The Rotary Club of West Seattle is selling Skagit County-grown blueberries today till 3 pm in the south parking lot of Admiral Safeway, raising money for the Rotary Kids Holiday Shopping Spree – but without their signature canopy, shown at left in a photo from our coverage of their strawberry sale last month. Just got a note from Sue Lindblom ofIllusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor):
Someone took the canopy that we have been using for our berry sales. We are in the parking lot behind Admiral Safeway and it went missing last night. (If you’ve seen it …) Call Sue at 300-3668.
And of course, you can alert police too (206/625-5011 is the non-emergency number).
We often publish West Seattle Crime Watch reports individually as they come in – this time, six have stacked up during the busy past day-plus, so we now have several to share, from burglary to bike theft to “casing” – all in the following roundup – read on (and p.s., sign up by Friday to strengthen your neighborhood with a Night Out block party on August 4!):Read More
We have more details now directly from Seattle Police regarding how they found and arrested the South Park murder suspect tonight, within hours of publicly identifying him as 23-year-old Isaiah M.K. Kalebu and publicizing photos. The updated news release we just received says:
Preliminary reports indicate that a Metro Bus operator who had knowledge of the suspect description contacted the Seattle Police Communications Center with a possible suspect sighting at NE 65th Street and Sandpoint Way in North Seattle. This occurred at around 6:30 p.m. North Precinct patrol officers saturated the area and searched for the suspect. Officers located the suspect and his dog in Magnuson Park. The suspect surrendered to officers without incident. He is in custody and en route to Seattle Police Headquarters for questioning. He will ultimately be booked into King County Jail for Investigation of Murder. The suspect was with his pit bull at the time of apprehension. The dog has been released to the care of Seattle Animal Control.
These photos of the dog were also made public by police earlier:
It’s been less than a week since 39-year-old Teresa Butz was stabbed to death after a man – allegedly Kalebu – broke into her home where she and her partner were asleep and attacked them; Butz’s partner survived and is out of the hospital. Just last night, hundreds of friends and neighbors gathered for a candlelight memorial at South Park Community Center, close to Butz’s home. We do not yet know how police have tied Kalebu to the crime but we will be adding more information as we get it; we’ll be checking into court records and any other background, too. He may have West Seattle ties – commenter Cheriberri, in the comment section of our previous report, says he was a classmate at Denny Middle School in the mid-’90s. ADDED 8:47 PM: The system we use to get court documents is down for the weekend but the top-level state online records are available round the clock and we have found a King County case in which Kalebu was due in court earlier this week, on a case dating back to April, with charges listed as including domestic violence and harassment. (Update:Slog has details of that case – the victim was Kalebu’s mother.) That’s one of 13 court cases listed for him dating back as far as five years ago. There is also a Pierce County case filed this month in which a domestic-violence protection order was sought against him (by the aunt who died in this fire days later; at least one media source says Kalebu will be questioned again in that case). Most of the other cases against him listed in the top-level statewide court records were also from Pierce County. 12:22 AM UPDATE: Kalebu was booked into King County Jail at 10:35 pm. He’s being held for investigation of five potential charges, including murder and attempted murder.
8:16 PM UPDATE: Police have issued the official announcement confirming the suspect’s arrest. We’ll be publishing a separate item next.
UPDATE: 6:57pm: We’re working to confirm a report that the South Park murder suspect has been arrested. This comes about an hour after the Seattle Police sent these photos and this press release.
Those photos and this news release just in from the Seattle Police.
SEATTLE – Seattle Police homicide detectives have identified a suspect in the July 19th South Park murder/attempted murder case. Probable cause exists for police officers to arrest Isaiah M.K. Kalebu (DOB: August 1, 1985) for Murder. Kalebu is six feet tall with a slim build. Detectives and officers are searching for him at this moment.
Kalebu is believed to be armed with knives and is considered extremely dangerous. Citizens recognizing Kalebu should call 911 immediately. He may or may not be accompanied by the dog pictured. Kalebu is the same individual captured by surveillance video that was distributed earlier today. There are no other suspects wanted in this investigation.
Here again is the video release from earlier today.
