West Seattle Crime Watch: Teens arrested after early-a.m. burglary

mb June 3, 2014 (10:00 am)

Give us their names so we can be sure they don’t hang around our kids and siblings.

Keith June 3, 2014 (10:30 am)

I am the victim!! Thank you SOOOO much to SPD for the fast and amazing response and follow up to this. I am so sorry that I failed to lock my door.

To WS – realize that these poorly raised kids are out there and horrible, and obviously have nothing better to do than stalk those of us that work hard. These kids planned this, watched me which is totally creepy, and were bold enough to entire my house while I was obviously home and awake. These kids deserve to be locked away forever and I hope the the justice system realizes this.

KT June 3, 2014 (10:44 am)

Here’s a question …. one of these little darlings had a “no bail” warrant outstanding (amazing at age 15 or 16). How long had that warrant been outstanding? Exactly what had been done to serve that warrant? How hard is it to find a 15 or 16 year old kid? Is law enforcement simply reactive rather than pro-active?

Walter June 3, 2014 (11:17 am)

Although I can only imagine how terrible and scary it would be to experience this, I don’t think labeling children as “horrible” and saying they should be “locked away forever” is appropriate. It certainly is not helpful or just. I’m glad they were caught, as they clearly broke the law and caused panic and intense distress, but they are kids – their brains are not fully developed. Their pattern of destructive choices are more than likely direct reflections of their upbringing and we need to do more as a society to help children learn positive behavior. I would be overwhelmed with anger and fear if this happened to me, and I’m so sorry this happened.

Keith June 3, 2014 (11:17 am)

Exactly! The cop told me one of them was a known “problem”. Why are these “kids” treated differently? They are horrible and frankly, at this age, they are clearly already unable to discern right from wrong. Lock em up!!!!!

Dee June 3, 2014 (11:18 am)

My question is why the hmmf didn’t the cops pick her up sooner for the warrant. Hopefully the new lady does her job like she did in ireland n boston. Right now I dont trust the cops. Downtown is an open air market for drugs as I stand next to 3 cops on bikes. 2 feet froms us I see deals all day long. Fix this problem you fix alot of problems around seattle

they June 3, 2014 (11:25 am)

Wow 15 and 16 3:50am hopefully the parents will be held accountable.

fp June 3, 2014 (11:55 am)

While they may be considered children, by the age of 15/16, they certainly should know better and they should be held accountable for their actions, taking into account any previous criminal history and/or known associates with said criminal history. That may seem kind of harsh and unfair, but once they are dragged into a life of crime, by others more experienced, it seems just a matter of time before they make friends with someone else in the ‘life style’ and/or recruite some other innocent into the ‘life style’.

It seems that there needs to be someplace for these kids to be placed, where they can get the guidance and supervision that is clearly lacking at home. Processing them through the courts, then releasing them back to the environment that allowed them onto this path in the first place, is clearly NOT working.

Think Outward Bound type program or something similar.

ws-person June 3, 2014 (11:56 am)

Thank you Walter for talking like an adult here.

I suppose you were all perfect children who never did anything wrong? Yes ruin some kids lives because you were slightly inconvenienced for a couple of hours.

There are a lot of entitled jerks with far too easy lives here in West Seattle.

Keith June 3, 2014 (12:06 pm)

Kids should be grateful this isn’t FL where shooting them would have been proper. Not that I agree with that at all, but…just saying kids need to learn to pay for their actions. If they get to this age and haven’t learned right from wrong, then, parents have already failed…at what point do you start punishing the new threats and stop punishing the old…?

Wow June 3, 2014 (12:16 pm)

Wow they were giggling as they ran away??? Well these girls are darn lucky because they are going to break into the wrong house and they won’t be laughing. It really is a total shame. 15 and 16 years old? Just wow.

Keith June 3, 2014 (12:16 pm)

Hey, I hear you all. But, I feel like there are too many excuses for all the spoiled rotten American children who feel entitled to a life without working for it. These kids “giggled” as they fled my house. They had watched my house!!!! This wasn’t a lark!!!! They do not deserve my pity or concern!!!!

I agree that something is apparently lacking at home. But why is the fact that people can’t control having unwanted children the problem of society?

So, does someone really think I am ruining some “kids” lives because I was inconvenienced for a couple of hours? Grow up!!!!

These kids are just starting out!!! Even if I hadn’t received my stuff back, that isn’t the point. The point is that these kids stalked people and invaded a home and don’t have any remorse or concern for what that means. They need help and not our sympathy.

Jeez….

Wow June 3, 2014 (12:22 pm)

Ws-person,

You have got to be kidding right? Slightly inconvenienced? I have a feeling you might have a slightly different attitude if it was your home or family.

And you have no idea the intent of a person at 3 am. Maybe you don’t remember the horrible home invasion that happened in South Park several years ago. Or the home invasion in Connecticut that started just like this one with a burglary and it ended with the wife and two little girls raped and murdered.

But hey, if you think it’s unrealistic and should stop and have a conversation with a home intruder at 3 am in the dark when you have no idea who they are or what their intentions are more power to you. For most rational people being and feeling safe in your home is not entitled.

B June 3, 2014 (12:29 pm)

“Entitled jerks”? What are you on buddy? These punk kids are scum. As mentioned above, you try that crap in another state and you’ll end up shot dead.

