parent that an adult tried to lure her into his private vehicle. The child ran home and the parent did call the police. The parent reports that the adult male was in a silver pickup truck. Our school district security has been in that neighborhood several times today and will be watching that bus stop closely this afternoon and in upcoming days.

The safety of our students is a top priority. You can help your children stay safe by talking to them about personal safety. Having these conversations, especially with younger children, can be difficult. We encourage you to be sensitive to your child.

As a precaution, we are reminding our students this afternoon about safety tips for walking to and from school. We would appreciate your help by having a similar conversation at home. The walking safety advice includes:

GENERAL SAFETY TIPS:

Pay close attention to your surroundings, avoid “automatic pilot.”

Walk with a purpose; project an assertive, business-like image.

Use common sense; plan your route to avoid uninhabited parks, parking lots, garages and alleyways.

Stick to well-lit areas.

Develop a plan before you see trouble. Crossing a street or entering a store may get you out of a potentially bad situation.

If a car follows you or beckons you while you are walking, do not approach it. Instead, turn and quickly walk the opposite direction.

Consider wearing clothing and shoes that you can move freely and quickly in, especially when walking or waiting for the bus.

Carry minimal items; overloading yourself can make you appear vulnerable.

Always plan your route and stay alert to your surroundings. Avoid shortcuts. Walk confidently. Scan your surroundings and make eye contact with people.

We’re checking to see if police have any further information about the incident.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed eight felony charges against the West Seattle man whose arrest followed warrant searches that found drugs, guns, and cash. 40-year-old David Vasquez is charged with six counts of drug violations plus one count of money laundering and one count of unlawful gun possession. The police narrative accompanying the charging documents is 11 pages long and tells a tale of a months-long investigation, prefaced by this case summary from prosecutors:

The impetus for investigating the defendant in this case arose from the overdose of a three-month-old baby. This overdose was the result of fentanyl, the product the defendant was knowingly selling under the guise of M30 oxycodone pills.

The police narrative explains that the baby died almost a year ago in Southeast Seattle, apparently ingesting the fentanyl through breast milk. Eight months later, the death was ruled a homicide.

The baby was not related to Vasquez. But when police searched the parents’ home, the charging documents say, they found drugs and paraphernalia. The investigation led police to their alleged drug dealer, who they addressed as “Benny” but who police say was Vasquez.

Once police identified “Benny” as Vasquez, the narrative says, an undercover invetigation began. It included multiple drug buys, by undercover officers, at multiple locations in and outside of West Seattle. Factoring into that part of the narrative is an incident covered here – police gunfire behind the Admiral Pub on October 24th. The narrative doesn’t go deeply into detail, aside from detailing an undercover buy at the pub that night, then saying “There was a disturbance at the rear of the bar not long after this narcotics transaction involving Vasquez and several others. He was observed staggering through the pub from the back door,” then leaving with another man through the front door, departing in that man’s pickup truck.

Subsequent buy locations detailed in the narrative included the Admiral Safeway parking lot, the Metropolitan Market parking lot, and the Ballroom Lounge in north Seattle. Police wrote that their surveillance also followed Vasquez to Life Storage in Luna Park and an apartment he had rented at The Whittaker in The Junction, though he also had a house near 41st/Hinds. The Whittaker is where police say they arrested him just before 3 pm last Friday. Meantime, police say the money-laundering investigation revealed that the suspect had started an LLC through which he processed tens of thousands of dollars and used some of it to pay his rent. As for the gun charge, police say he had a .45-caliber Glock semi-automatic handgun at the time of his arrest, illegal for him to possess because he has a felony conviction, attempted burglary, in 1997. Other convictions listed in charging documents are also from the ’90s, when he was a teenager, including two cases of taking a motor vehicle without permission.

Prosecutors asked that his original $100,000 bail, on which he posted bond and was released last weekend, be raised to $250,000, and that request was granted. Vasquez is due back in court February 10th for arraignment.

From Anne:

Wanted to report and share with the WSB that our car was stolen out of our driveway last Friday 1/24 between 2-5 am. Our driveway is on SW College Street in between California and 44th Ave. Our car is similar to the attached image: forest green 1997 Honda CR-V license plate #AHB6541. The vehicle did not have much gas so assuming it was ditched somewhere in West Seattle. Only thing really worth of value in the car were two 5-point harness car-seats in the back seat. We filed a police report. Sadly this occurrence seems more common then not but hopefully our car is just parked on a side street waiting for us to find it.

Call 911 if you see it.

Three incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:

BUSINESS BURGLARS ON CAMERA: The images above and below are from a burglary this morning at Admiral Pub. (For those who tipped us to a big police response in the Admiral District, this is what it was about.)

The images are from the Admiral Pub’s owners, who tell us nothing was taken, but: “In the process of breaking into the bar, they busted a pipe.” That led to an SFD “water job” response. “Officer told us there have been multiple business break-ins in the area. They went in, saw our cameras and left. To all local businesses, be on the lookout.”

