West Seattle Crime Watch: Arbor Heights Elementary computers stolen; plus, 3 reader reports

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Starting off this West Seattle Crime Watch report: Arbor Heights Elementary students are without several new computers because of a burglary. It was discovered early yesterday; we got a tip about it last night but weren’t able to get details until this morning. Det. Mark Jamieson with Seattle Police media relations says a school staffer discovered the burglary at 7:15 Monday morning and showed the responding officer how the burglar(s) had removed a louvered vent from the classroom door to get in – though the report says they’re not sure how the burglar(s) got into the school itself. The vent was taken as evidence in hopes it’ll yield fingerprints. The report lists the stolen items as four or five Apple computers that were new at the start of the school year (they were still taking inventory for followup paperwork when the officer filed his report); older computers in the same room were left behind.

We also checked with Seattle Public Schools, whose spokesperson Teresa Wippel says the school’s alarm was tripped at 3:53 am Sunday – “security responded immediately but didn’t find any signs of a break-in from the outside so left.” Then the staff discovered the missing computers when they arrived on Monday. SPS is still checking for us on how or whether the computers will be replaced.

Also in Crime Watch, three recent reader reports – all ahead:

Peggy in the Fairmount Springs area was hit by burglars sometime during the day yesterday, by someone who pried a basement window open.

What was taken:
a Tootsie Roll bank (about 18″ tall) filled with change.
Almost all of my vintage costume jewelry, including: many rhinestone necklaces, clip-on earrings, screwback earrings, rhinestone earrings, 50’s bauble earrings, a Elsa Schiarpelli necklace, rhinestone bracelets, sterling silver bracelets, small ruby ring, opal ring, light green (emerald) ring, rhinestone brooches.

The police were notified and we were given a case number. And I did call some nearby pawn shops to be on the lookout for the rings. I plan on contacting local consignment, thrift, retro/vintage, & jewelry shops to be on the look-out.

If any one saw anyone/persons in the neighborhood around the time our house was burglarized – please let us know. Or if a store/business is approached by someone trying to unload/sell a sizable amount of mostly vintage costume jewelry – it could very well be my stolen items! Stall them. Call the police. Or if your kid suddenly has a (vintage) Tootsie Roll bank in his/her room…

Chris reports:

Please post that there are thieves stealing items out of the back of trucks and off patios in the Alki area. I live by Alki Elementary School and lost a small bbq, some tools and my blue Cannondale mountain bike (Sunday). The thieves are brave; they came right up on my deck.

And on Saturday, a bike theft thwarted in Arbor Heights:

We had an old kid’s bike stolen off our side deck at 6am today. Arbor heights off of 35th/104th. My wife scared him off by banging on a window and quickly called 911. The police were able to recover the bike and a tan bag that she identified the suspect wearing.

Gawdger November 6, 2012 (11:38 am)

In case someone is missing the tan bag, I would describe it as being made of heavy canvas material, tan with a shoulder strap. It was stuffed but I only could see a pair of jeans on top. If you had anything stolen Friday night (from the AH school area) that could fit in a medium sized bag, you might want to speak with the SW precinct. Perhaps it related to the car prowling that was reported at the same time on 36th?

Francesca November 6, 2012 (12:04 pm)

Arbor Heights Elementary just keeps enduring one insult after another. The district should do the right thing and replace them. The computers were stolen from my daughter’s classroom which just happens to be one of the most secluded on the sprawling campus of portables. It’s no wonder security didn’t see evidence of a break in. All the more reason to move up the rebuild.

Debby November 6, 2012 (1:37 pm)

My Son’s car was broken into and about 700.00 in stereo equipment stolen fromt the Park South apartments on 8th Ave S last week.
With the holidays coming, it always gets worse.
Please be sure to keep your cars clean of anything that will entice being be broken into. Keeps doors and windows locked on yoru house and report ALL suspicious activity.

Cheryl November 6, 2012 (2:10 pm)

Doesn’t the district have INSURANCE? Replace those Macs Seattle Public Schools! My understanding is that all those lovely new iMac computers were the direct result of fundraising efforts on the part of Arbor Heights FAMILIES and a private grant. Insult to injury indeed. What a travesty that our school continues to be slapped upside the head by SPS, the School Board, and now petty jerk thieves who can’t go themselves a damn job, they have to steal instead. Nice.

AH Parent November 6, 2012 (2:13 pm)

I would guess that SPS has insurance to cover theft, like home owners etc. I’d hate to see our ear-marked money from the auction go to petty theft instead of it’s intended use – not to say we don’t need to replace the computers.

JM November 6, 2012 (3:00 pm)

My neighbors in the Schmitz park area were also burglarized yesterday during the day.

I haven’t seen it on the blotter yet so figured I’d post it.

WSB November 6, 2012 (3:10 pm)

JM – if they would like to e-mail us we’d be happy to include it. The only information officially made public by police is the location of a burglary – until and unless the report with narrative appears on the police website (usually at least four days) – so that’s why we invite folks to send us a few details if, heaven forbid, crime strikes at their house; we can write about it sooner. Crime trends in one part of West Seattle often reflect/involve the others, too … we’ve had countless cases of that, all the way up to a murder in Fauntleroy two years ago followed by a suspicious guy climbing out of a ravine near the scene the following morning, discussed in comments here (and reported to police), then being sighted and caught all the way over in Highland Park. – TR

Bonnie November 6, 2012 (3:58 pm)

Why wouldn’t the computers be replaced from insurance? I’m sure they have insurance.

SouthJunction November 6, 2012 (7:27 pm)

Our home was burgularized between midnight -2 am the other week. Robbers came in, walked right up to my husband, who was asleep on the couch, and took the iPad sitting on the couch next to him, iPhone, HTCevo phone, and opened every cabinet in our kitchen which is open floorplan next to the family room w husband asleep on the couch. Very brave to come inside! Our neighbors were hit a week or so later.

rob November 7, 2012 (2:09 am)

Sure they have insurance, but just like everyone else’s insurance there is going to be a deductible. For an entity as large as the school district, I wouldn’t be surprised if the deductible was something on the order of $50,000. In other words, anything stolen up to a certain amount, the insurance company isn’t going to pay for, the district will just have to find the money somewhere.

concerned neighbor November 8, 2012 (10:43 pm)

FYI for those saying the district insurance should pay…From my personal experience of document cameras, projectors, computers being stolen from the school I teach at, the district does not replace the stolen items. The replacement items at our school were paid by in our school budget that was earmarked for specific services or the PTSA made a contribuation. My school is broken into frequently, last time the fire extinguishers were unloaded on music equipment, computers and an entire teaching area…A haz-mat nightmare!

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