Everyone has a choice. Stealing from someone’s garage at 4am is not some stupid prank. Those girls need a year in juv detention so they can get a preview of where their life is going.

There are plenty of disadvantaged people in Seattle who don’t commit crimes. Save your sympathy for them, these kids don’t deserve anything.

Wow June 3, 2014 (12:29 pm)

Keith,
I’m sorry this happened. And wouldn’t think twice about some of the comments above. When someone comes into your home that crosses a line. And you are within your rights to protect yourself. And in my opinion these girls are darn lucky they are walking away from this incident. It is scary how liberal seattle has become. It’s like it’s your fault that these girls broke into your home. Seriously?

Jes June 3, 2014 (12:39 pm)

So sorry this happened! They *should* be locked up – this was not “a mistake” – they did not take a wrong turn at Albuquerque or drop a case of soda on the floor. They laid in wait, intruded a home, took known things of value that were not theirs. This wasn’t “Oh, my bad, I thought that was *my* stuff.” This was a planned act of overt and known lawlessness. The fact there are priors is virtually irrelevant – this action stands on its own as a necessity for law enforcement and punishment. The priors are just factual corroboration to the opinion that these kids are up to no good. Nobody is ruining their lives except for themselves – 15, 16, that’s old enough to know the difference between right and wrong. They didn’t steal a loaf of bread to feed their starving families. I’m sorry, Walter and WS – I’m with the others on this one in a big, big way. And good luck to MB – I hope you do find out who they were so you can keep your kids away from them. That’s smart parenting IMHO.

WSB June 3, 2014 (1:17 pm)

A note from the moderation desk. We will NOT approve comments suggesting these teenagers should have been shot/killed for what they allegedly did. You know we cover crime and punishment more thoroughly here than any other area news publication, all the way through to sentencing. The juvenile justice system, unfortunately, is not as open so we are not able to follow those cases as easily. That aside, no matter what the age, burglary is not a death penalty offense. And criminals retain the status of being human, whatever they did, however long they are put away for. Wishing for harm and/or death to any human is not OK here, no matter how horrible their crime or alleged crime, and I apologize for any past comments that might have gotten through to that effect and not been flagged. Thanks – TR

Roger June 3, 2014 (12:40 pm)

Lock ’em up for the maximum allowable time.

Keith June 3, 2014 (1:10 pm)

Thanks for comments…make me feel a bit more normal for feeling the way I feel.

Right now the main thing I am asking is whether WS, and specifically my area (Westwood) is worth living in or should I start looking elsewhere. I was broken into last summer as well (although my dog scared them off that time!)

Keith June 3, 2014 (1:20 pm)

Sorry, not sure anyone in this thread has ever suggested they should have been killed….

WSB June 3, 2014 (1:23 pm)

This is a reference to a comment not approved for publication and an unfortunately necessary reminder. We’ve had threads like this before and they tend to go that way. Your comment came in while I was writing mine and I was going to go add a P.S. that it was not a reference to yours. – TR

Liz June 3, 2014 (1:24 pm)

My car was broken into at 31st between Elmgrove and Thistle on Sunday night. They took nothing, even though I had an old iPod mini–I guess it wasn’t new/nice enough!!!

Gyngersnap June 3, 2014 (1:40 pm)

Thank you, WSB. I was starting to get sick to my stomach because of some of these comments. And yes, I have been robbed at knifepoint, burglarized, and mugged by teenagers in the past. All I could think about when it happened is how unfortunate it is that these kids are so misguided and uncared for that they would do this. I still feel the same.

amalia June 3, 2014 (1:41 pm)

Being liberal has NOTHING to do with how some people feel about this. I’m a diehard liberal and would like to see these “kids” punished. Like someone else said, give them a taste of what they are gearing themselves up for – a life locked away (at least I’d like to think that criminals will be locked away). If you think that’s harsh, I venture to guess you have not been a victim of a crime.

K June 3, 2014 (1:55 pm)

They do need to be locked up. Agreed, a year in juvenile detention might make them think twice before breaking into someone’s home. How about making the parents responsible for letting their kids run the streets committing crimes since they were never taught it was
wrong.

Keith June 3, 2014 (1:58 pm)

I am sorry for them too, but that doesn’t excuse their behavior. There are way too many kids that “blame” their parents or family. I believe each person is accountable for their own life and their own destiny. If they want to be good, they can be. If they want to ignore rights of others, they will. Giving them an excuse, just encourages others to do the same. I hope someday people will understand this.

Morgan 5 June 3, 2014 (2:18 pm)

I’d assume we’ll see more of this kind of thing in the future as a result of the $15 min wage. These kids needs jobs to learn responsibility and the value of a dollar. What Seattle employer will be willing to give young adults a chance to get his/her foot in the door if they have to pay $15.

sam-c June 3, 2014 (2:33 pm)

why can’t they be held responsible? do their time for their actions, whatever you want to call it. we are teaching our kid these basic principles (take responsibility for his actions, treat others as he wants to be treated, etc) and he’s not even in first grade yet. in 10 years he’ll be the same age as these criminals and holy moley, I hope he gets it by then, i mean s–t, he understands it now.

Keith June 3, 2014 (2:35 pm)

Just in case it helps…I was just speaking with one of my neighbors and they said they had experienced and heard or lots of frequent “knocks” where their door handle is also wobbled. So, the lesson here is to ensure you keep all doors locked, even if you are at home. These kids are not scared of trying to rip you off really fast before you can do anything about it.

