West Seattle, Washington
10 Tuesday
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
It’s the neighborhood where West Seattle’s most-recent murder happened, the still-unsolved shooting death of Stephen Jeffries Jr. on New Year’s Eve 2013:
(WSB photo from April 2014 vigil)
It’s the neighborhood where drive-by gunfire hit at least one car during a rampage two months ago:
(WSB reader photo from April 2015)
And – as a result of those cases and more – South Delridge is a neighborhood where people are pleading for more police presence.
Residents from South Delridge made their case face-to-face with Southwest Precinct police on Tuesday night at this month’s Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council meeting. While they’re not in the boundaries that semi-new council has been serving, that was part of the point – since they are not affiliated with an existing community group, their area doesn’t have its own “micro-policing plan” … yet, though WWRHAH co-chair Amanda Kay Helmick pointed out she had added it as a priority in theirs.
More than two dozen people were in the upstairs meeting room at Southwest Library as neighbors told their stories and heard what police and other city representatives can and can’t do.
(From left, CPT Officers Kiehn and Flores, City Attorney’s Office liaison York, CPT Officer Nicholson)
SPD had four reps, including Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis and three of his four Community Police Team members, Officers Jon Flores, Jonathan Kiehn, and Erin Nicholson. Also there: Matthew York, SW and South Precincts’ liaison from the City Attorney’s Office, plus a representative from the city Department of Planning and Development.
Helmick opened by introducing a resident who brought a list of eight properties that he described as problematic for the neighborhood, with problems from squatters to drug use, and worse.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports this morning:
ANYBODY MISSING THAT CAR? M says it was abandoned “in the alley between 32nd & 34th St SW and Henderson and Barton. Black 4-door Toyota… I’ve reported it etc, but in case anyone is missing their car and reading the blog…”
BREAK-IN REPORTED: Taylor says this happened sometime between 8:30 pm and 11 pm on Tuesday night near 45th and Dakota. When a resident came home, the front door was “wide open and our living room trashed … (a) bedroom door had been kicked in, clothes thrown everywhere, jewelry boxes on the floor empty change jars thrown around.” Police took two items for prints but found no sign of forced entry; later, Taylor found spots of “bent and messed up” grass in the yard, suggesting three suspects, and then “footprints in our garden windows,” and a 3-prong garden tool turned up on a bed. The burglars did not steal any electronics but did know the difference between costume and real jewelry and left the former behind, too. Taylor concludes, “I just felt like we should inform you that these people are in our neighborhood and that they are dangerous and to look out for any suspicious people and keep the kids and all others safe.”
SCAM CALL: The “IRS lawsuit” scam call continues making the rounds. David is the latest to report it: “Just a quick note to inform you that I got the ‘IRS Lawsuit’ phone scam call this morning at 6:15am. It was a robocall instructing me to phone an area code 360 number. Unfortunately, I did not get the entire number.” It was also reported in the WSB Forums earlier this week. Here’s the official IRS scam-info page, with alerts and advice.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes this morning:
PARKGOER’S WARNING: Police were in Highland Park Tuesday afternoon looking for what was dispatched as a man asking women for hugs. Then overnight, a reader e-mailed us to say that the man “groped” her while she was at Westcrest Park playing with her child “and attending to the garden.” She added, “This same man also appeared at the park next to the Highland Park Elementary playground, which I happened to be at after the P Patch. I informed the other parents and then called the Police.” She says he is known to him, is developmentally disabled, and apparently “tends to run away from his foster parents and go to the parks where he asks for hugs from girls. If you ever see him, he is about 6’3″ about late teens with blondish hair, call the police and let them know.”
HAMMOCK CHAIR THEFT: Also in Highland Park, a case of chair theft:
Our hammock chairs were stolen off our front patio Monday morning between 5:30 and 8 am. We live on the corner of 11th and Holden Street. Chairs are rare (made in Hawaii, available only [online]) and we have never seen anything like them. Any and all help relocating them is much appreciated.
