West Seattle Crime Watch followup: Gatewood burglary suspect charged

Following up on the Gatewood burglary spree first reported here Wednesday – the suspect is now charged with three counts of residential burglary. And we’ve learned that a warrant was already out for his arrest before police found him after the burglaries Saturday afternoon, because he’d missed a sentencing hearing a day earlier. Plus, he has an extensive record dating back more than half his life, to age 14.

The suspect is Jason Edward Wyman, who turned 33 the day before his arrest. The police report lists a Westwood address for him. He is charged with burglarizing three homes in Gatewood; in two cases, the police report says, he was interrupted by people who were home at the time and had left doors unlocked or open; in a third, he stole from a guest house. At least one victim has surveillance video showing him with items stolen from her home.

“The defendant’s brazen behavior is alarming,” prosecutors wrote in the charging documents, noting that while burglary is not a violent crime, entering occupied residences can quickly escalate to violence. They go on to describe him as a “flight risk” with “17 warrants since 2000, based on 15 bookings at King County Jail.”

Last Friday, Wyman was supposed to appear for sentencing in a theft case dating back to last August – and failed to show up, leading to issuance of a $10,000 warrant for his arrest. His criminal history spans three states and includes at least one conviction for escape. He had struck a plea bargain in the case, which involved a day last August in which he was caught on video stealing a TV and two computers from the Renton Wal-Mart; according to court documents, and was going to be recommended for a residential DOSA sentence – that’s the program involving mandatory drug treatment.

Now, if Wyman is convicted of three counts of residential burglary, he faces up to 7 years in prison. According to the King County Jail Register, his current bail is set at $50,000. We’ll keep the case on our watch list.

12 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch followup: Gatewood burglary suspect charged"

  • Cd July 17, 2014 (11:02 pm)

    Still not enough time in jail. It’s not just the items stolen, it’s the loss of security these victims have in their own homes and community, which should require a much harsher sentencing.

  • Jim P. July 17, 2014 (11:56 pm)

    What does it take to get someone declared a career criminal in this state?

    There’s just some who need to be locked up until they can’t do any more harm beyond swatting you with their walker.

  • Eric July 18, 2014 (5:54 am)

    Cd and Jim,

    You’re both being rather harsh. It’s knots obvious what this guy really needs is a cookie and a hug

  • joel July 18, 2014 (6:59 am)

    What is this past criminal record you speak of? how surprising it is to see another career criminal in and out of courts getting Sunday School passes from the judges. sometimes stupid needs to be put away for a long time….the sob stories about drug rehab and all are nice but at the end of the day the courts need to keep these people locked up.

  • Laura July 18, 2014 (10:14 am)

    What kind of cookie? :)

  • Eric July 18, 2014 (12:27 pm)

    Well obviously any kind of cookie he wants

  • Laura July 18, 2014 (1:29 pm)

    Yup, same old, same old

  • WS July 19, 2014 (10:07 am)

    I found this on KiroNews – photo of the guy.
    http://m.kirotv.com/news/news/man-uses-hot-weather-steal-west-seattle-homes/nghfY/

  • J July 23, 2014 (8:41 pm)

    Neighbors beware. This charming fellow is back on the streets! Gotta love the justice system.

    • WSB July 23, 2014 (9:10 pm)

      Not according to the King County Jail Register he’s not – unless it happened within the past few hours (I have known the Jail Register to have up to a three- or four-hour delay) – did you get an alert, or have some firsthand knowledge? If you don’t want to answer here, please consider e-mailing me at editor@westseattleblog.com – otherwise, I’ll check the register again later tonight – TR

    • WSB July 24, 2014 (4:46 pm)

      Still listed as in jail as of this moment, so I’m hopeful you had a case of mistaken identity or something.

  • J July 26, 2014 (8:41 am)

    My husband who’s phone was stollen got a call from one of the officers. We assumed he was out, since they are looking to further their case.

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