JanS June 3, 2014 (2:44 pm)

Keith, yes, they need punishment, and they need guidance, and education. But putting them “away for life” is not going to do that. Let’s chalk that up to your anger, and the fact that you were frightened.

They need to be held accountable, whatever it takes. I don’t consider myself an “entitled jerk”. I’m glad you got most of your stuff back. Just locking them up may do no good. They will eventually get out and perhaps go back to that lifestyle, using things they learned while locked up, sadly. Something more…something that can actually have a a positive effect on their lives. Obviously, that wasn’t their homelife or their parents. Our justice system isn’t geared very much to changing things for these kids so they can be contributing members of society. That needs to change. Will be interesting to see what the judges in this case do.

Seattlite June 3, 2014 (2:48 pm)

Keith — I am with you on this situation. Those two girls were beyond bold in their burglary of your private home residence. You are lucky they didn’t have weapons. Conservative values and principles that believe in a family unit with two responsible parents is waning. Too many kids are throw aways who have no family unit or two or one responsible parent.

scott June 3, 2014 (2:49 pm)

I agree with Kieth, and I am very sorry this happened to you. I used to live on 34 & Roxbury. We were robbed two times. Very scary for my wife and two young children at the time. We now live in the Admiral area, and have never been bothered. These teens need to be held responsible, and I hope you get a chance to speak at their sentencing hearing.

skeptic June 3, 2014 (2:59 pm)

W. Seattle has low violent crime rates. This is one of many reasons I live here and cherish this community. I have also lived in a neighborhood in Atlanta where crime is so pervasive that unauthorized persons entering your home at any time is a dire emergency that must be countered immediately by the threat of deadly force. Talk to a rape victim or someone beaten nearly to death in their own bedroom by some of these “misguided teenagers” and it might change your attitude. Luckily for Keith these thieves were harmless and not the vicious variety that ARE out there. Everyone should assume these kind of people are extremely dangerous and be prepared to do something other than dial 911 and hope for the best.

Keith June 3, 2014 (3:07 pm)

My last post: Thanks to everyone for their candid thoughts. Ultimately, I think this isn’t the place for me. I can do better.

WSB June 3, 2014 (3:21 pm)

Thank you, Keith – but I’m sorry to hear, if you mean the neighborhood is not for you, that you feel unsafe, unwelcome, etc. I wanted to point out to anyone who lives in Westwood (and nearby Roxhill and Arbor Heights) that its relatively new reborn community council meets tonight, as noted in the reminder elsewhere on our main page. They have dealt a lot with the recent crime increase in and near Roxhill Park, but at least at the meetings I’ve covered, I don’t recall hearing so much from Westwood residents regarding crime. If it is indeed a pervasive problem/concern, you might consider bringing it to talk about it. 6:15 pm, upstairs at Southwest Library (35th/Henderson). The council’s website is http://wwrhah.org – TR

Cynaur June 3, 2014 (3:23 pm)

My condolences, Keith — I am a victim of a robbery here in West Seattle (not a burglary – -which is even more frightening) and my sense of security and safety will never be restored. The crime rate in West Seattle is much higher than many know or believe it to be. What is also not well-known is the fact that juveniles are hired to commit robberies and burglaries on behalf of adults so if they are caught (as here), they are released with a slap on the wrist – -whereas if an adult were caught, they would be facing far stiffer penalties. That was what occurred in my case. I suggest you follow the money on this one and find out what adults may have been using these girls. Good luck to you — and yes, I would move were I you.

Jason June 3, 2014 (3:37 pm)

Keith that sucks that happened to you, glad they caught them, must have felt like even more of a slap in the face having them giggle as they ran off with your stuff.
.
Of course “deserve to be locked away forever” is completely absurd but hey I’m sure you’re emotional from the trauma still…

Ray June 3, 2014 (3:50 pm)

Sorry, these were not “misguided” or “uncared” for little angels.

They knew what they were doing, and they knew what they were doing was wrong, evidenced by the FACT that they tried to hide the things they had stolen.

I hope they can learn from their time in the penal system that these activities are unacceptable and that there are consequences.

Eric June 3, 2014 (3:52 pm)

@ ws person.

I hope that you’re referring to these little punks when you say “entitled jerks”, otherwise you are quite ignorant of the term. To feel entitled in this context is to think one deserves something with little or no effort on their part. As in “I want that thing, but I don’t want to have to work for it, so I’ll just take it from someone else.”

These punks felt entitled to go into another person’s home and take that person’s (persons’) stuff.

And inconvienced? Seriously? Robbery/burglary is not a victimless crime. It is not just about being “inconvienced”. Has it even crossed your mind the emotional consequences of it. That the person may feel their privacy and security has been violated?

And what about possesions being taken, doors being kicked in, windows being broken during house burglaries? Who’s going to pay for the damage and return of the possessions that can cost hundreds of dollars, if not thousands? Insurance? Oh, I suppose that’s just an “inconvenience” for all of us “easy living folks” of having to pay the deductable of between $500 to a $1,000 dollars depending on what kind of plan the person has. Just because there was no damage (that I know of) doesn’t excuse this as an “inconvenience.”

