West Seattle Crime Watch: Sled stolen; mail theft

Judging by the city’s online “incident-response” map, the snow and ice kept most burglars home. But the latest West Seattle Crime Watch reports indicate thieves haven’t taken time off. They did take a unique sled, as Lynda reports:

I wanted to get word out that our sled was stolen from in front of A Terrible Beauty (Wednesday) night between 6:30 and 7:00. It is not an ordinary sled. This is a beautiful, custom, handcrafted wooden box sled that my husband built about 20 years ago. It’s a one of a kind and we had gotten numerous compliments on it all day yesterday. We are crushed that someone would have taken this, it has so much sentimental value. We are offering a reward for the return of this family treasure.

She is checking for a photo, which we’ll add if and when we receive one. One more theft report – this one, from Erin in Seaview:

At 3 pm today we had our mail stolen out of our mailbox by a couple in a dark-colored Subaru outback with a light panel on the bottom. The license plate was 273-H_W … They backed into our driveway and the female passenger got out and took the mail. She was wearing a white puffer jacket. They have been reported to police. If you have seen them or have had your mail stolen today too, let me know. We are in the Seaview area near the church.

14 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: Sled stolen; mail theft"

  • Cindertang January 20, 2012 (8:01 pm)

    Sorry to hear about your mail being stolen, It seems to be the going trend. We are getting a locking mail box from home depot as our mail as well as our neighbors has been repeatedly stolen over the last month.

  • Jk January 20, 2012 (8:14 pm)

    I am sorry about your sled, but I have to say, if I was in my adolescence and saw a sled with no owner around I would definitely assume it had been abandoned.

    Hopefully the person returns it after seeing this post.

  • Anonymous of Gatewood January 20, 2012 (8:28 pm)

    I may be wrong but that sounds like Joel and Missy’s car (repeat offenders who live in that area). Can anyone verify this?

  • metrognome January 20, 2012 (8:31 pm)

    stealing mail is a federal crime; you may want to contact the postal inspector as well. Since you got a license plate, I’m hoping the thieves will be caught.

  • Curious January 20, 2012 (9:32 pm)

    Post a pic of the sled. If it shows up at a local sled hill we’ll know to ask who’s using about it!

  • Anonymous of Gatewood January 20, 2012 (10:40 pm)

    Yes, that’s the same Joel. Does sound like his car though, even if it’s not actually him.

    I didn’t realize he was still in jail. Thanks for checking up.

  • I. Ponder January 20, 2012 (11:26 pm)

    I tied my cheap sled up so good when I was in Bakery Nouveau that I had trouble untying it. I expected someone to try and take it. Saw one guy eyeing it. What were you thinking? This ain’t exactly Mayberry.

  • sam-c January 21, 2012 (8:13 am)

    more sled stealing in WS…. heard (FB) someone tied up their sled at the bike rack at met market. that one was stolen.

  • Silly Goose January 21, 2012 (11:23 am)

    Erin, we too live in Seaview and did not get any mail on Friday!! We always get something in our mail box and that was the first thing I wondered if our mail was stolen. Did you call the postal inspector?

  • Silly Goose January 21, 2012 (11:56 am)

    Just called my neighbor he did not get any mail yesterday either, so I called the Post Master at West Wood Village (Seaviews hub) and he said mail was delivered to our block and to anyone who suspects their mail was stolen to go to this website and fill out the forms to prevent mail fraud.
    http://www.PostalInspectors.uspis.gov/forms/mlntrcvd.aspx
    Good Luck

  • Lynda January 22, 2012 (7:15 pm)

    I’m fully aware that West Seattle isn’t Mayberry. I was thinking that the sled would be fine for less than 10 minutes actually while we were paying our bill. We were with a very large group and someone was almost always outside and in plain sight of the sled. It was truly a moment of opportunity for some lowlife thief.

    I. Ponder, thanks for the lack of compassion.

  • Erin January 24, 2012 (2:35 pm)

    Silly Goose – if you live on 49th or 50th then I would say it was likely the same couple. After they left our house I saw them go that way and then a few minutes later they came back. They would have easily had enough time to steal more mail. The police have the full license plate # now, as well as the name and address of the registered owners, but the police have not been out to even check on it yet. They say there are just so many mail thefts and they are only misdemeanors according to Seattle. I have filled out that form and informed our carrier. Let me know if you need any info.

  • Jenny at Mail Boss February 1, 2012 (4:19 pm)

    Remember when switching to locking mailboxes that not all locking mailboxes are truly secure. The “bin mailer” locked mailboxes at the big-box stores can actually be fished by hand, and so if you’re going to invest, you should know there are other options that cannot be fished, or easily pried open.

Sorry, comment time is over.