Please call police if you’ve seen them.
2:05 PM: While we haven’t been able to get full details from Seattle Police yet, we wanted to tell you what we do know about this, given where it happened: SPD is investigating a strong-arm street robbery reported just before 10 this morning at California/Hanford [map]. The robber took the victim’s backpack. While the location is just south of West Seattle High School, we do NOT know if the victim was, or was not, a student; because the report isn’t in the system yet, SPD media relations didn’t have access to details such as the victim’s age. The only descriptive information in the system so far regarding the robber is: A Hispanic man in his 30s, 6 feet tall, wearing jeans. When we find out more, we’ll add it here.
4:09 PM: SPD has added one more detail so far – the victim is a 13-year-old girl.
One reader report in West Seattle Crime Watch this morning, plus three incidents found on the tweeted police log:
CAR PROWL: Reported via text (206-293-6302 any time) this morning:
Sometime between 10pm and 5am our car was broken into while parked in our driveway. We are on 47th and Myrtle [map]. Everything was rummaged through but it is not clear if anything was actually taken. Fuse box was ripped out.
We checked Tweets by Beat – which shows address, type of incident, and time – and found only one other car-prowl report for the past 24 hours in West Seattle: 2200 block of SW Andover in North Delridge, reported at mid-afternoon Monday.
BURGLARY REPORTS: No reader reports so far today (editor@westseattleblog.com); two are shown on Tweets by Beat from the past 24 hours in West Seattle: One reported last night, 3700 block of SW Trenton [map] in Upper Fauntleroy; one reported Monday afternoon, 9600 block of Fauntleroy Way SW in Brace Point [map].
ONE MORE REMINDER: Crime concerns in Westwood/Roxhill/South Delridge? Be at WWRHAH tonight.
In a West Seattle Crime Watch report earlier this afternoon, we mentioned that crime will be the focus of tomorrow night’s Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council meeting. Since then, the person who sent the announcement, co-chair Amanda Kay Helmick, has sent a Crime Watch reader report of her own:
I had my 1980s Panasonic ladies bike stolen from my porch last night. 10 speed with Schwinn cruiser handlebars. It has a rear fender and bike rack. A light and bell on the handlebars and a clip for a basket on the front. Lots of star stickers, a Proletariat Pizza sticker and an Amanda4D1.com sticker too. It’s not worth a lot, but it’s My Bike! You know? I reported it to the police, and I’ve been driving around the ‘hood like a stalker…. the picture is from when I first got it almost 5 years ago. So BUMMED!
If you see it … let police know, and then consider commenting here as well.
RECENT BICYCLE CASES: None of these have been resolved so far as we know, so we’re mentioning them again (all three have photos too): 12-year-old boy’s silver Fuji Absolute stolen May 28th, also in Westwood; child- and adult-size bicycles found in Westwood and Highland Park respectively, published here May 20th – we suggested to the finders of the latter two that they be reported to police for pickup.
Two notes in West Seattle Crime Watch:
CAR BREAK-IN: From Yvonne:
I just wanted to report a car prowl incident that happened today in the North Admiral district off of SW Waite Street.
Today when I entered my car parked in front of our house on a residential street, I noticed that the contents of my glove box was emptied out onto the floor and my old iPhone was stolen out of my center console.
They also stole a Quickbooks 101 book from my back seat. Nothing of real value was taken and no damage was done to my car but I wanted to alert the WS community in case anyone else experienced a car break in/theft/prowl last night or this morning.
She filed a police report – which SPD urges, even if “nothing of real value” (or nothing at all) was stolen. You can even file online by going here.
CRIME CONCERNS IN SOUTH WEST SEATTLE? Be at the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council meeting tomorrow night. From co-chair Amanda Kay Helmick:
Please join us as we welcome Seattle Police, Department of Planning and Development and the City Attorney’s Office to discuss crime in the Westwood/Roxhill/Delridge Triangle area. We have been working with SPD for over three years on theft, drug use/dealing, prostitution, squatting, assault, and gun violence. Our area needs an update on what is being done to address our challenges. No formal agenda – all are welcome.