You know nothing about whether people’s lives are easy or not so quit making assumptions to make the victim the guilty one and making the perp the victim. Especially when one of the perps had a no bail warrant. Yeah kids make mistakes, at least one of these kids has gone beyond just that.

CP June 3, 2014 (3:54 pm)

I live in the neighborhood and came home to a man in my house robbing it a few years ago. He had cased my house the day before I found out. I am a female and had just move in recently. I have lived in big cities my whole life- New York LA ect. been mugged with a gun up to my head, attacked in my home subway station ect. NOTHING compared to the terrifying experience of being in my own home and hearing something only to realize I was not alone. I got out and they caught the guy. He was well known to the police and kept re-offending eventually he wound up in jail. Reading thru the comments it makes me sad the people are very insensitive to Keith’s very recent experience. The best outcome happened here.
They got caught and no one was hurt. That is in NO WAY a guaranteed out come. For those in self righeous Seattle lecture mode…remember while you were sleeping soundly last night Keith had 2 people who had been outside his home watching him and decided to follow him into his house. How would you feel if you had heard a noise and woken up to someone in your home? Let him blow off some steam everyone! I hope Keith’s signing off just means he is going out to dinner and knocking back a few drinks NOT calling his real estate agent although I thought of moving also for a long time.

Keith June 3, 2014 (3:55 pm)

Resurrected….:-)

Keith June 3, 2014 (3:56 pm)

Okay, so, dunno absolute WS neighborhoods. Not trying to say anything about each…

WSince86 June 3, 2014 (4:15 pm)

Great post CP! And my hubby wonders why I have the doors locked when I’m home by my self, even with my 95 lb dog, during the day. I think I’ll share this with him this evening!

WSExpat June 3, 2014 (4:22 pm)

The level of pomposity in some of these comments takes my breath away.
These embryonic thug-ettes need a swift sharp jerk on the leash before someone is hurt – or worse. Only this past Saturday, two 12-year old girls in Waukesha, Wisc. nearly stabbed another 12 year girl to death while acting out an online fantasy. Both these “children” have been charged as adults with first-degree attempted homicide. Bail was set for each “child” at $500,000 cash only. They face up to 60 years in (adult) prison if convicted. According to the complaint, the girls had been planning their kill for months. The knife allegedly used to stab their victim 19 times, was found hidden in one of the accused girl’s backpack.
Given what teen age girls are capable of, given that the 15 and 16 year old apparently staked out and then violated Keith’s home, and given that one of these poor, misunderstood li’l angels had an outstanding no bail theft warrant, Keith’s reaction and comments are completely justified. How presumptuous to harangue Keith about how he should feel – and yet how like Seattle.

zark June 3, 2014 (4:34 pm)

Obviously sucks to have your security violated, been there. But these idiot girls don’t sound like hardened criminals or members of an organized burglary ring to me.
They sound like morons.
Don’t let a couple of punk teen girls scare you out of your home. Be mad, demand apologies and restitution, but don’t let them scare you out.

They don’t need jail time unless you all want them to be those hardened criminals. They need to be publicly humiliated – they should have to personally apologize, literally pay for what they did/took/broke. And they should be forgiven once they do.
Their parents should be called to task as well, find out where they were at 3AM, and slap them with a child endangerment charge. Maybe they’ll pay attention to their kids.

Jail time, for a 15 and 16 year old, no, just no – that is not the approach a rational human being takes here.

“The juvenile justice system, unfortunately, is not as open so we are not able to follow those cases as easily.
WSB”
It’s actually a very good thing that the juvenille justice system is closed, it protects kids. Kids make dumb mistakes, and it’s widely understood that they shouldn’t pay for those mistakes for the rest of their lives – hence sealed records and expunged convictions. It’s a good thing, it’s not “unfortunate”.

“They do need to be locked up. Agreed, a year in juvenile detention might make them think twice before breaking into someone’s home.
K”
Nope, will just teach them how to break into more houses and not get caught, not to mention introduce them to more criminals they can become involved with. That’s the worst thing you could do with them.

“I’d assume we’ll see more of this kind of thing in the future as a result of the $15 min wage.
Morgan S”
Whaaaaa? How does this make sense in any context?
If we pay people more they will steal more? Baffling.

“…2 feet from us I see deals all day long. Fix this problem you fix a lot of problems around Seattle
Dee”
Not true, statistically prohibition creates far more violent and property crime than decriminalization.

Sorry this guys house got burgled. But what’s with the “hang ’em high” mentality here people? It’s a couple of idiot teens being idiot teens. I think the giggling as they ran away pretty much says it all doesn’t it? They thought it was fun, not their new lifelong vocation.

The fear this has instilled in some of you is weird. I have personally been through it, and yes it blows chunks big time and it’s very disconcerting, and I was seeing red. But I didn’t buy a gun, I don’t fear for my life, I don’t now expect every random person to be a murderer – that’s just an awful way to live. It did make me hate teenagers (more) as well as feel bad about when I was one myself.

flimflam June 3, 2014 (4:57 pm)

oh man, the apologists and hand wringing for these POOR, POOR, oh-so-troubled teens is out of control.

.
yes, by all means, pity the criminals. lol.

