West Seattle Crime Watch: Mail-forging, converter-cutting…

From our most recent round of report-reviewing at the Southwest Precinct: A couple in the 2600 block of 52nd SW called police after discovering an alarming anomaly in their bank account: handcuffs_2.jpgIn late January, they wrote a $30 check to their newspaper carrier, put it in the self-addressed envelope he provided, and put it in their mailbox for pickup. Unfortunately, someone else apparently got to it first; in early February, they discovered their bank account was running a lot lower than it should have been. Checking online, they discovered the $30 check had been forged into $800, and that the payee name had been altered too. Next: Car-cutting, indecent exposure, and more:

ANOTHER CATALYTIC CONVERTER GONE: We told you last week about people caught cutting catalytic converters out from under cars in the Admiral District. Sometime Sunday morning or afternoon, someone got away — for now — with the same thing in the 4400 block of 40th SW. A man discovered the catalytic converter had been stolen from his 2000 Toyota Tacoma; someone crawled under the truck, sawed through the exhaust system, and made off with the converter.

FLASHER ON WHEELS: A local school called police after a student told them about a man in a car pulling up alongside and exposing himself. It happened near the student’s bus stop in the 16th/Myrtle vicinity. The flasher is described as a white man, 25-30, dark sunglasses, driving a small black car with a window rolled down.

BOTTLE-THROWERS BREAK CAR WINDOWS: At 1:15 this afternoon in the 3800 block of SW Hinds, a police report says someone threw a glass bottle from an “older white Nissan Sentra.” It hit and shattered the window of a Ford Aerostar van parked in the street. Witnesses say “four Hispanic male teens” were in the car, which had a broken left-rear wing window covered with duct tape.

BRICK-THROWER BREAKS CAR WINDSHIELD: Sunday morning, a man in the 7700 block of Highland Park Way discovered the windshield of his vehicle broken, a concrete brick sitting on the hood. A neighbor reported hearing a loud noise around 10 am. The victim doesn’t think this was a random attack.

VANDALISM, UNLIKE LIGHTNING, APPARENTLY DOES STRIKE TWICE: A man whose classic car was vandalized in a parking garage in the 2300 block of 42nd SW a month ago had it happen again sometime between last Wednesday and last Saturday. This time, the car was tagged with purple spray paint.

MORE GAUDY GRAFFITI VANDALISM: Last Thursday night/Friday morning, someone used gold spray paint to tag a garage door in the 2500 block of SW Cloverdale.

AND MORE TAGGING: An alley fence in the 3400 block of 45th SW was tagged last week; the owner told police they’d also been hit in May of last year.

DON’T FORGET TO TELL POLICE IF VANDALS TARGET YOU: Police just now heard from a business owner in the 4800 block of California SW, where vandals etched the glass in late December. They hadn’t told police, but just found out their insurance company insisted they do so.

BRAZEN BREAK-IN: The burglar(s) who broke into a residence in the 7300 block of 32nd SW early Sunday may have walked right past the sleeping resident on the way out. He told police that while he was asleep on the living-room couch, someone forced their way through the sliding rear door, stole his laptop, then apparently walked right out the front door.

BENCH THEFT: Just before 4 pm last Friday, in the alley behind the 7200 block of 36th SW, two men were seen loading a stolen bench into a truck. They were described as white or Hispanic men in dark stocking caps, driving an older, small blue pickup, perhaps a Toyota or Mazda.

PLATES PILFERED: Between last Thursday and last Saturday, someone stole both license plates off a 1994 Chevrolet pickup parked in the 4800 block of 40th SW.

ANYBODY LOSE A WALLET? Saturday afternoon, a black zippered wallet was turned in at the Southwest Precinct. It was found in the 10600 block of 35th SW. The finder reported trying to return it to the address on the ID in the wallet, only to learn that person didn’t live there any more.

As we always remind you – don’t hesitate to call police when you see or hear something suspicious, and of course when you believe a crime has been (or is being) committed. In addition to 911, there’s a non-emergency line at 206/625-5011. A big collection of Seattle Police crime-prevention resources is linked from the Southwest Precinct’s Crime Prevention page. And previous WSB police-report coverage is archived on our Crime Watch page.

2 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: Mail-forging, converter-cutting..."

  • TeaLady February 12, 2008 (8:14 am)

    The Ford Aerostar van was mine. MAN…WSB. You got to it before I did :) I didn’t know about this until we got home last night. Hubby is pretty ticked off and thank you for the description of the offending vehicle…AND that it was a bottle (we suspected bat or bottle with the amount of damage). Let the games begin :|

  • WSB February 12, 2008 (8:39 am)

    So sorry to hear that was yours. I recall that the report said the van owner wasn’t home when this happened but police left a note/card as they usually do.

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