SILVER FIRS- Attempted Burglary

An attempted burglary occurred on Tuesday, May 21, in the vicinity of the 1400 block of 55th Ave. SE in Silver Firs. At about 1:00pm, a homeowner observed a stranger attempt to break into the garage of his neighbor. The homeowner called 911 and attempted to follow the stranger. Apparently, the stranger did not succeed in entering the garage.

Note: This is a classic neighbor looking after neighbor. The homeowner was aware of what was going on around their home and when they saw suspicious activity they called 911 in a timely manner.

Burglars are naturally risk adverse. They do not like to be observed. They want to steal where no one can see them, or at least be seen by anyone who calls police. After all they do not want to spend any time in jail. But calling 911 so that a deputy can respond increases the risk to burglars. So calling 911 when you see suspicious activity, or a crime in progress is as important as more passive measures such as posting Neighborhood Watch signs, keeping your landscaping trimmed so that your front door can be seen from the street, or installing deadbolt locks and using them.  

 

 

SILVER FIRS- Attempted Burglary

On Monday, May 6, around 8:00am, a homeowner in the 5800 block of 143th St SE, heard footsteps going up the stairs to her back deck. In looking out a window, with a view of the steps, she saw a masked man at the top of the stairs. After banging on the window two separate times the masked man finally ran down the stairs, across the yard and then jumped over the fence.

No further description is available for the intruder.

Note: It is uncertain if this incident has been reported to the Sheriff’s Office. With an incident like this making a timely call to 911 is essential to help Sheriff’s deputies catch burglars in the act. Reporting criminal activity as it occurs will get a response from the Sheriff’s Office. In this case, having a description of the intruder and knowing the direction of travel would have given deputies an idea of where to begin looking when they arrive.

Also, some people may have been concerned about the safety of the homeowner during the encounter. There was nothing wrong in finding out what was going on at her back deck. She wisely kept the wall of the house between her and the intruder. Some crime prevention professionals recommend when answering your front door (and this would be applicable in this case) to take your portable phone or cell phone with you to show that you are talking to someone, like 911.

The important thing is to call 911 when you see a crime in progress.

Calling 911:

http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/Calling%20911.pdf

 

 

CHESTNUT HIGHLANDS- Burglary

On the morning of June 5, in Chestnut Highlands, near 39^th Ave SE & 212^th St SE, a home was broken into at about 9am. The burglar kicked the front door open to gain entry.

The burglar took cash, jewelry and two laptops.

Police think that the burglar was scared off when the homeowner returned home. The burglar probably heard noise from the garage and then left quickly. The burglar also left a pile of possessions behind in the house.

Note: This could be the same burglary from Chestnut Highlands that I reported yesterday. The detail, though, is instructive. Cash is easy to spend. The laptop computers can give information that could be used in ID theft, or simply sold for money for drugs. And the jewelry is easy to dispose of. This incident also shows the continuing trend of burglars picking up jewelry as police have been reporting since at least the first of the year. (go to this blog posting from earlier this year for more information http://ssnoccrimewatch.blogspot.com/2012_02_01_archive.html)

There are many things homeowners can do to protect themselves from burglars that I have talked about, especially since the first of the year. Here are two links that can help you and your neighbors set up your houses to defend against burglary:

            Burglary Prevention Tip Sheet:

            http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/Residential%20Burglary.pdf

            Sheriff’s Office’s “Partners in Crime Prevention” January/February 2012 issue on Burglary Prevention:

            http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/JanFeb12.pdf

GOLD CREEK- Burglar Caught

They don’t all get away. In the morning of January 31, a man in his mid 20’s was apprehended by Snohomish County Sheriff’s deputies for burglary. The man was associated with a red truck checking out houses and using an empty gas can as a prop. He apparently broke in a front door and burglarized a home in the 6800 block of 152^nd St SE. Residents on 67^th Ave called 911 reporting suspicious activity in their neighborhood. Stolen property may have been in his truck.

INDIAN TRAILS/TAMBARK TRAILS- Attempted Burglary

On January 30, in the vicinity of 185^th Pl SE (south of 180^th St SE), a homeowner, loading bird feeders in his back yard, surprised an unidentified man wearing a reflective vest trying to gain access to the back yard through a gate. On seeing the homeowner, the intruder “took off like a cattle prod had zapped him.”

Earlier in the month, in the same area, someone jump a fence and went into a homeowner’s boat taking his fishing gear.

AUTUMN MEADOWS- Attempted Burglary

A neighbor near 122nd Pl SE and 44th Drive SE experienced two possible break-ins. On the first occasion he found a pair of pliers on his front porch and his front and back door jams appeared to have dents and scratch marks around the locking devices. The second occurrence happened on Friday, April 15, 2011 when he found the milk box on his front step moved and he wondered if someone was looking for a possible hidden key. The Sheriff's Office was notified.