Jason June 3, 2014 (5:16 pm)

@WSExpat – Two twelve year olds can stab a girl to near death therefore these other two teenagers should be punished more harshly for stealing? Man, what a scary world that would be if that logic were to be used more in the legal system. The taking of your breath was also hilarious so thanks for that bit.
.
@Cynaur – we’re hot on the trail of the $87, hopefully with some detectives pounding the streets and some help from James Spader, we’ll find the puppet-master behind this crime.
.
Of course these girls should get in trouble they sound like real brats but frankly I think many of you folks’ points of view are terrifying.

West Seattle Hipster June 3, 2014 (5:33 pm)

Not sure what I find more disturbing about this crime, the fact that the teenagers were burglarizing a house at 3am or that there are people in our community that justify and sympathize with their actions.

.

We are going backwards……………..

wsres June 3, 2014 (5:52 pm)

Keith, I think there is a lot of section 8 living in Westwood area. Plus, the new bus station. My guess is these girls have done this type of crime several other times. Curious where their parents are that they don’t know their girls are out of their beds at 3:00am, clue no. 1.

I spoke with a couple cashiers at Westwood Village QFC over the last couple years and they said shoplifting food has happened and the thieves take the carts directly across the street (east).

KM June 3, 2014 (5:52 pm)

“There are a lot of entitled jerks with far too easy lives here in West Seattle.”
.
Yes, we’re aware. They are 2 teenage girls who feel entitled to other people’s belongings.

No, No, No. June 3, 2014 (6:44 pm)

To Keith: I am very sorry for your troubles, your frustration and the invasion into your life. I’m glad neither you nor the perps were harmed; this could have ended on a terrible note and it would have been their own fault. To those who are taking the side of these obviously messed-up kids, I think you’re wrong. Mitigating circumstances or not, they chose to steal from a home owner and this was a deliberate, planned undertaking. I hold their parents responsible, but the courts won’t. These girls were old enough to know right from wrong, and they dove headfirst toward the latter. They are lucky they did not walk into a house with someone holding a loaded gun. I do understand the bleeding hearts here siding with these kids, but they are the culprits, not the victim. Their actions alone tell me they need to part ways with our society for a very, very long time. And I hope there is a judge left in this town with the backbone to do it. I have my doubts.

JanS June 3, 2014 (6:59 pm)

I don’t see anyone “pitying” these girls, nor do I see anyone wanting to let them off. I think the discussion goes back to Keith’s first statement….”Lock them up for life”. And I think (sometimes not a good idea), that everyone now realizes that was Keith’s anger speaking out and not really his solution. These girls need to be punished. But they are not hardened criminals – yet. Lock them up with some, though, and they are fast on their way. Giggling as they ran away? I think they thought this was a great “lark”, seeing what they could get away with, probably because they’ve gotten away with it before. Now , the question is, how do we treat them in the future? Do we collectively try to point them in the right direction? Do we turn our backs on them and just throw them to the wolves, to allow them to make themselves lifetime criminals? The courts will decide the punishment. They are young, and if encouraged, may be able to live good lives. I’d like to think that…but the cynical in me also thinks that no one on here, or in our community actually give a damn about these two girls (including their parents – or lets call them the people who bred these girls – they weren’t parents)…and the cynical in me says we all will turn our backs on them, they will become lifelong criminals, and y’all will feel justification…”See? We told you so.” It’s sad no matter how you look at it.

I don’t begrudge how Keith feels…not at all. What happened was wrong, and they need to pay for it…but…with their lives? Because that’s what you’re saying, in a figurative way. Throw them in the pokey, throw away the key…orange, and black and all that.

JanS June 3, 2014 (7:08 pm)

WSExpat…do tell…what are teenage girls capable of? And, is it better, worse, different, same as what teenage boys are capable of? What exactly did you mean by that statement. I was a teenage girl once, and I raised a girl through her teenage years, so maybe I missed something that you have privy to…

Pomposity taking your breath away? That sounded a bit pompous to me, so…welcome to the club ;-)

Scott June 3, 2014 (7:25 pm)

Keith,
Please don’t let a few drive you off. There are way more caring people in West Seattle then the few “jerks” who wrote here. I am a native born and raised, my parents rarely locked our doors. Now I have an alarm system. Please feel free to share here, the WSBLOG really is a good place to share. I am curious does your block have a block watch system in place? LOL I am the nosey neighbor because I am home all day, and my neighbors are happy I am.
Be Well

Dean June 3, 2014 (7:42 pm)

In April I had 2 young teen girls try to break in the lower level of my home on 48th, near Lowman beach. I was home also. They tried to kick in the door and use a brick to break a window.
When I confronted them they fled but did not seem overly concerned or rushed.
The incident had upset me for several days after. The police responded promptly but did not locate the girls. If it was the same kids, I am glad they were caught. Sorry for the other victims.

g June 3, 2014 (7:57 pm)

Nothing here surprises me anymore. To the open air bazaar of stolen goods downtown, to the boorish behavior I see everywhere and lack of social graces, the bizarre indifference to crime (against someone else of course), cops who don’t seem interested in policing, the curiously passive people (unless you’re in a screaming political rally or football game), the snobby Seattle opinion of any place outside of the 206 zip code…well, I do have a ticket booked for LA next week.

Thank god, back to normalcy.

Holden June 3, 2014 (8:10 pm)

I want to thank everyone for their commentaries on this blog. It’s been interesting reading people’s reaction on this incident.

