BOTHELL- Luring Incident

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office is looking for help from the public for information about a suspect in a luring incident that occurred in the vicinity of 196^th St SE and 24^th Dr. SE north of Bothell.

According to a Sheriff’s Office press release, a 12 year old female reported that she was walking home around 3pm from her bus stop when a man jumped out of a parked pick-up truck, grabbed her and yelled, “Boo!” The man noticed three other students in the area, returned to his truck, and left the area.

The suspect is described as a white male in his mid-40’s, 5 foot 11 inches tall, gray medium length hair and a gray beard. He was driving a tan colored standard cab pickup truck.

If you have any information about this incident, call 911.

 

Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office-

http://wa-snohomishcounty.civicplus.com/Archive.aspx?ADID=4078

 

 

SNOHOMISH- Sheriff’s Office Looks for Groper Suspect

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a suspect who groped an eleven year old girl at the Snohomish Fred Meyer.

The man allegedly offered the girl alcohol as he put a hand down the girl’s back pocket. A store employee intervened and the man walked away.

If you have information that can lead to the arrest of this suspect, please call 911 and ask to talk to a deputy or call the Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at (425) 388-3845.

To see video of the suspect go to the following link:

 

KIRO TV-

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/police-girl-groped-busy-store/ndC9P/

 

THE FALLS- Suspicious Activity

Yesterday morning, January 21, around 10am, an older, silver 4 door car with tinted windows parked in front of a house in the vicinity of 146th Pl. SE and 65th Dr. SE. A black male in his early 20's got out and knocked on the door. One occupant of the house noticed the car pull up to the house full of passengers and thought that this was suspicious. The other occupant, the son of the owners, answered the door by talking through the door. The male from the car asked for directions to I-5 then left.

What made this incident especially suspicious was that the son’s car had been stolen in Seattle over the weekend and the friend’s house he was visiting was broken into and ransacked. The son’s car was eventually found totaled. The family suspects that the people in the car in front of their house may have been involved in the Seattle car theft and burglary, obtaining their address from the registration or insurance papers.

While the tie to the car theft is speculation, crooks have been known to use the information from car registrations to conduct burglaries, especially when they know that the victim is going to be away from the house for a period of time. This family did things right. They made the potential tie with their stolen car. The son, instead of opening the door, talked through the door protecting himself and the family property. And the family did call 911.

 

LAKE STEVENS- Citizen Tip Leads to Mail Theft Investigation

Deputies, sergeants and lieutenants in the Sheriff’s Office often talk about the importance of citizens reporting suspicious activity in a timely manner to 911. This article from The Herald is a case in point.

In early November, a condo owner noticed a woman putting what appeared to be mail in a condo complex trash bin. The condo owner called 911. A Lake Stevens police officer found the suspect in a car with “a large amount of mail.” The suspect couldn’t give a good story why she had so much mail in her car. Lake Stevens’ detectives and the United States Postal Service are investigating the woman.

This is a case where a citizen’s tip has led to an investigation of a serious crime. While some calls to 911 may not turn into important investigations, local police agencies appreciate receiving this information.

The Herald article pointed out that mail theft is a major method for ID thieves to get personal information. And with the increased volume of mail during this holiday season, there is an increased opportunity for mail thieves to steal identities. Some ways that you can prevent mail theft are:

• Check your mail regularly.
• Use a locked mailbox or a post office box.
• On vacation have the post office hold your mail for you (you can go online for this service at https://www.usps.com/) or have a trust neighbor pick up your mail.
• Call 911 if you see someone hanging around your mailbox or following the letter carrier or other delivery services (UPS, Federal Express).

The Herald:

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20131208/NEWS01/712089923/Tip-leads-to-recovery-of-suspected-stolen-mail

This older article about mail theft, on page 3, from the Sheriff’s Office’s July/August 2002 issue of the crime prevention newsletter is still valid:

 http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/JulAug02.pdf

BOISE- Witnesses Give Information That Helps Recover Abducted Teen

You are probably aware of the Amber Alert that was issued for the San Diego teenage girl and a close family friend who apparently abducted her last week. She was recovered and her abductor was killed in rugged wilderness east of Boise, Idaho.