Just in from Seattle Police – that video and this update:
– Seattle Police homicide detectives have developed a ‘person of interest’ that they believe may be connected to the brutal double stabbing that occurred on July 19 in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood. A 39-year-old woman was killed in the attack. The surviving victim, a 36-year-old woman is recovering from her injuries.
Detectives have uncovered surveillance video of a man that they are now calling a ‘person of interest’. Detectives say that the identity of the man is unknown and they need your assistance to identify him. At this point in the investigation, he is being sought for questioning only. His hair may be shorter than depicted in the attached video. He may or may not still have the brown and white pit bull with him. Detectives believe that the man may frequent South Seattle, as well as Auburn and Federal Way.
Detectives have previously released a sketch of the person they believe responsible for the crime. The suspect is described as a black male, 20-30 years old, 5’10, with a medium brown complexion.
Anyone with information regarding this individual is urged to call the Seattle Police Homicide tip-line at 206 233-5000. Those wishing to remain anonymous are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800 222-TIPS (8477) or text TIP486 with your information to CRIMES (274637).
Last night, friends and neighbors gathered outside South Park Community Center to remember the murder victim, Teresa Butz; here’s our story and photos. Meantime, here again is the previously released sketch mentioned in the police statement above:
We reported earlier this morning that a man wanted for a deadly shooting in Leschi last night had a West Seattle link. Police confirm they arrested him here this morning. The update’s at the end of this SPDBlotter report; he was arrested at a home near Delridge/Andover. ADDED 8:04 AM: Thanks to Steven for sending the photo above, taken by Rose Feliciano, showing a vehicle linked to the case being towed away. (It matches the description of the one mentioned in our early-early-morning report – “tan” minivan.) He says the arrest happened “without incident … no sirens, no confrontation …” and the only clue that something big had just happened was the appearance of one TV news crew (KIRO).
Our fellow neighborhood-news-service operators at Central District News are covering a shooting investigation right now, and they tell us there’s a possible West Seattle link – the suspect’s girlfriend is believed to live here. So we’re passing along the description information: “The suspect is described as an 18 year old white male, 6′ tall, muscular build, blonde hair, wearing a black tank top and shorts. He is possibly associated with a tan 2001 Chrysler Voyager minivan. Police consider the suspect to be armed and dangerous.” Read the ongoing coverage at CentralDistrictNews.com here.
Several people e-mailed and tweeted about a notable police presence at California/Myrtle (map) this afternoon. Here’s what we’ve found out: It was linked to the burglary case we reported here yesterday – a man breaking into an apartment at California/Raymond Tuesday morning, bolting when the apartment’s occupant screamed. Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen says evidence from that scene has led them to identify a suspect; they were hoping to arrest him at the California/Myrtle location today and they have a warrant, but he wasn’t there – Lt. Paulsen says, however, they’re confident they’ll arrest him soon, adding that this is someone with whom area officers are familiar because he’s been arrested multiple times before. Lt. Paulsen also reiterates that evidence in this case has further verified this suspect is NOT tied to the South Park stabbings (no new info in that case so far – here’s the suspect sketch again).
We received this announcement from Beth Yockey Jones, a West Seattleite who used to live next door to Teresa Butz, the South Park woman killed by a man who broke into her home and attacked her and her partner early Sunday. (Ms. Butz is shown at left in a photo from Facebook.) From Beth:
The South Park Community Center has graciously volunteered to host a candlelight memorial vigil so that friends and neighbors can gather and celebrate Teresa’s memory.
We will gather at 7.30pm on Thursday July 23rd, on the South Park Community Center ball fields and share memories and celebrate Teresa’s life. If you would like to say a few words, there will be an opportunity to do so.
If you need more information, you can e-mail Beth: bethyockeyjones@gmail.com Meantime, no new information on the case today – aside from police adding one note to the description of the killer – saying he had “blotchy skin.” Get the latest here.NOTE: Beth added in comments that the gathering will be in the “grassy area between the parking lot and softball fields” because of a prescheduled event on the field.