Tip: Be sure you do NOT hide a spare key under your door mat or anywhere nearby where thieves might look. Be sure that doors and windows are locked, set your alarm if you have one, be alert to what's happening around you, and report all crimes and suspicious behavior to 9-1-1 and the Homeowners Association.

TAMBARK TRAILS- Attempted Burglary

On Thursday November 11, around 10:30am, in Tambark Trails a homeowner's
doorbell rang twice. By the time she got to her door there was no one there. She went into one of her front bedrooms and saw a tall skinny young male dressed in a black hoody, black pants and black converse tennis shoes coming up the side rockery from the backyard and he across the front patio. He looked in the window, saw the homeowner and took off. He may have left in a car that was parked on the side of the house. He was also wearing a black baseball cap and had reddish blond curly hair.

He entered the property despite the fact the homeowner has well marked signs that indicate a burglar alarm system is on the property.

THE FALLS- Attempted Car Prowl and Burglary

On August 10th I reported on suspicious activity in the area of 138th Pl SE and 64th Dr SE. Also, during that time at 11:30pm, a young male was seen trying the doors of a vehicle parked in the driveway of a house near this intersection. After trying the doors, he attempted to enter the back yard of the house through a side gate. This gate was locked. The male then got into a dark colored truck which was parked near the house and flashed its lights. An orange/red colored Eclipse drove to the location and parked. One or more males got out and got into the truck which drove away. Later around 2:00am, a vehicle returned to the Eclipse where several youth got out and walked down the street. Rumor has it that several underage youth were stopped at a nearby house for having alcohol.

PIONEER TRAILS- Attempted Burglary

On the night of July 14/15 someone went into an open garage on 42nd Dr SE and removed property into a stash pile in the green belt. Law enforcement caught them before the owners knew what happened. Reminder: when you shut your garage door, watch it go all the way down.

THE FALLS- Weekend of Action

In addition to the attempted break-in in the early morning hours of Monday May 3, (http://ssnoccrimewatch.blogspot.com/2010/05/falls-attempted-burglary.html), there has been a great deal of activity before the incident including:

• During the afternoon of Thursday, April 29, 2010, two suspicious white males were seen sitting on a wooden footbridge in the trail in the greenbelt of The Falls. They appeared to be drinking beer and smoking cigarettes. Their presence alarmed the principal of Totem Falls Elementary school enough that he not only reported them to 911, but also escorted a number of students and parents past the men. A white Dodge van (license number B11075G) was associated with the men.

• During the late afternoon of Friday, April 30, 2010, a stabbing occurred at the condominium to the east of The Falls. A suspect in the stabbing ran through the greenbelt to Totem Falls Elementary school and hid in a portable toilet on the playground according to The Herald (http://heraldnet.com/article/20100501/NEWS01/705019890/-1/headlines).

• Around 10:00am on Saturday May 1, 2010, an intruder hopped over the fence of a house in the 14400 block of 63rd Dr SE. The wife saw the man from her kitchen window and called 911. Her husband chased him through three cul-de-sacs before losing him. The man was Caucasian, probably in his 20’s. He was wearing a gray pull over sweatshirt, white ball cap, and either blue jeans or blue sweat pants. A gray three door Scion or Saturn drove past the husband on his way home. Deputies said that they had received several reports of a gray vehicle associated with two burglary suspects. The suspects were either looking to steal cars or burglarize homes. At around the time of this incident, a neighbor noticed a car alarm go off down the block.

THE FALLS- Attempted Burglary

In the early morning hours of Monday May 3 around 12:15am, two men tried to enter a house in the 14600 block of Cascade Dr SE through the rear sliding glass door. The adult son of the household was up at the time. He heard a noise, investigated then scared the two away. The two jumped off of the back deck then ran into the greenbelt behind the house.

The son managed to get a good look at the two and gives the following descriptions:

1. White male, 5’10”, 200lbs, 35-40 years old with a full bushy beard, heavy set, rough looking face. He was wearing a black hooded sweat shirt, black work pants and black work boots.
2. White male, thinner, 5’8”, 165lbs, 25-35 years old. He was wearing an orange construction cap and dark clothing.

Comment: Be on the lookout for anyone with the above descriptions acting suspiciously in the neighborhood. If you see them call 911 immediately.

Also, this would be a good time to be sure that all of your doors are locked when you leave home and when you go to bed, including your sliding glass door. Be sure that your sliding glass door has a strong lock and/or that you use a “Charlie Bar” to secure it. If you have a gate to your back yard, be sure it is locked and that no one can open it from the front.