WWRHAH’s meeting runs 6:15-7:45 pm Tuesday at Southwest Branch Library (35th/Henderson).
Thanks to the tipsters who messaged us this morning with word that passers-by had spotted broken glass and signs of a break-in at Café Osita in Sunrise Heights. They had alerted police but were worried the owner might not know. We went over to the shop at 7349 35th SW and found out owner Andrea had already been alerted by the building manager; the shop indeed had been burglarized, and the laundromat next door had been broken into recently as well. Café Osita isn’t usually open on Sunday anyway; Andrea and her husband are cleaning up the aftermath and told us the shop will be open tomorrow as usual. They estimate the damage and losses will total at least $500.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes this morning:
STOLEN BICYCLE: From JC:
My 12-year-old son’s bike was stolen from the Seattle Public Library on 35th and Henderson. The bike is a Silver Fuji Absolute. It has an aftermarket rack on the back and a new gel seat. The bike was stolen May 28th before 4:30 pm. We are offering a $100 reward.
This has been reported to police via the online system, but the incident # isn’t available yet; you can reach JC at 206-261-2410.
OVERNIGHT HELICOPTER: Guardian One was in West Seattle briefly around 1:15 am; the crew tweeted later that they were helping SPD with a car-prowling incident “off Delridge Way,” no block specified.
Two notes in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon:
(WSB photo from Wednesday afternoon)
SCOOTER-THEFT FOLLOWUP: We know more this afternoon about the Morgan Junction arrest we reported Wednesday after police recovered a stolen scooter. Just published by SPD Blotter‘s Jonah Spangenthal-Lee:
Just 30 hours after walking out of the King County Jail – where he’d spent the last 11 days for a probation violation – a 49-year-old man crossed paths with the law once again Wednesday, when officers spotted him riding a stolen motor scooter through West Seattle.
Officers first noticed the man around 5:15 PM when they saw him pushing a black motor scooter down the sidewalk near 42nd Ave SW and SW Morgan.
Police checked the plate on the scooter and learned it was stolen, just as the man hopped on it and began driving away.
Officers pulled him over and found that not only was the scooter stolen, but its license plate had also been pilfered from another vehicle. Police impounded the scooter and booked the man into the King County Jail for investigation of auto theft.
NORTH ADMIRAL INCIDENTS: Thanks to Sherry for a reader report on two recent incidents in North Admiral – on Wednesday, “Attempted break-in between 7 am and 8 am through a rear patio door on 45th street. House was alarmed and went off when the door was open. Must have scared intruder off. Last week: Attempted break-in through a side patio door on Atlantic St. Homeowner was home so intruder left immediately but left the patio door open.”
(Something to report for Crime Watch? Police first – then, when you can, editor@westseattleblog.com. If it’s breaking news, text or call 206-293-6302. Thanks!)
Thanks for the tips about a heavy police presence in Morgan Junction.
When we arrived, we discovered it was actually related to two incidents – both involving stolen vehicles. One, a car stolen from Federal Way, was found in the southeast end of the West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) parking lot, off 42nd SW south of SW Morgan; police told us they were investigating the possibility it had been linked to mail-theft incidents.
Not even half a block south on 42nd, a stolen motor scooter was found, and one person was taken into custody. Both discoveries came from tips, we were told.
(UPDATED WEDNESDAY MORNING with police report details)
8:15 PM: If you’re noticing Seattle Police heading toward/into Lincoln Park, here’s what’s happening, according to what we’ve heard via scanner so far: Someone called 911 to report a man tried to grab her in the park. The description made public so far is a “Hispanic male, about 18 … white T-shirt, blue gym shorts.” (added) Also: “Thin, about 5’6″, no facial hair.” If you saw anything or have any information, call 911.
8:59 PM: A parkgoer says in comments that the victim told her it happened “on the trail going up from the beach near the pool.”