Just off the phone with Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen, who we called to verify a few reports of a break-in early today in the Morgan Junction-area and questions about whether that case might be related to the South Park attacks. First of all – While there are rumors that the description of the burglar was close to that of the South Park killer, Lt. Paulsen stresses THEY ARE 98% CERTAIN IT’S NOT THE SAME MAN. That said, they are putting extra priority on finding the Morgan Junction burglar because he “doesn’t match any patterns.” They are working on a sketch to put out. Lt. Paulsen says the man broke into an apartment in the 6000 block of California around 6 am. “He fled after the occupant screamed.” He was not “hostile” toward the occupant – he didn’t indicate any violent intentions, according to Lt. Paulsen – and he didn’t take anything. But since they don’t know exactly what his motive was, they’re particularly eager to catch him. They know the man got on a Metro bus and headed toward downtown; they have collected “trace evidence” and have some good leads as well as witness accounts. The man is described as a “thin black male in his 20s,” 6 feet tall, shaved head, wearing a red shirt and dark pants, and he has a wound on his head – he apparently got cut while running away. (No one in the apartment was hurt.) He broke in through a ground-floor bathroom window, according to Lt. Paulsen. He promised to let us know as soon as the sketch is available, so we’ll bring it to you when we get it. Meantime, he stresses all the advice you’ve heard before – keep your doors and windows secure, and if you see anybody suspicious, call 911. (Meantime, as for the South Park case, no new major developments today.)
Pauline e-mailed to say that while she’s relatively new to the neighborhood, she has had an overly warm welcome from the criminal element – read on:Read More
That’s the hundreds-strong, standing-room-only crowd that jammed into South Park Community Center tonight to hear from Seattle Police leadership and Mayor Nickels, less than two days after a terrifying attack that left one woman dead and another seriously hurt: A man broke into their western South Park home – not far from West Seattle’s eastern edge (map) – and stabbed them while they slept, early Sunday morning. Flowers have been placed outside the home where it happened – we went by just before the meeting:
The same police who patrol West Seattle also handle South Park, so it was a familiar face, Southwest Precinct Captain Joe Kessler, who outlined how his team has responded and will continue to search for the killer:
Most importantly, as we showed you a little earlier tonight, police have just released a sketch of the man they are looking for, believed to have been a stranger to the victims. The description remains – per the SPDBlotter report – “a black male, 20s to early 30s, 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet tall, thin muscular build, a thin moustache, and ‘nappy’ hair.” The victims have not been publicly identified — authorities say, “to protect their privacy” — but friends and neighbors have said they were a couple and, according to this Times story, about to be married. Police did allude to the victims being members of “a sexual minority” and as such say they have not ruled out the possibility this could have been a hate crime, though they do not have any evidence of that. Read on for more of what was said at the meeting:Read More
Seattle Police assistant chief Nick Metz told a standing-room-only crowd at the South Park Community Center at 7 pm this evening that a sketch of the suspect in Sunday morning’s stabbing incident would be available before the end of the night’s meeting. Half an hour after making that announcement, Assistant Chief Metz said that the sketch was now available and copies of this sketch were passed out to the audience. This is the man they are looking for in connection with the stabbing attack on two women while they were asleep in their home – one died, one survived.
We’ll have more from that meeting, which included remarks from the mayor and the acting police chief. Seattle Police also have published an update on their website – find it here.
Just got a note from a Highland Park resident who wanted to alert people to the break-in at her home near 16th and Cloverdale (map)- read on for details:Read More
Karen sends word of a burglary/car theft on 37th SW south of Dawson (map) – it happened a week ago but she and Block Watch neighbors just confirmed it, and it yielded advice she wanted to share:
The burglar(s) stole several large items and got away by stealing the SUV that was parked in the garage. One of the neighbors had noticed the garage door open while walking to work last week, but because he didn’t know the victims were out of town he didn’t bother to check on it.
The burglar(s) tried to pry the front door with either a crowbar or large shaft screwdriver but could not get in that way; they then broke through the downstairs back bedroom window.
Their comment to me: “…didn’t tell us that they were away. It’s really a good idea to tell your trusted close neighbors when you are on vacation or extended period away from your home because we can watch out for one another.”
One great way to get to know your neighbors – have a block party on Night Out, coming up August 4. You need to sign up by July 31 to get approval to close your (non-arterial) street; find out how by going here.