I am the other individual that live in the home that was broken into. I was asleep while this happened because it was 4 (fricking) am. I want all of you to understand how jarring it to be awakened and be told that people are in your house. Thankfully neither of us or our dog was harmed, but unpleasant thoughts have run amok in my mind as I replayed the events this morning. It is quite frightening to think of the possibilities that the two teenaged girls could have done if they were violent and armed? Nowadays, you never really know what kind of weapons people are carrying on themselves, or even what the intent was. They could have harmed Keith and our dog initially, then come up and hurt me as well. So, think about it and put yourselves in our situation. I’m certain that most of you will react the same way we did. It’s emotional, it’s jolting, and most of all, scary.

Again, thank you for all your comments.

kim June 3, 2014 (8:15 pm)

The time this occurred is odd, as the fact that the two teens are girls. At 4:00 am? Those of you who question where are the parents/what kind of parents/etc., I’m venturing to say there’s an absence of familial support (understatement); who’d be surprised if there wasn’t significant abuse and poverty in their backgrounds?
Is that an excuse? No, it’s an explanation why teenage girls–most of whom we’d agree would be fast asleep at 3:00 a.m. on a school night–are committing crazy-ass crimes instead of doing homework.
These two need massive rehabilitation; massive.

LameJesus June 3, 2014 (8:51 pm)

It’s not ok for people to behave this way no matter how young they might be, for those of you with so much sympathy for them you should be volunteering to mentor them and set them on the right path and take them into your own house with your kids, if not then let the justice system handle them the way it’s set up to, like criminals.

Eric1 June 3, 2014 (9:25 pm)

I would love to see these two girls get rehabilitated but what are the odds of that?
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To be “good” you need good parents, good family and a caring community. I don’t see much of any. The kids were out at 2:00 AM and good parent would have taken care of that warrant. That shows no parenting and no family. I live in the neighborhood and I prefer to give my time to kids who do their part as well. Sure, I could help “disadvantaged” youth but why try save the 1% when I can help 10 kids be better citizens. Sadly it is a numbers game and the number of people in the community that like spending their time and energy fixing other people’s mistakes is low.
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Realistically, there isn’t much hope. I wouldn’t spend my time helping these two unless they were family and family is what they don’t have. So we just will leave it up to the state to take care of the situation. Perhaps some time in detention will straighten them out, perhaps not. But at the very least it keeps them from stealing for awhile and I can live with that.

ws-person June 3, 2014 (9:41 pm)

ok, you’re right. lock up everyone (except rich white christians.) that’ll fix it. it’s been working so well for america, obviously. create more broken homes, more people with no chance of ever integrating into society.

i’m not saying they should go unpunished; but extreme, indiscriminate incarceration does not rehabilitate people in america. it simply perpetuates the criminal class of society. you make people desperate enough, take away all options, and what do you expect?

Bye Keith, have fun living in your magical prison state where nothing bad ever happens.

And the rest of you, your paranoid fantasies are incredible. From a couple of kids stealing Ipods to murderous rampages in just a quick jump.

JanS June 3, 2014 (10:24 pm)

I find it very sad indeed that there is an attitude in my community that some children are just throwaways, that they don’t and never will matter to anyone, so why bother with them. Just throw them out with the garbage.

To the person who brought it up…Section 8 does not necessarily mean that one is a low life criminal. Get over it.

Amazing to discover we have a class system in our beloved West Seattle. The truth comes out.

Rational Thought June 4, 2014 (12:15 am)

JanS is – sadly – the only person who appropriately called out “wsres” for equating people who receive some assistance (Section 8) vouchers with criminals. There are plenty of people of limited means who are honest people raising decent children. Many of them work but cannot make ends meet and some are trying to get back on their feet. Of course there are some people receiving benefits who are exploiting the system and/or may be engaged in criminal activity or someone in their household might be so engaged, but if we could see the inner dealings of every household member in the Bellevue city limits, we would probably find very similar crime rates. The difference is that the crimes are so called “white collar” and somehow lying and cheating and stealing using paperwork is ok. Right? Yes, the potential for violence in this situation was just horrible and the fear of the victims is completely understandable, but that is not an excuse for labeling an entire group of people as criminals. And I might add, there is actually some level of an excuse for people with less opportunity and advantages to resort to stealing – something which the “haves” cannot use as an excuse, but they just find other excuses and we accept it, and then go on referring to those less fortunate as “others”.

A June 4, 2014 (1:02 am)

We can all be thankful the $15 min wage will be here soon. I’m sure the number of disadvantaged living on ‘limited means’ will greatly decrease thus decreasing these types of crimes. Oh wait – this is a parenting issue though. Well surely someone who can get and keep a $15/hr job must be able to at least teach their kids not to be out stealing at 4 a.m.
Or can we just admit there are always going to be bad apples, and no amount of legislation or rehabilitation will make much difference? Lock them up and make them pay for their stay with many hours of community service.

A June 4, 2014 (1:13 am)

Let the victims go to the girls’ houses and legally take whatever they want. See how they like it.
Something tells me the victims would be too decent to do it though.

Eric June 4, 2014 (5:12 am)

Who really thinks “white collar” crimes are ok? You’re fighting assumptions with assumptions to try and make a point. I for one want to see people committing “white collar” crimes be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

We need to get over this idea that their is a “victimless” crime against others. Just because a person is not physically injured doesn’t mean it’s victimless. It also discounts the victim’s experience in all this to make such statements.