ADDED 9:34 AM WEDNESDAY: Just obtained from SPD, the narrative from the report, with the victim’s name redacted by SPD (replaced by us with “she” or “her” or “the victim”):
At 2017 hours I responded to a report of an assault with a sexual motive at … Lincoln Park. (The victim) had called 911 to report that an unknown male had grabbed her “butt” while she was walking through the park.
I made contact with (her) on the western side of the park which runs along the Puget Sound. The park has two levels. The lower western side of the park runs along the Puget Sound; the higher eastern side of the park is accessible through several sets of trails and staircases along the interior of the park.
(She) said that she comes to the park every other day to exercise. Tonight,(she) entered the park near the southernmost parking lot. She began running and walking along the trails on the higher, eastern side of the park. (She) said that she had been alternating between running and walking along the trail near the ridge that separates the lower half of the park from the upper.
While (she) was walking along the trail an unknown male approached her from behind and grabbed her “butt” with his right hand. (She) said that she had never seen the male before today. She described the male as approximately 18 years old, Hispanic or possibly Pacific Islander. She said that he was wearing a white t-shirt and dark gym shorts. (She) said the suspect was thin, around 5’6″ in height. He did not have any facial hair that she could recall.
After the suspect grabbed her butt, (she) recoiled away from him. (She) said the suspect then apologized, saying something like, “Sorry, I’ve only got a month to live, I just had to do that”. (She) felt that the suspect did not understand what he did was wrong. She said that the suspect did not leave the area when she asked him what he was doing. After (she) told the suspect that she was going to call the police, he reiterated his apology.
(She) then tried to get a passerby to lend her a cell phone. She stopped a couple who was walking through the area and asked to borrow their phone to call 911. The couple refused and told (her) that she should just leave the area, and that she should not travel alone. (She) said that during this time the suspect left the area but she did not see which direction he went. (She) then walked down the hill into the lower section of the park. She was able to find someone who let her use her cell phone to call 911.
(She) was not certain but said that she might have seen the suspect in the park before he assaulted her. (The victim) believed that he might have been sitting on a bench along the path. (She) believed that he may have been following her through the park but she was not certain.
Multiple units responded to the park and searched the area in vehicles and on foot. King County Metro was notified with a description of the suspect but no one was located. Because (she) did not see the suspect enter or exit the park, his mode of transportation was not known. I provided (her) with an SPD business card with my name, serial number, and this incident number. I asked her to contact the department if she recalled any other details about the incident. I also provided (her) with a victim’s brochure and talked with her about counseling services available.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports to share today:
NORTH ADMIRAL PROWLER: From Sarah:
Just wanted to get the word out that sometime overnight (Saturday night into Sunday morning) someone entered our backyard through our alley gate and looked through our garden shed. They also tried to get into the garage. Nothing was taken, but it’s a little unnerving that someone was checking it out. They had removed our floodlight from the outside of the garage (probably fearing it would come on when they went in). They left lots of footprints in the soft dirt in our back yard. We live in the 2100 block of 47th Ave. SW.
On the SPD incident-report map, the only other burglary/attempted-burglary report in West Seattle so far in the past 24 hours was in the 5100 block
RECOGNIZE THIS SHOPLIFTER? A man was caught on video stealing at The Beer Junction and they asked if we’d share photos. He spent six minutes in the store on Thursday, May 14th, asking about a 750-milliliter bottle of Rogue Farms Savior, and eventually was caught on camera stuffing it in his pocket
(We don’t publish photos of not-charged suspects in circumstances like this unless photos/video show them clearly committing the crime; we’ve seen the store surveillance camera video of that actually happening, in this case, but are not publishing it because most of the frame shows people who weren’t involved.) Another image caught his face:
While that’s not a massive amount of shoplifting, TBJ proprietor Morgan Herzog notes, “We are hoping there’s someone out there that recognizes this individual. Shoplifting is costly for all of us, especially small business owners like ourselves. West Seattle is a wonderful place to live and work, and except in a very rare case like this, we are super lucky to have great customers who love beer as much as we do!” If you have any idea who the thief is, please contact Seattle Police and refer to incident number 15-164144.
