Crime & Safety

Police Blotter: Two First Hill Homes Ransacked

Police Blotter (1/26-1/31): The homes are located around the corner from each other and the Jan. 31 burglaries are believed part of a string of home burglaries on Mercer Island over the last several months.

Police are investigating the Jan. 31 burglary of two homes—little more than a block apart from each other—that were ransacked on the south end of First Hill. 

Two men living in a home on the 3600 block of 73rd Avenue SE reported their house was burglarized between 9:25 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. but reported no signs of forced entry. The victims, ages 39 and 54, stated several undisclosed items were taken. Police took several items as evidence for their investigation.

The owner of a second home, on the 7300 block of SE 38th Street, reported a forced-entry burglary later in the evening at 7:28 p.m. after discovering his home was in a similar state of disarray and a broken window sill as the likely point of entry. The victim, a 62-year-old man, reported no belongings were missing. Investigators took photographs of evidence possibly related to other recent burglaries on Mercer Island.

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Wednesday, Jan. 26 

(Court Violation) Police are investigating the violation of a no-contact protection order reported at 7:14 p.m. by residents of a home on the 9000 block of West Shorewood Drive. The suspect, a 22-year-old woman and former resident, was arrested in a Jan. 23 narcotics and theft incident. The woman allegedly contacted the victim 8 times by phone. 

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(Vehicle Prowl) An Olympia man, 36, reported his locked Honda Accord was broken into sometime between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the 8000 block of SE 28th Street. A Garmin GPS and Sirius Satellite radio were stolen from inside. Police found no signs of forced entry.

(Vehicle Prowl) A female resident reported her Lexus LX450 was broken into at 12:15 p.m. on the 9000 block of SE 61st Street. The woman, 30, said she parked her vehicle on the side of the road and when she returned a short time later the rear passenger-side window had been shattered. An embroidered green diaper bag containing her wallet was missing. No one was see in or around the vehicle.

Thursday, Jan. 27 

(Vehicle Prowl) A woman visiting reported her Honda CR-V was broken into and belongings taken from inside. The woman, 47, said an unknown suspect entered her locked vehicle parked in the parking lot between 10-11 a.m. by smashing through the front passenger-side window. She claimed her black purse—which contained a wallet containing credit cards and $20 in cash—was hidden under a blanket over the passenger side foot well.

(Forgery) A business office manager at the says she received a call from the Northgate branch of US Bank in Seattle at 11:18 a.m. stating that someone deposited a check into their account that MICC had not issued. Police suspect an 18-year-old Edmonds woman is responsible for the check fraud.  

(Traffic Violation) A police patrol spotted a BMW 325i traveling southbound on 76th Avenue at 3:32 p.m. and recognized the vehicle as the same car they pulled over for driving without a license the week prior. They pulled over the car on the 2700 block of 77th Avenue SE. The woman, a 24-year-old resident, was arrested after she admitted driving on a suspended license.

(Found Property) A passerby flagged down police at 7:50 p.m. on the 3400 block of 77th Avenue SE to report a Diamond Back BMX bicycle was left in her neighbor's yard that didn't belong there. The neighbor stated the bicycle was left there since 7 a.m. this morning and that no one had returned to claim it. 

Friday, Jan. 28 

(Liquor Violation) Two eighth-grade students were found by school staff in possession of plastic bottles suspected to be alcohol at 12:50 p.m. on property. School staff confiscated the bottles and contacted their parents. 

(Warrant Arrest) Local police were notified that a 19-year-old woman wanted on an arrest warrant was about to be released in Renton. The woman was released into Mercer Island Police custody at 4:16 p.m. on a misdemeanor arrest warrant and transported to the Issaquah Jail.

(Liquor Violation) A resident of a home on the 3800 block of East Mercer Way reported a black Volkswagen Jetta was parked on her property and she suspected the occupants of engaging in drug use. Police contacted the two 19-year-old local men at 6:20 p.m. inside the vehicle and noticed intoxicants inside the car and on their breath. Police located a half-empty bottle underneath the driver's seat and the driver submitted to a breathalyzer test, which detected alcohol in his system but well below the legal limit. Both men were arrested on suspicion of possession of liquor as a minor.

(Vehicle Prowl) The resident of a home on the 2900 block of 76th Avenue SE reported at 7:11 p.m. that someone had accessed the rear trunk of her Ford Taurus sometime over the last two days. No belongings were reported taken and no signs of forced entry were detected. 

Saturday, Jan. 29 

(Warrant Arrest) Police re-arrested a 31-year-old Seattle man set for release from the King County Jail wanted on a local misdemeanor arrest warrant. He was arrested at 12:15 p.m. and transported to the Issaquah Jail.

(Malicious Mischief) An employee at the Mercer Island Veterinary Clinic reported someone had kicked a large dent into the rear passenger-side of her Honda Civic at sometime following her lunch break. 

(Vehicle Theft) A 40-year-old resident reported his Lexus ES350 was stolen from a parking garage on the 7700 block of Sunset Highway sometime between 7-9 p.m. The man said he had left the vehicle unlocked and the key inside and hadn't "given permission to take the vehicle." The car was found the next day with a minor dent to the right front-quarter panel and was returned to the owner, but police had no suspects in the case. 

(Narcotics) A traffic violation involving a Ford Explorer on the 2300 block of SE 72nd Street at 8:39 p.m. quickly escalated after officers noticed a glass marijuana pipe on the floor of the car. The 17-year-old local driver also admitted to carrying a small amount of marijuana in his jacket pocket. He was arrested and later released to the custody of his mother.

(Vehicle Prowl) Two women reported their Mazda Protege was broken into at 10:36 p.m. on the 8200 block of SE 59th Street by an unknown suspect. The driver's side rear window was smashed and a backpack containing an Hewlett-Packard laptop computer, credit cards and a checkbook were taken from inside the vehicle. Police were unable to develop any leads in the case. 

Sunday, Jan. 30

(Vehicle Prowl) A resident of a home on the 2200 block of 78th Avenue SE reported at 8:41 a.m. that an unknown suspect had broken into her Toyota Sienna minivan overnight. The driver's-side rear window was broken and her daughter's backpack containing school supplies, a graphing calculator, several Godfather and Frankenstein paperbacks and several textbooks was taken from the seat. Police  report no leads in the case.

Monday, Jan. 31

(Warrant Arrest) A 21-year-old resident wanted on a misdemeanor arrest warrant was arrested at 1:12 a.m. on the 2900 block of 77th Avenue SE. Officers spotted the man wandering around the Farmers Insurance parking garage and drew a Taser stun gun to subdue the suspect. His identity was later confirmed and he was transported to the King County Jail. Police later located a Mexican "Club America" soccer team bandana and an SOG Daggert 2 six-inch fixed blade knife at the arrest location.

(Theft) A 29-year-old resident of an apartment on the 9000 block of Shorewood Drive reported at 1:18 p.m. that his golf clubs were stolen between 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 after he left them in the hallway in front of his door. The value of the lost goods was estimated at $2,000.


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