And stop making implied assumptions about whether these girls are poor or not with the statement there is a level of excuse for some people with less opportunity and advantages to resort to stealing. You’re making an over generalized stereotype and then super imposing it onto this specific situation.

Had this been two girls caught for stealing food because they were hungry and had no other means to eat, your “logic” that there is a level of excuse for this kind of behavior would hold my weight. Yet you impose this “rational” onto two girls who broke into someone’s home and stole stuff from them, got caught only to have items from other people and were giggling as they ran away as if this were some sort of game. Not to mention one of them had a no bail warrant for their arrest. Sorry, I’m not excusing this behavior.

Robert June 4, 2014 (5:24 am)

blame this situation on the left-coast libs. the cops will spend more time on the paperwork than these two [poor dis-advantaged babies] will spend in jail.the prosecuter and judge need a wake up call from the taxpayers letting them know that this is not good for anyone, kids or home-owners.

WestofJunction June 4, 2014 (6:28 am)

ws-person- the only entitled “jerks” are the kids that burglarized these homes. A lot of us worked for what we have. A lot of people grew up with very little, yet did not turn to crime. This was not stealing a candy bar from a store or taking a bike sitting on someone’s lawn, which is not right, but an immature impulse control issue. This was deliberately committing a serious crime.

ws-person June 4, 2014 (9:02 am)

put them in jail for ten years, then you’ll have some serious hardened criminals at the prime age of 26 with zero options in life other than crime. ok, make it 20. they’ll be 36 and twice as angry and desperate. ok, life then, without parole. for stealing some crap and scaring people with their evil giggles.
no one’s excusing their behavior – it’s being aware of the consequences of ‘lock em up’. no one is saying stealing is ok. i’m saying incarceration is not rehabilitation when over-used.

WS_mom June 4, 2014 (9:13 am)

My family and I just bought and moved into a house near 24th and Thistle. We have been in the house for about 4 days now.
Yesterday morning (6/3/14 @ 7:15am), I went out to my car to go to work and saw that someone had ransacked it. I, stupidly, left my car unlocked. Luckily, I didn’t have anything valuable. Just my sunglasses and car phone charger were missing.
I wonder if it was the same girls? If so, I am glad they were caught.

Keith-Sorry you had to go through this! It is so violating.

Also, just my 2 cents: I have a teenage daughter who grew up in an upper middle class North Admiral neighborhood, going to private schools, getting really good grades, having summer jobs and around positive role models in and out of the home. She still “went down the wrong path” and has been in trouble for shoplifting, smoking weed, vandalism and more. She is far from a “section 8” kid. I definitely don’t think it’s fair to judge a kid on circumstances beyond their control.
I think that just locking kids up doesn’t always teach a lesson. There should be face-to-face communication with the victims of their crimes, so they can take accountability for their actions. With social media, it’s so easy for kids nowadays to not see the repercussions of their actions.
The internet is brilliant, but it takes away personal interaction.

miws June 4, 2014 (9:18 am)

Well put, Rational Thought.

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As I was reading through these latest comments, while interrupting the reading with getting up to do tasks, I thought about the very thing you mention regarding white collar crime.

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To put a local spin on it, so as to avoid the thought process that much of the white collar crime may be on Wall Street, and too far away for us to “care”, I would like to bring up the name Kerry Killinger.

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It’s always easier,and quite cowardly, IMHO to “pick on” the lesser powerful.

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These girls did something wrong, they need to understand they did something wrong, and that it is unacceptable, and they need some level of punishment.

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However, that punishment should stop well short of life imprisonment, or lettin’ the Townsfolk go after ’em with torches and pitchforks. (Yes, that is sarcasm, and an exaggeration of some of the attitudes here).

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Hopefully, that punishment would include some level of counseling and guidance, and include restitution the the victims.

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And Keith, and Holden; I’m truly sorry you had to go through this.

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Mike

miws June 4, 2014 (9:28 am)

There should be face-to-face communication with the victims of their crimes, so they can take accountability for their actions.

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Thank you for suggesting this, WS_mom. I meant to mention it also.

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Looks like we were typing out our comments around the same time, so you must have plucked the thought from my brain, and that’s why I forgot to mention it. ;-)

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Mike

WSB June 4, 2014 (9:39 am)

This often happens in the court system. As I mentioned earlier, information about juvenile cases is more difficult to obtain – and I disagree with the commenter who said that’s a good thing – I abandoned the response I was writing at the time, but bottom line, the community has the right to know what happens. We don’t publish names until people are charged and in juvenile cases, we NEVER publish names unless they are charged as adults. But I can’t get case information without names; names of suspects, whether adults or juveniles, are redacted in the reports provided by SPD. Often I get names via the Jail Register; the juvenile system’s register is not online. The ultimate disposition of felony cases DOES turn up in brief on the Washington Court Search site – but it’s only searchable by name or case number (not the SPD case #). I’m going to try an alternate way to find their names – again, not for publication, but so I can track the case via inquiries – TR

Eric June 4, 2014 (9:44 am)

Why is it when someone says the girls should be held responsible and punished for what they did, the reaction is an over the top ” fine give them 10 years”!