HOME BURGLARY: From Sue:

We’re so sad to report that our house was broken into at 2:30 PM (Tuesday). We think that our backyard shed was the initial target, since these guys broke the door of the shed first and likely moved towards our house.

They threw in a rock to break into our window and opened it to gain access. Luckily, we are safe and we spoke with the cops and filed a police report.

The thieves took a Samsung laptop with them, an empty Fossil purse, tools, and rifled through our documents… Though unlikely, we hope they get caught!

The SPD report # is 20-34163.

STOLEN SUBARU: Stephanie‘s Subaru was stolen in the Alki area, with this distinctive hood art:

1995 Subaru, 4-inch lift, plate BRG7668. If you see it, call 911.

The photo and report are from Anne:

Our family member’s truck was stolen across the street from our house today between 3 and 4:30 p.m. on the 3900 block of Barton Street.

It’s a 2008 Silver Ford Ranger Truck; license is CO7307P. Police incident # is 2020-34392.

Call 911 if you see it.

When residents near 41st/Hinds texted about plain-clothes police activity last Friday afternoon, all we could find out was, warrant service. But now we know more. The report and photo are from SPD Blotter:

SPD Narcotics seized fentanyl pills, cocaine, xanax, methamphetamine, and cash while serving warrants last Friday in connection with an investigation into drug trafficking and money laundering in West Seattle.

Officers from the South Precinct’s Anti-Crime team arrested the 40-year-old suspect in a West Seattle parking garage and found he was carrying 62 fentanyl pills, 28 grams of cocaine, and a small number of xanax pills, as well as a handgun.

Narcotics detectives and the West and South Precinct’s Anti-Crime Teams then served warrants at two homes and a storage unit – in the 4700 block of 40th Avenue SW and the 3400 block of 41st Avenue SW – and recovered a .22 rifle, documents pertaining to money laundering, and additional narcotics, including 140 fentanyl pills, 10 grams of cocaine, 20 xanax pills, a small amount of meth and over $4,000 cash.

Investigators booked the suspect into the King County Jail for narcotics delivery and money laundering.

We’ll add anything more we find out about the suspect and his status.

From Pat:

My maroon (red) 1988 Honda Accord 4-door sedan (WA Collectors Vehicle License Plate 4079A) was stolen this morning from in front of our house in the 2700 block of 48th Ave SW. The car was locked and had a steering wheel club lock in place, but I guess the thief was skilled. Anyway, the car has been reported as stolen to the SPD and they took a report this morning (Incident 2020-032350).

If you see it, call 911.

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports:

BURGLARY ON VIDEO: That video is from inside Steve‘s home in the 9000 block of 35th SW, after burglars broke a window to get in around 5 pm January 17th. Some items were stolen, says Steve, who adds that the SPD case # is 2020-020431.

MAIL THEFT/VANDALISM: The report and photo are from Parker near Delridge/Juneau:

(Wednesday) morning my wife found that our locked mailbox, along with all the others in the cluster, had been broken open and emptied of their contents. We have no idea who did it but I wanted to tip you off to keep an eye out for what might be a larger problem in West Seattle. I can only speculate about what they were targeting but people are receiving their W-2s this time of year. It may be the first step of an identity theft operation.

If mail theft happens to you, in addition to reporting it to police, be sure also to file a report with the Postal Inspection Service.

Just in from Cinthia:

My car was stolen between the late evening of January 22nd and early morning of January 23rd. 2014 Chevy Cruze. Dark gray with black interior (no tinted windows). Washington plate AYS6208. It was taken from the 8500 block of 16th Ave SW. Police incident number 20-27059. If you see it, please call 911.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged 25-year-old Solomon D. Whitt with first-degree murder in the death of his roommate, identified by authorities as 41-year-old Jana Layman. As reported by Seattle Police yesterday, Ms. Layman died January 13th, three days after she was taken to the hospital after Whitt claimed she had fallen down the stairs in the Junction home where he lived with her and her two children. He was arrested six days later. The charging documents say he attacked her after she asked him to move out. Prosecutors say Whitt has no criminal history but asked that his bail remain at $2 million because of “the danger he presents to our community.” He remains in jail awaiting arraignment. The charging documents say the defendant and victim met while working in a youth-sports program, and that he moved in a little over a year ago to help with her children. A commenter following our Wednesday report says donations are being accepted via this church website – choose “Jana’s Family Care Fund.”

(WSB photo, January 10th)

12:24 PM: After none in 2019, West Seattle has its first homicide case of 2020. On January 10th, neighbors told us about a police response in the 4500 block of 40th SW. Police would only tell us that they were investigating a serious injury suffered by someone in the residence but weren’t sure if a crime was committed. We’ve been following up but received no new information, until today. SPD now says the victim died and her 25-year-old roommate has been arrested:

On January 10th, the 25-year-old man called 911 and said he had found his roommate, a 41-year-old woman, unresponsive at the bottom of a staircase in their shared home in the 4500 block of 40th Avenue SW.

