WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Genesee Hill burglary; bicycle & package thefts; Casey Carlstedt update

In West Seattle Crime Watch, three reader reports plus a court-case followup:

BURGLARY: From Wendy:

I live at 54th & Dakota on Genesee Hill. I was away from 10:30 am – noon this morning and returned to find my back door kicked in and my bedroom ransacked. We have a 6-foot fence and both gates were locked, so they must have scaled the fence. Many drawers’ contents strewn about, furniture stacked on the bed to facilitate closet access. So far it appears jewelry and cash were taken. Have not yet been able to do a complete inventory. Our neighbor noticed a red Camaro (guess) with two white stripes parked beside our house during the time – may or may not be related. The police officer investigating said it appeared that we interrupted them, based upon the scene – looked mid-ransack. One missing ring had huge sentimental value. They even tore the wrapping paper on the box containing my gram’s ashes. Gutted.

BICYCLE THEFT: Sonia just moved to Alki last month and has been “welcomed” by bicycle theft. Between August 18th and 21st, she says, “My bike was stolen from the back porch of my house (near Bonair/Alki) where it was locked up. Chain was cut. Cannondale Quik 4 women’s bike — black frame with blue and white accents and accessories as well (headlight, taillight, bell, and rack on the back) Worth about $750+ from REI. Reported to police and filed in their stolen registry. Police said if it turns up at a pawn shop they’ll know from the bike’s serial number.”

(added) PACKAGE THEFT: Marion reports that:

… package thieves hit us this morning between Brandon/Findlay just south of the Junction. Came home to find empty Amazon box on my doorstep – contents missing. Delivery tracking notes indicate package was “delivered” sometime around 9:30 am. Joke’s on them I suppose since box only contained cornhole game bean bags colors navy and gray (16 bags total). Guess it’s a reminder to switch to office or locker delivery if possible…

CASEY CARLSTEDT UPDATE: While we were at King County Superior Court this morning for the hearing that didn’t happen, we did get an update on another West Seattle defendant, Casey Carlstedt.

We last mentioned Carlstedt in April, when he was charged in a bicycle-theft case that had been featured here on WSB and was solved with readers’ help. By that time he had been in jail about a month, and he’s remained there ever since, also charged in misdemeanor cases from harassment to reckless driving, held in lieu of what the jail register lists as $6,000 total bail. Today his case came up for a status check – he wasn’t present, but lawyers told the judge that he is about a week away from a competency evaluation, and what happens next in his case depends on results of that.

11 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Genesee Hill burglary; bicycle & package thefts; Casey Carlstedt update"

  • J August 28, 2017 (7:26 pm)

    For the package theft- when you get your replacement items, empty the contents and reseal with trash.  I did this with dirty diapers and they were stolen two nights later.  Might send a message if we all started doing this?

    • Pilsner August 29, 2017 (5:30 am)

      Put a motion detecting game camera on the box too!!! And submit the video to the local law enforcement authorities!!!!

  • T August 28, 2017 (8:42 pm)

    Wendy, we are so sorry to hear this. We live around the corner but we both were at work at the time so no help there. We will alert neighbors so any additional info you may learn please pass on. There are many of us who are in the neighborhood at various times of the day so we should be able to watch out for each other.

  • ACG August 28, 2017 (10:42 pm)

    Wendy, I am so sorry this happened to you. Just awful. I was wondering- do you have an alarm?  We are debating on whether or not to get one. Wondering if they really do deter a thief or scare them off.  Or, do thieves just ignore the alarm and ransack for things anyway, knowing the police response times might take awhile. Any other reader experiences/opinions with this is much appreciated. I hope the police have success in recovering your things, Wendy!

  • Wendy August 29, 2017 (7:27 am)

    Thanks T and ACG. We are replacing our doors/locks and installing cameras/alarms today. Have lived in a blissful safe bubble in this home for 23 years without incident. Yesterday seeing coverage of Houston gave me much needed perspective. My mom (in her 80s) was first into the house, she and I are both fine. The police officer who responded quite quickly was wonderful, reassuring, calming, and made sure I felt safe before he left, including securing the busted in door. My brother who lives with me rushed home from a birthday week at the beach. Our sweet indoor kitty hid under the couch through the ordeal and didn’t make a run for it. Could have been much worse. For that I’m grateful. Having said that, may the *********s rot in hell!

  • Wsgal August 29, 2017 (7:46 am)

    So sad, this happened. I hope you can get your memorable SMS back! I watched a program once where incarcerated burglars were interviewed- I believe it was a podcast or NOT special and the top deterents were noise, TV/radio, and mainly dogs. Most burglars said they would never burglarize a house with a dog even if it was a calm dog. Also, closed blinds/curtains were encouraging to burglars because once they were in, they wouldn’t be seen. Obviously not the way all burglars think but of good to have the insight. That said, they were 50/50 on alarms being deterrents  because usually a burglarly takes less then 30 seconds in most cases. They usually go straight for the master bedroom, master bedroom closet, then office, main area drawers (and some of that was confirmed by our alarm installation people.)

  • Kathy August 29, 2017 (8:12 am)

    Wendy,

     I’m so sorry this happened. We’re on 54th between Genessee and Dakota and know how safe we always feel in this neighborhood. I’ll send a copy of your post to the Block Watch Captain for our neighborhood (she’s on 55th, between Genessee and Dakota). If you’re not already on her mailing list, let me know and I’ll connect you with her.

    Good luck with the clean-up. I’ve been burgaled a few times (different neighborhood) and know how creepy and invaded you feel afterward.  

    • Wendy August 29, 2017 (12:42 pm)

      Would love to be added to the block watch list. Thanks!

      • Kathy August 29, 2017 (3:11 pm)

        Wendy, please send an email with your name and physical address to this Hotmail.com address and I’ll get it to the Block Watch Captain:   humphrey_kathy

         

         

  • Just Wondering August 29, 2017 (8:49 am)

    Just a comment sort of tongue in cheek but can you ask “Siri” or “Alexa” machines to make a dog barking sound when you are not home?  ;)

Sorry, comment time is over.