According to the Idaho Statesman, four Idaho residents who were riding their horses in the area at the time encountered the girl and her abductor apparently camping. The four then reported their encounter to police after returning home and seeing news coverage of the Amber Alert.

This is a classic case of police receiving information from the public that helps in solving a crime and apprehending a criminal.

Deputies often talk about going with your gut to sense that something was out of place. In fact one of the horse riders said that he had a “… gut feeling…” about the situation. Specifically, the newness of the camping equipment seemed to indicate that the two were novices to camping. They said they were heading to the Salmon River which was in a different direction than they indicated. The teen’s sweat pants or pajama pants seemed out of place for wilderness camping. And, the two seemed not to want to talk in an environment where most people are usually very open and chatty.

What’s important here are not the specifics, but that the horse riders took their experience of the environment and their knowledge of camping to judge whether or not there was something unusual about the campers. You can do the same in your neighborhood, at work, or going about your day shopping. Be aware of your surroundings. Having sense of what your neighbors drive can help tip you off to suspicious vehicles in your neighborhood. Knowing when your neighbors are usually home can alert you if you hear an unusual noise or see someone at their house. Rely on your experience and observation to judge your surroundings as normal or out of the ordinary.

And when you sense that suspicious activity, take action by calling 911. Your report might not be the key to solving the crime of the century, or give you nationwide publicity, but it can help the Sheriff’s Office and a potential victim.

For more detail about the Idaho incident go to:

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/08/11/2700875/tip-from-two-couples-led-to-rescue.html

 

SNOHOMISH COUNTY- Suspicious Activity/Drug Activity

Suspicious activity can take many forms. One neighborhood west of I-5 thinks it is seeing a new technique to mark drug drop offs. The Neighborhood Watch Coordinator notes that year after year they see evidence of drug dealing in their neighborhood. Over time, they have seen many techniques by drug dealers and their customers to exchange money for drugs.

The homeowners have noted car windows marked in bright green paint with messages. One message was “green slug bug” on the rear window of a green VW. The VW was parked in a driveway and near the driveway is a yellow fire hydrant. Cars near utility boxes also seemed to be marked. Only vehicles that were near a utility box were marked, not vehicles farther away. Also, one van in a driveway had a green face painted on the corner closest to a nearby utility box.

It also appears that strips of toilet paper have been used to mark utility boxes that were in the shadows at night.

Activity like this certainly could be suspicious. It could be a teen prank, but apparently the homeowners in this neighborhood know their area well enough that they can say that it probably has to do with drug dealing. Passing this kind of information on to 911 as suspicious activity definitely helps the Sheriff’s Office.

 

 

BELLEMONT HEIGHTS- Suspicious Vehicle

In the late afternoon on Monday December 31, a husband and wife were leaving their house and noticed a red Jeep Wrangler circling their neighborhood. This seemed suspicious to them. They did notify their Neighborhood Watch coordinator. It is unknown if they called 911.

Note: This was a heads up move. The Jeep seemed suspicious so they let their neighbors know what was going on. Letting 911 and your neighbors know about suspicious activity can help everyone. With a good description, including a license plate number, 911 and a sheriff’s deputy can easily check to see if vehicle is stolen or the vehicle’s owner has any warrants. Keeping your neighbors informed allows them to watch out for the suspicious person or vehicle. Its little things like this that helps direct deputies to where they are needed.

LYNNWOOD- Lynnwood Police Investigating Suspicious Male

This morning around 6:30am near the 18000 block of Highway 99 a 15-year-old Lynnwood girl was scared by an unknown male who got out of a parked car and spoke to her as she walked through a business parking lot toward her school bus stop. The girl ran away from the male.

The male is described as white with blonde hair in his mid to late 20s, 6 ft tall and medium build. He was wearing a gray jacket and blue jeans. He drove a late model two-door car.

