West Seattle Crime Watch: “Decades of … collecting – gone”

| Crime | West Seattle news

Just heard from Anna, who wanted to share the news of a break-in at her house:

Just writing to report that my house was robbed yesterday afternoon. We live at 35th & Webster [map] and up until now thought our little area was pretty safe. It was done somewhere between 4:30 – 6:15 p.m. so a small window of time. This robbery doesn’t have the same feeling as some of the others I’ve read about on this site. No doors were kicked in, no broken windows, no ransacking – just a clean entry and all they took was my flat screen TV and a large tower cabinet containing close to 300 CDs. Decades of music collecting – gone. I’m a compulsive door locker so I’m still puzzled about how they got in without any damage. Of course, I have filed a police report and am talking to my insurance company today.

another neighbor April 30, 2009 (9:08 am)

Anna, so sorry you’ve lost the collection AND that you have to go through the whole reporting process. Maybe if you get an iPod a few of us could get together to help you rebuild a collection – not the same as owning the disks, but an inexpensive (and I think LEGAL) way to get you some music.

Andrew April 30, 2009 (9:09 am)

I hope you get your collection back Anna.

The Dude April 30, 2009 (9:45 am)

Sorry to hear of your loss. Be sure and check the Delridge Vacuum and TV store near the Delridge Library for your stolen items. If you find them, call SPD asap.

A. Ford April 30, 2009 (10:05 am)

i remember watching a segment on the local news last year about how easy it easy to get one of those ‘dummy’ keys. they showed someone entering through the front door with the ‘dummy’ key. all in less than 30 seconds…

Mustafa April 30, 2009 (11:05 am)

Do the math. It was at least two dudes, probably with a truck to assist. Since it’s 35th, they may have spotted a door open or window open. Remember, “Block Watch” does nothing if you don’t also report what you see. Watching the block to observe the crime going on around you is so inconsequential. If you see someone in a neighbor’s yard, pick up the damn phone. Anna your experience makes me so mad. I’m going to put a bear trap next to my front door when I leave. Nothing like a little necessary amputation to stop a criminal from re-offending.

Michael April 30, 2009 (11:30 am)

What A. Ford is talking about is the skill of “bumping” – most key locks are vulnerable to someone who knows how to do it.

Also check the CD shops that sell used, like Easy Street or Rubato – they will hold the CDs for the legally-prescribed time, and they will have the seller’s ID on file, so if the thief was dumb enough to sell them there, you have a great chance of catching him.

JimmyG April 30, 2009 (11:58 am)

Bummer about the crime, sucks to lose a lifelong collection.

Point of order though: you were burglarized, not robbed.

A robbery means someone used force against a person. A burglary is what happened here.

celeste17 April 30, 2009 (12:04 pm)

Also, check the shop on Fauntleroy and Edmonds. I have never been in there but there are signs up that says they buy items.

AnnaMontana April 30, 2009 (1:27 pm)

Thanks for all the excellent ideas for hunting for my lost stuff. I found out from my roommate that they also made off with his work laptop, bowling ball and shaving kit. Who the heck takes someone’s shaving kit? Weird.

@Mustafa, my math added up the same as yours. No one dude, no matter now big could have carted off that CD cabinet all by himself. I figure they pulled into the driveway by the back entrance of my house and hauled it all out through the back.

@another neighbor: Thanks for the lovely thought of the ipod. I was making lemonaide out of these lemons last night and figured that on the bright side, losing my entire collection will push me into the future of embracing the ipod – finally ;)

If someone “bumps” a lock, wouldn’t it leave some trace of evidence like scratch marks or something? All of my doors and windows were locked, but there’s no evidence of tampering on the front or back door handles.

WSB April 30, 2009 (1:32 pm)

Re: the shaving kit. We were chatting informally last week with someone we know who also has been hit by burglars. They mentioned that the items taken included, inexplicably, a new pair of prescription eyeglasses. (?)

homesweethome April 30, 2009 (2:13 pm)

don’t forget to check craigslist – great story last night on TBTL of a Seattle woman that tracked her bike down in Portland

AnnaMontana April 30, 2009 (3:54 pm)

I just read that the owners of that Delridge “vacuum cleaner shop” aka unregulated pawn shop were busted and plead guilty on the 22nd to selling stolen goods. They are now on a 2 year deferred sentence and under much greater scrutiny from the public and law enforcement. I’m watching CL like a hawk.

WSB April 30, 2009 (4:12 pm)

We were first to report that, the night of last week’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting.
https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=15937

dd April 30, 2009 (4:58 pm)

what type of music did you lose?

Ian April 30, 2009 (7:58 pm)

Def. try to make a list of the CDs at least the ones that you remember off hand or were rare and go the local record shops with copies to give them. Along with a police report case number, is a good rule of thumb as well.

Mike May 1, 2009 (12:19 pm)

I was burglarized on the 29th. 3800 Block of California.

Here are some actions I’m taking:

– I am going to volunteer for campaigns aimed at unseating any current DA or Judge.

– I have been driving through West Seattle via alleys instead of the main streets so maybe I’ll witness someone else’s burglary

– I am going to create a website aimed at identifying the individuals and family members of gangsters. I will set it up overseas so that no judge will be able to order it down.

– I am going to offer a large reward and post signs all over for info leading to the arrest and REAL conviction (not some deferred BULLSH_T) of those responsible.

– I’m getting a gun and a concealed weapons permit.

– I have already significantly enhanced the security of the apartment.

– I am getting a new and very large dog who will mall any punk kid who breaks in. My current dog chased them out after he woke up, but probably was not able to do any life threating damage.

Jsv888 May 1, 2009 (1:04 pm)

Yeah, get a gun, that’s a great idea. Cuz people with guns never have bad things happen to them.

TeresaP May 1, 2009 (2:54 pm)

Mike, I fully support everything you said and all you are going to do. Get a gun now before you have to go through the third degree to get one. There is a bill right now that could make it very diifcult for law abiding citizens like us to purchase weapons.

The police do all they can to arrest these a-pipes only to have some bleeding heart judge let them go. If the jails are too full, build more.

And to all you anti gun people, protecting ourselves is our right as Americans. The so called “Change” is not working in our favor and things will only get worse before they get better.

AnnaMontana May 1, 2009 (4:08 pm)

@dd – I had over 300 cds of all kinds of music. Back in high school I was a metal head, but evolved over the last two decades and my music taste evolved along with me too. I had a lot of classic rock, hippie rock, indie rock, the entire Narada New Flamenco collection, the entire ambient techno OM Lounge collection, a collection of Irish music, all of the Grateful Dead Dick’s Picks CDs, every CD by Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler, all the Bob Dylan. So much I can’t list it all, but the stuff that really hurts are the CDs friends made for me. The compilation disc a friend made of all the songs that remind him of me. The original recording of a surrealist poet friend doing his poetry to the stand-up electric bass being played by James Whiton. That’s irreplaceable.

AnnaMontana May 1, 2009 (4:09 pm)

Mike, I’m reenforcing the back door with a dead bolt over the weekend. No dogs or guns for me but I’ll be sleeping with the pepper spray and cellphone under my pillow from now on.