A thief stole Cynthia‘s scooter overnight:
2009 Genuine Buddy Scooter (orange) with trunk box stolen last night/this morning on the 8100 block of 13th, between Elmgrove and Thistle. [map] License Plate is 4B9633. Police report has been filed under incident number: 2015-169636
If you see it, call 911 and refer to that case number.
SIDE NOTE: We just checked the incident-response map and so far that’s the only vehicle theft reported in this area today.
(UPDATED WEDNESDAY MORNING with additional description information)
2:07 PM: Thanks to the Holy Rosary School parent who forwarded this message just sent to families:
I hate to have to report to you that a “Flasher” came by the school today at around 12:30. They did not make themselves known in the usual area, which is the play toy section of the playground. He appeared in a white car on 41st and jumped out of the car at the gates that open on the driveway into the school. The gates were closed, as they always are. He then jumped back into the car and drove away. One girl saw the activity and her parents were notified. The police were notified and showed up within minutes.
The most-recent “flasher” reports near a local school in our archives were by Chief Sealth IHS in February and in January. The last one we have on record near Holy Rosary was last September; the vehicle in that one was described as a silver minivan. We’re checking with police to see if they have any more information about what was reported today.
2:18 PM: Just talked to Det. Patrick Michaud in SPD media relations – they don’t have any additional information so far.
8:51 PM: We asked Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis about this during tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting. Nothing new, he said – one challenge was elapsed time between the incident and the time it was reported, so police will renew efforts to help schools teach about fast reporting and detailed descriptions.
ADDED 11:30 AM WEDNESDAY: As per the comment discussion, we have checked back with police yet again to see if any description information is available. Now that the written report is in, here’s what they have: “White male w/ long brown hair wearing a hat. A white 4-door car.”
Following up on the two Alki street robberies early Saturday and early Sunday, we now have the full narratives from the police reports. The one clear thing both have in common: They happened at/near Whale Tail Park, 59th/Lander, in the early-morning hours.
In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:
BASEBALL GEAR STOLEN: Pauline hopes you’ll be on the lookout for what car prowler(s) took in Westwood:
Today 2 baseball bags were stolen out of The back of my SUV in the 8100 block of 32nd at Thistle: A large rolling baseball bag with black and orange youth catcher’s gear, a Rawlings catcher’s mitt and a Rawlings baseball glove; a black and orange catcher’s helmet and a black batter’s helmet and an Easton S 500 baseball bat, and a baseball backpack with a blue batters helmet in it.
This has been reported to police.
MULTIPLE CARS DAMAGED IN HIT-AND-RUN: Last night in the 2800 block of SW Morgan in High Point, at least four cars were damaged by a hit-and-run driver. Sasha shared photos of some of the damage:
No injuries were reported. Scanner traffic later in the evening indicated that police were investigating a possible suspect found elsewhere in High Point, asleep in a car and reportedly under the influence, but we haven’t yet been able to confirm whether that resulted in an arrest.
WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL TOMORROW: Tuesday night, 7 pm at the Southwest Precinct, come find out about the latest crime trends and stats in West Seattle and South Park, bring your neighborhood concerns/questions directly to local police leadership, and learn about gangs from a panel of former gang members. The precinct is off Webster just west of Delridge.
SECOND ALKI STREET ROBBERY: Someone was held up at gunpoint in the 2700 block of Alki SW after 4 am today, according to both this SPD auto-tweet and what we’ve since found out was heard on police radio at the time. We won’t be able to get the report until tomorrow, so we have no other details, but that would be the second street robbery of the weekend in the Alki area, after this one early Saturday.
CAR PROWL: Via the WSB Forums, Greg reports a car prowl early today near 42nd/Brandon, west of Fairmount Park, with a GPS and binoculars taken.