The girl reported the incident to her mother and then to her school (Lynnwood High School in the unincorporated part of Snohomish County). Lynnwood High School officials, along with Edmonds School District officials are working with the Lynnwood Police Department about this incident.

If you have information regarding this incident call Lynnwood Police Det. Jorgensen at 425-670-5632.

You can also give information about the incident to:

Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS or TEXT by entering the number 274637 (spells Crimes) on the “To” Line, then type Tip486 & what you want to say in the Message Box, after that hit the OK or SEND button

Or email http://www.crimestoppers.com/ and send in your anonymous crime tip. All tips are confidential and you could earn cash reward of up to $1000.

 

SILVER FIRS- Sheriff's Office Looking for Suspect

The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office is asking for help from the public in finding a suspect involved in an exposure incident over the weekend.

On Sunday, August 26, at about 11:30am, a female jogger was running on the north side of the street in the vicinity of the 5600 block of 134th Pl SE,in the area of Silver Firs, when the male suspect stepped out of some shrubbery and exposed his genitals to her. The victim ran away from the suspect then call 911.

The suspect was a white male in his 40's with a medium build and short brown hair. He wore a blue shirt and tan pants.

If you know who this person is, please call the Snohomish county Sheriff's Office anonymous tip line at (425) 388-3845.



Links:

http://sheriff.snoco.org/Press_Release/PR_Doc/2012/Aug/indecent_exposure.html

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120828/NEWS01/708289880

THE FALLS- Suspicious Activity

In the early morning hours of May 8, (around 3:35am) a homeowner in the 13700 block of 64^th Dr SE in The Falls, heard suspicious noises around her home. The noises sounded like someone was trying to open a downstairs door or window. She saw a tall, darkly dressed person walking between her lawn and her neighbor’s house.

She called 911. Two deputies responded. One deputy checked her property and the neighbor’s property. He noted a chair propped up against the neighbor’s fence, indicating someone had hopped over the fence.

She informed the deputies of a suspicious person lingering around her house on Sunday morning, May 6. A young male, 19 to 21 years old, who she had not seen before, rode a skateboard in front of her house. He stopped, lit a cigarette, and then proceeded to linger in the area for several minutes. As he hung around, he appeared to be texting while he was looking at the house across the street. He then sat in front of the neighbor’s house to the west for several more minutes, then left. The male was tall, thin, with clean cut short brown hair. He had a pierced left ear which appeared to have a diamond stud earing. He wore a long, white T shirt (not tucked in) and black long basketball shorts with an Addidas logo in silver.

While the two incidents may not be connected, they could indicate that someone was checking out the neighborhood for easy targets to visit a few days later.

THE FALLS- Suspicious Activity

A resident of The Falls reports suspicious activity this morning, March 16, 2012. Around 7:30am the resident heard a knock at their door. When the husband answered the door, a woman in her 20’s with dirty-blond hair was standing there. She asked for a ride to her job in Everett because she missed her bus. The husband thought that this was very odd and declined to help. After this encounter, he reported the incident to 911.

Note: It is precisely activity like this that should raise your suspicions. Assuming the worst, this could have been someone checking to see if the house was empty. 7:30am does not meet the normal time for residential burglaries (normally between 10:00am to 3:00pm or 4:00pm, but, a burglar could always want to get an early start. The residents thought it was odd that someone would knock on a stranger’s door to ask for a ride when she could have used her cell phone to call someone she knew.

GOLD CREEK- Suspicious Activity

Yesterday, February 14, a homeowner in the 6800 block of 154^th St SE in Gold Creek, arrived home at 6:25pm to find an older model (late 70’s, early 80’s) two toned blue and white Ford pickup blocking her driveway. She shined her high beams and saw a platinum blonde white female in her 20’s sitting in the middle of the front bench seat. The driver’s door was open. A white male, also in his 20’s, with short blond hair, ran from the driveway, jumped into the driver’s seat and “took off like a bat out of hell.” While the homeowner was unable to take down the license plate, she did note that the rear of the truck had illuminated amber lighting.

The homeowner assumed that the suspects were casing her house.

If you see this vehicle, or any other suspicious activity, call 911 immediately.