In addition to the photo we shared earlier this afternoon showing the man who’s believed to have robbed both the U.S. Bank branch in The Junction yesterday and a Maple Valley bank five days earlier, we also now have a photo from last Friday’s holdup at the Alaska USA branch in Westwood Village QFC. The FBI acknowledges it’s not that clear, but it’s all they have. No additional description, just the photo. Same advice if you see this one – call 911.
In the comments after our report on yesterday morning’s robbery at the U.S. Bank branch in The Junction, some wondered if the dreadlocked bandit who struck in Maple Valley July 10th was the same dreadlocked bandit who got away here. The King County Sheriff’s Office now says yes, it’s believed to be the same guy. Sgt. John Urquhart from KCSO says, “The robber in both stick-ups was wearing a multi-colored hat with fake dreadlocks. In the Maple Valley robbery the man handed the teller a note which said ‘Give me all the money’ and mentioned something about a gun. No gun was seen, however. He was given the cash and left the area on foot.” The photo above is from the Maple Valley heist; we’ve asked the FBI for any photos available from the one here, but so far none have been provided. If you think you’ve seen this man, call 911.
Local artist Paul Sorey posted his crime report in the WSB Forums – Two tons of stone, stolen from the Fauntleroy Church parking lot last weekend. Paul’s post links to a webpage he created with photos of similar stones. We just called him to find out a bit more: He says the stone was meant for use in a memorial garden at the church, and the two tons of stolen stone represent about a quarter of what they were using for the project.
Thanks to everyone who sent notes via e-mail, Twitter and Facebook asking about a big police presence about an hour and a half ago in the Schmitz Park area. Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith explained what it was about: He says officers pulled over a vehicle “for the purpose of IDing a suspect of an assault investigation.” However, the suspect bolted. Police meantime discovered the suspect also was “wanted for violation of a protection order,” according to Lt. Smith. With the help of K-9 tracking, officers found the suspect, who “will be booked for violation of protection order and obstruction of a police officer.”
Just in from Regina, who says this happened early Monday morning:
We live on Gatewood Hill – 38th off of Morgan [map]. Around 3:45 I awoke to the sound of people talking in what seemed to be my yard. I woke from a deep sleep and thought maybe it was a dream. Looking out the window I saw a white male about 6 ft tall, dressed in a black tank top and black pants, muscular, pacing up and down the street. We all know the neighbors and this agitated person didn’t belong. Then I heard shots.
Turned out the shots were him smashing the glass to pieces on a neighbor’s car with nothing in it. Other neighbors who had just returned from the airport yelled and gave pursuit of him and his getaway vehicle. The car with his friend fled one way, the dressed-in-black thug the other.
We believe he was trying to steal the car as it was the cheapest on the block, clearly had no alarms and there was nothing in it visible to be stolen. Police tried to find him, but the thug is gone. Watch out. This happened between 3:45 and 4:10 am on Monday.
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Teresa Butz, 
First of all – While there are rumors that the description of the burglar was close to that of the South Park killer, Lt. Paulsen stresses THEY ARE 98% CERTAIN IT’S NOT THE SAME MAN. That said, they are putting extra priority on finding the Morgan Junction burglar because he “doesn’t match any patterns.” They are working on a sketch to put out. Lt. Paulsen says the man broke into an apartment in the 6000 block of California around 6 am. “He fled after the occupant screamed.” He was not “hostile” toward the occupant – he didn’t indicate any violent intentions, according to Lt. Paulsen – and he didn’t take anything. But since they don’t know exactly what his motive was, they’re particularly eager to catch him. They know the man got on a Metro bus and headed toward downtown; they have collected “trace evidence” and have some good leads as well as witness accounts. The man is described as a “thin black male in his 20s,” 6 feet tall, shaved head, wearing a red shirt and dark pants, and he has a wound on his head – he apparently got cut while running away. (No one in the apartment was hurt.) He broke in through a ground-floor bathroom window, according to Lt. Paulsen. He promised to let us know as soon as the sketch is available, so we’ll bring it to you when we get it. Meantime, he stresses all the advice you’ve heard before – keep your doors and windows secure, and if you see anybody suspicious, call 911. (Meantime, as for the South Park case, 
Most importantly, as we showed you a little earlier tonight, police have just released a sketch of the man they are looking for, believed to have been a stranger to the victims. The description remains – per 
In addition to 
Thanks to everyone who sent notes via e-mail,
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