Can’t people be held responsible without going to extremes of the right and incarceration for life or to the extremes of the Left and giving them awww shucks poor person, you just need a little time out. There is a middle ground in all of this

JanS June 4, 2014 (10:03 am)

Mike…you do realize that half the people posting on these comments are asking themselves “Who the hell is Kerry Killinger?” How soon we forget…

helridge June 4, 2014 (10:09 am)

Very difficult to raise children in this state when at age fourteen they have the right to say no to intervention. I have a tough teenager, had to file an At Risk Youth petition just to get the courts to order him to get treatment. His lawyer told him he could get him a later curfew if he wanted – 11 pm, on school nights even!! WTF! Forget moving out of WS, I’m considering moving out of state :(

Jason June 4, 2014 (10:42 am)

@Eric, I think some of the people in here suggested hard time, the OP suggested life haha but I think he was having an (understandable) emotional outburst.
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I agree they need to be in trouble, of course they do. Certainly not hard time but some form of restitution, community service, probation and it probably wouldn’t hurt for them to spend a bit of time in Jail, separately from one another, at least a week or so. It might not seem like much time to a lot of you folks that think people should get really hard time but it can be really eye-opening and can help a kid realize they don’t want to keep doing what they are doing.
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When I was younger I got into some pretty big trouble and I grew up in the suburbs in an upper middle class family – I was so lucky to have gotten a good attorney and didn’t end up in prison but I was on probation for 3 years and had enough community service to make my head spin. I also paid a huge amount of my earnings toward restitution every month for those 3 years. The judge gave me a second chance and I snapped right into shape. It may not work for everyone but it does for some so I think everyone should get a chance to turn things around.
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I have spent years trying to be a mindful, conscious and generally better person because I felt that I owed somewhat of a debt to the people I hurt (stole from) the judge, pre-trial officers, and probation officers that treated me in a firm but respectful enough manner that I didn’t give up on myself, and let me tell you it’s very hard work to fulfill all of your obligations when you are on probation. In fact that may very well be the hardest I’ve ever worked and it was pretty humiliating at times.
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I now spend a lot of time, money and energy and frankly I work my a$$ off trying to help and support people and do the right thing. My only point is that not everyone is a criminal for life, they’re not all pieces of garbage to be thrown away. Sometimes they can become functioning members of society and these events can be life-changing lessons that set them in the right direction.

2 Much Whine June 4, 2014 (12:15 pm)

Jason, Did you have a no bail warrant out for you when you got in trouble? At least one of these “kids” has been in trouble before and didn’t learn from it as you did. . . . . there is a consistent pattern in this case that it appears you may not have experienced. I think that you are right, there are a lot of kids that do stupid things that get caught and turn their life around. There are also lots of people that just continue to do stupid things over and over and over again. I would think the chance to turn things around was when the no bail warrant was issued.

Jason June 4, 2014 (2:40 pm)

No I did not have a warrant, you are right I don’t know everything about this situation I’m speaking generally about how we treat kids that get in trouble -you may be right in the no bail warrant I don’t know exactly how that transpired or if she ever had seen real trouble yet. If so then yeah she needs more trouble. Maybe the kid she was with still has a chance to get it together – hopefully.

WS_mom June 4, 2014 (3:15 pm)

@Jason-Well said.

Most teens are going to get into varying degrees of trouble. I think if they are set up with a good foundation of knowing right from wrong, they will generally grow out of the trouble-making phase and become solid citizens. And a positive foundation usually doesn’t depend on social class.

freemyn;&&@z June 4, 2014 (5:06 pm)

We should just start executing anybody that is charged with a felony, that would be a major deterrent to crime and make our home sweet home west seattle a little more like the country presided over by our hero, adolf hitler. These 15 year old girls are clearly beyond rehabilitation, being so young they are clearly predisposed to crime. They likely have dark “souls” and our community needs to be purged of these menaces and others like them. They likely, after a slap on the wrist from silly liberal justice system in this god forsaken city of ours, have gone on to build a time machine and in fact ARE the very 12 year old girls that have committed the afore mentioned crime in that wholesome Wisconsin town. We must stop them before it is to late, these teenage girls are bent on destroying the very fabric of our society. I implore you to do as much ineffectual whining on a hyperlocal Internet news platform, it is the only way they will be stopped…

miws June 4, 2014 (5:52 pm)

freemyn, you sound suspiciously like occasional commenter “Cranky Westie”. ;-)

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Mike

john June 6, 2014 (9:37 pm)

Anyone thinks it’s possible, desirable or workable to bring back a curfew for juveniles? I know the ACLU will scream.

Barb Korducki June 7, 2014 (12:21 am)

I know the homeowner would love to see the girls locked away for life. But, their story is similar to boxer George Foreman’s life changing event when he was 16. He was chased by a police canine unit. He hid under a porch with the fear of God in him, he prayed. “Please get me out of this. I’ll never steal again; I’ll pay for this a million times and I’ll believe in you. He didn’t get caught. Look how much he has done for others!

faceless June 7, 2014 (9:12 am)

We should make them enlist in the military for their crimes. Have them do a little time in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Robert June 8, 2014 (8:57 am)

a month or two in a marine style bootcamp would do wonders for the first time offenders, jail is nothing but training camp,lay-abouts do not like up at 4:00am hard work all day ,and the dear darling drill instructor in your face for any infraction of the rules. it wouldn’t hurt to send a few judges there also .