Patrol officers, concerned about the circumstances of the incident, called for homicide detectives to respond to the scene. Medics transported the woman to Harborview Medical Center, where she died three days later.

Homicide detectives conducted an initial interview with the 25-year-old man, and then released him from the scene. The detectives continued to investigate and, after the woman’s death on January 13th, police interviewed the man once again, leading them to book him into the King County Jail for homicide.

The King County Jail roster shows the suspect is jailed in lieu of $2 million bail. We’ll be checking with prosecutors for bail-hearing documents and will add anything more we find out.

12:59 PM: Added a photo we had taken while checking with police on January 10th. Also just received the probable-cause document from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. It says the victim never regained consciousness and “had injuries on her neck that were inconsistent with a fall down the stairs”; the suspect had “what appeared to be fresh scratches/abrasioons to his arms and chest.” The document says that after the Medical Examiner determined the victim was killed by strangulation, the suspect told police he strangled her and “threw her down the stairs to make it look like an accident.”

10:19 PM: Patrick reports someone stole his set of 4 winter tires from his apartment parking garage near 35th and Avalon. Though even locked garage doors are not burglar-proof, in this case, he says, the garage door has been unlocked and in need of repair, “so someone just walked (or drove) right in and snatched them. I’m sure I’ll never see those tires again, which is frustrating, but if any WSB readers need a reminder to hide your possessions from the public and/or lock them up, there it is.”

ADDED 11:10 PM: Caroline just emailed to report this business burglary weekend before last at The Whittaker:

We started construction on the new City Sweats location last month in suite 170 under Whole Foods. Over the weekend our lockbox that we had for our contractors to access the key was taken. We later noticed that our contractors’ equipment was stolen.

I saw on the blog that there was a lockbox burglary at a residential property just a few blocks from us. It’s scary and everyone is really bummed about it.

I’ve asked our neighboring businesses BECU, T-Mobile, and Mod Pizza for their surveillance coverage but they can only release it to the police. The police said it’ll take a few weeks for the detective to even contact me for followup.

Catherine is hoping someone in the 31st SW/SW City View area can help solve their burglary:

Our home was broken into last night while we slept sometime between 12:30 and 7 a.m. We live in the Luna Park neighborhood and numerous valuables were taken including heirloom jewelry and all our personal information, purses, wallets, checkbooks, electronics (cell phone, x box, tablets…) and access to all our personal and credit accounts. A bag was left behind from another property or car prowl by the intruder that has been turned over to the police.

Police reports and fingerprints have been taken but we are looking for anyone who may have camera footage or noticed anything between those hours to please contact us or SPD with information. The incident number is 2020-023214.

Burglaries at night, while someone’s home, are far rarer than daytime break-ins.

First, two report about purses:

LINCOLN PARK CAR BREAK-IN: From Allison:

At around 10:15 AM this morning, my family and I went to Lincoln Park for a walk. As I was helping my 4-year-old out of the car, my husband put my purse in the trunk of our SUV, under the privacy screen. Upon our return about 1 hour later, we realized that our back window on the passenger side had been broken and my purse, and only my purse, was gone. We filed a police report but am looking to understand if any witnesses got a picture or if anyone has found any of my belongings. I suspect my ID and others things that don’t have any value may have been put in a trash can or thrown on the side of the road. We’ve made a police report and are now going through the processing of suspending all the necessary accounts. If you have any information or see my belongings, which will be a pain to re-establish, please let me know: allisonmichellec (at) yahoo.com. We so appreciate our friend and several kind strangers who helped us clean up and offered their support!

PURSE FOUND: A reader found this at Delridge Playfield – hours before Allison’s was stolen, so it’s not hers.

Yours? Let us know and we will connect you to the finder.

SAXOPHONE FOUND: Tim brought this in after it turned up:

Possible stolen/lost alto saxophone. It was sitting in the rain last night and a neighbor saw it the grass against our front wall this morning. It’s banged up. North Admiral.

With this too, let us know if it’s yours and we will connect you to the finder.

ANOTHER TIRE-SLASHING: Jeff reports: “I just saw a post on the blog about a tire slashed in Westwood Village and wanted to share that we’ve had 3 tires slashed over the last 2 months at 35th x Barton right next to the Super Deli Mart. Even one on Christmas Eve. Parked on the street, usually happens late at night/early morning.”

Crime concerns or questions? The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets Tuesday at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster), all welcome, 7 pm.

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports:

STOLEN CAR TO WATCH FOR: From Karissa, “Stolen car. Silver 2003 Honda Pilot, West Seattle, on January 17th between 10:30 pm-10:30 am, plate # BGJ6112.” Call 911 if you see it.

SLASHED TIRE: From Sheryl: “Just wanted to inform you that my tire was slashed in the Westwood Village parking lot (Thursday) sometime between 1pm – 7pm. It was parked next to the Massage Envy. I’m hoping it was just an isolated incident, but wanted to at least make everyone aware.”