Keep your neighborhood too “hot” for burglars!

SILVER LAKE TERRACE- Suspicious Activity

On August 11, 2010, between 5:00 and 5:30pm, a young man, 19 to 20 years old, approached the front door of a house in the vicinity of 121st St SE and 121st Pl SE. He asked the homeowner if he could get some gas for his maroon van. He said that he and his dad had run out. The homeowner did not see anyone in the van. The windows were practically covered with blankets and junk. The homeowner agreed to put some gas in the van, however, faked putting gas into the gas tank. After that, the young man started the van.


During the course of this incident, the young man asked who owned the Honda that was parked in the driveway.

The homeowner got the feeling that the young man was casing the neighborhood.

The description of the man is 5’10” to 5’11” in height, slender build with blondish hair.

WINDSOR ESTATES- Suspicious Activity

A white Toyota pick-up truck has been observed roaming the neighborhood in the past month or so. While this may not be odd in and of itself, the peculiar aspect is that the truck has been seen driving in and out of driveways during the very early morning hours. Just this week, the truck was recorded driving into the neighborhood as early as 4:45 a.m. One neighbor shared the following:

"We live in Windsor Estates and this morning at 05:15 am there was a white Toyota pickup truck with a blue cooler in the back, license WA A04372U, in our driveway. This truck is similar to the previous truck that was used for a previous burglary in our neighborhood."

This neighbor leaves for work very early. She happened to glance out her house window and noticed the pick-up loitering on her [long] driveway. When her husband tried to approach the truck it drove out of the community, and was recorded leaving at 5:18 a.m.

They contacted the Sheriff’s Office about the truck but were told that the plates belonged to a RED truck. Therefore, we believe the plates may have been switched. Nonetheless, the description of it being a White Toyota Pick-up coming up to driveways very early in the morning has been mentioned by several neighbors. A similarly described truck has also been seen loitering at other times of the day as well.

Note: Be sure to secure your house and vehicles. Also, call 911 if you see suspicious activity in your neighborhood. For guidance on what you can do to protect yourself from burglaries and car prowls go to:

Burglary Prevention:
http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/MayJun05.pdf

http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/MarApr06.pdf

Car Prowl/Car Theft Prevention:
http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/JanFeb04.pdf

THE FALLS- Suspicious Activity

During the past two or three weeks, homeowners in the vicinity of 64th Dr SE and 138th Pl SE have seen various vehicles parked late at night at this intersection. Sometimes the vehicles flash their headlights a few times and then wait. Then another car, or sometimes people on foot, will come by and stop also. At times, they’re only there for a short while. One of the vehicles is an older, white Dodge Durango with black tail light covers and a loud engine. This activity usually occurs around 11:00 to 12:00pm. The latest occurrence of this activity was last night (August 9/10) when the vehicle was parked until 2:00am or so.

The neighbors don’t know what this activity is. Some think it could be drug deals. Others think that someone’s daughter has been forbidden to see a particular boy. This could be their effort to see each other behind the backs of the girl’s parents.

If you see activity like this, don’t hesitate to call 911 and ask for a deputy to check it out.

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.

GOLD CREEK- Burglar Seen by Two Different Homeowners

A burglar was seen in the back yards of two homeowners in Gold Creek in the vicinity of 67th Dr SE and 154th Pl SE:

At 2:20 pm Saturday, April 3, 2010 a suspicious man appeared in one homeowner’s fenced-in back yard and when the wife asked what he was doing, he said that he was selling outdoor furniture. When told the homeowners were not interested he immediately headed out towards the fence gate. He was walking toward his car parked on the street (a black sedan) in front of a neighbor’s home when the husband called to him and asked what he wanted. He looked back once and hurried to his car, backed up, turned around and took off in the other direction toward Snohomish Cascade Drive. He turned right and sped off. For some reason he was in a big hurry to get out of the area. The homeowners have placed a lock on their gate.

911 was called in this incident.