STOLEN? OR LOST? Amy found this case near 9th/Elmgrove in Highland Park:
She suspects it was stolen and dumped. Know anyone who’s missing something like this, whether by theft or some other means?
Another bicycle stolen in the Admiral area, and this time the thieves took the rack, too:
My daughter’s bike was U-locked to the bike rack at 41st and Admiral (Friday) night. As of (Saturday) morning, rack and bike were gone: The bike is a silver-grey Cannondale CAAD 8 with blue tape on the handlebars. The theft has been reported to the police.
On Bike To Work Day, someone stole a bicycle from a West Seattleite who says she bikes to work often. Jane sent the photo and report:
My bike was stolen from in front of the Admiral Way Bartell Drugs on Friday, May 15. The cable lock was cut. It is a grey Raleigh (picture attached) with a rack attachment, very new. I would very much appreciate contact if seen, as I bike to work nearly every day.
As with other stolen vehicles – if you see it, please contact police.
P.S. Tuesday is the next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, 7 pm at Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster). Local crime trends and neighborhood concerns will be a centerpiece of the meeting, as always, but guests are booked too – former gang members who “will present their gang experiences and what it took for them to leave the gangs.”
12:54 AM: Police are searching right now for a man who is reported to have held someone up at gunpoint in the Alki area. We don’t have many details, but it happened about half an hour ago, according to information broadcast over police frequencies, and the robber was reported to have last been seen in the Whale Tail Park area; police also are searching near Schmitz Park. The only description mentioned so far is “light complexion black man, early to mid-20s, 6 feet tall, thin build, striped shirt.” No information about the victim(s) and whether they were hurt – no medic calls in the Alki area, though.
12:13 PM: The only additional information we have about this so far is that it was reported in the 1100 block of Alki SW, according to an SPD auto-tweet. Unless it appears on SPD Blotter or unless we happen to find a sergeant in the field who can tell us more, we won’t be able to get additional details until Monday.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 12:15 PM: New on SPD Blotter: A 52-year-old man arrested in North Delridge “after he menacingly harassed two women on the street, and tried to bite an officer as she took him into custody.” It all started in the 4000 block of 26th and ended in the 2600 block of SW Yancy, police say. Here’s the full story.
ADDED 12:24 PM: Picking up where the SPDB story left off – we’ve just looked up the suspect on the jail register. He remains behind bars; while his initial bail from last night’s booking shows on the register at $2,000, an online court docket shows that an increase to $50,000 was granted at his bail hearing this morning.
ADDED 12:40 PM: We’ve just learned more about the suspect and are identifying him as he is a registered sex offender – because of a rape conviction – Randy Gene Stark. In 2010, he made regional news for attempted child luring. He’s registered with a downtown address. (Photo from King County sex offender lookup website)
2 West Seattle Crime Watch notes – an incident this evening plus an SPD stats/trends update:
GATEWOOD BURGLARY: A neighbor texted us (206-293-6302 any time) about that big police response near 41st/Elmgrove in Gatewood [map] around 6 pm. When we went over to check, police told us they were checking out a burglar alarm but hadn’t yet found evidence of a break-in; no one was home. Later, though, it was confirmed as a burglary, according to neighbors and to SPD’s automated Tweets by Beat. That was the first confirmed West Seattle burglary, per TBB, since one reported at noon yesterday in the 8400 block of 12th SW.
STATS/TRENDS: Today’s edition of the every-two-weeks SeaStat SPD-wide briefing includes a page of year-to-year and week-to-week stats for the Southwest Precinct, which includes West Seattle and South Park – scroll through this slide deck to the very last page. Year-to-year – January 1st through May 9th this year, compared to the same period last year – every category except aggravated domestic-violence assault is up. (Though there’s no breakdown per precinct sectors, we know that the breakdown in one category – no 2014 homicides in West Seattle and none so far this year; the one 2015 homicide listed for the SW Precinct was in SP.) In the week-by-week stats for the past month, all categories are trending downward (or holding at zero) except for larceny, which was up from 12 in the third week to 13 in the fourth week.
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