(Surveillance-video screengrab)
Following up on last Thursday’s Alki arrest – in which, as reported in our first followup, the suspect was found in a treehouse: 32-year-old Emanuel Kozma is now charged with three felonies, 2nd degree burglary, 1st degree criminal trespass, and 3rd-degree theft. Our first report included a reader report that Kozma was also suspected in a package theft earlier in the day, before the Alki search and arrest resulting from a package theft inside a secure building, and the charging documents include the earlier incident. An excerpt:
… The defendant entered a secure apartment building lobby and stole a package delivered for a tenant. When confronted by a witness, the defendant dropped the items he had taken out of the stolen package and ran away.
When police found the defendant and inventoried his bag, they discovered items stolen from the front porches of a nearby duplex as well as assorted checks not written to the defendant. The residents of the duplex had surveillance video of the defendant stealing delivered packages.
The defendant has had 23 warrants since 2001, based on 30 bookings at King County Jail. At the time of his arrest, the defendant had an outstanding DOC Escape warrant related to his Assault 3 conviction and community custody. The defendant fled when confronted by a witness and hid from police in a tree; he finally came down when a police K9 officer indicated he was in the tree. Also, the defendant has two convictions for Attempting to Elude. Additionally, the defendant’s references were not available to verify his address, employment, or ties to the community. The defendant is facing a significant prison sentence if convicted as charged – his standard range for Burglary 2º is 51 to 68 months. For all of these reasons, the State believes the defendant is a flight risk if released.
The apartment-building theft happened in the 6000 block of SW Stevens; the earlier thefts, in the 2400 block of 55th SW. Meantime, the King County Jail Register indicates Kozma remains in jail, with no bail amount set so far, as stipulated in the aforementioned warrant for escape. We’re checking with the state Corrections Department to see if a photo of him is available to add to this story. (Added 12:04 pm: Thanks to DOC for the fast response – we’ve received a photo and have added it above.)
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