In the second incident, another couple returned home from shopping when the wife saw a man in their back yard and asked what he was doing. He said he was selling yard furniture and left quickly when they told him that they were not interested. The husband tried to talk with him as he was walking away from the house on the sidewalk but he quickly walked to his car and sped away.

The homeowner found deep crowbar marks on the backdoor where the man apparently tried to force open the dead bolt lock. He must have been interrupted when the homeowners came home. He did not enter the house and nothing was missing on the outside.

The man was white, 5' 10", medium build, with brown hair and wore a dark baseball cap, dark windbreaker, and dark pants. He looked to be in his forties and spoke in a halting manner. He was clean shaven with fair complexion, and had flat puffy facial features.

HIGHLAND COURT- Suspicious Activity

In Highland Court, along Filbert Road, on Friday night, March 19, between 7-8pm, a light grey late 80's early 90's Toyota pickup, with a small extended cab (with a little skinny second window), drove slowly by the park and a nearby house. 10 minutes later the truck slowly drove by the house again from the other direction. Some boys were all playing together, but scattered when they saw the truck. One boy was in the park hiding behind the trees when the truck’s occupants spotted him and stopped. They yelled out telling him they had candy. He continued to hide from them. When he didn't respond, they drove slowly away. Another boy was walking in a little alley nearby when the people in the truck hollered at him asking if he wanted candy. He just kept walking and they left him alone.

The boys believe there were two women/girls in the truck. A homeowner’s security camera did capture video of the truck which was turned over to the Sheriff’s Office. Responding deputies thought because it was two girls, it was hopefully just a prank.

Comment: I have said this many times before and will probably say it again. While the prospect of a stranger abducting your child is scary for a parent, only about 3 or 4 % of child sexual assault is conducted by strangers. Over 90% of child sexual assaults are conducted by someone the child knows.

We usually hear about the strangers who act suspiciously around children, often by the press, but we do not hear about the quiet assault by someone who the child knows. Most sexual predators will not grab a child off the street. They will want to “groom” the child and the parents so that they are lulled into complacency so that the predator can eventually lure the child to accept being assaulted.

There are simple techniques that you can teach your child without him or her having to try to determine friends from strangers. Go to the following link on the Sheriff’s Office web site for information on how to train your child:

http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/marapr05.pdf

Also, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has good guidance for parents:

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=713

Even though a stranger assault on children may be statistically small, that threat will always be a concern for parents. When we see someone acting strangely, especially around children, we will report it to the police and to our neighbors. Let’s just be aware that there is more to the sexual assault threat to your children than strangers.

SILVER FIRS II- Strange Man Update

According to the Sheriff’s Office, no report has been made to them concerning an adult driving a newer, red pickup and approaching children in the Silver Firs area. If you have witnessed this activity, please call 911 and report it to a deputy.

Comment: Apparently, emails about this alleged truck and man have been circulating for a few weeks in the Silver Firs area. However, with no report filed, the Sheriff’s Office has not been able to investigate. Also, it does not have any burglary or luring suspects matching the description. This situation emphasizes the importance of calling 911 when you have witnessed suspicious activity. The suspicious activity may turn out to be related to criminal activity, or it may not. But without the information the Sheriff’s Office cannot investigate. As it stands now, there appears to be no criminal activity surrounding this truck.

SILVER FIRS II- Strange Man Again?

The neighborhood watch coordinator for Autumn Meadows reports that a homeowner in Silver Firs II sent out the following alert Tuesday, March 16: “Suspicious activity concerning an adult male driving a newer red pickup truck with a Dallas Cowboy sticker on the back of it. This person has allegedly approached some children at a surrounding area neighborhood and asked some questions that led the parent to believe the driver of the truck was either casing the house or potentially a child predator.”

On March 3rd, South SnoCo Crime Watch reported a similar incident in Silver Firs (see post http://bit.ly/bIvSHv) with the same truck description. It is uncertain if this is old information or this individual is stalking the neighborhood. If anyone can provide some light in this situation please email South SnoCo Crime Watch at: snohomishcrimewatch@verizon.net.

In any case, before you send that email, if you see this vehicle call 911 and ask for contact with a deputy.