There’s been a break in a major robbery ring based out of University District and hitting a variety of North Seattle neighborhoods (presumably including Wallingford). Perhaps our long torment is over?
According to SPD Blotter:
Detectives got their first major break in the case on September 11th when Seattle police and Department of Corrections officers went to a University District townhouse near NE 50th Street and 11th Avenue NE to arrest a 26-year-old woman wanted on a felony warrant. After officers took the woman into custody, they discovered a stolen car parked outside the two-bedroom townhome. … Detectives found a trove of around 100 stolen packages when they arrived, containing everything from ceiling fans to strollers, all in their original packaging. “When we left her house,” says MCTF Det. Todd Jakobsen “we had four SUVs and two cars stuffed full of packages she’d stolen off people’s porches.”
Detectives found duffel bags filled with stolen mail, more than 70 IDs, credit cards and passports, $37,000 in fraudulent checks, and mail stolen from at least 180 victims. They also found books and ledgers tracking thefts and tallying sales on online sites, as well as pages and pages of victims’ birthdates, social security numbers and credit card numbers. Detectives say the woman had created “profiles,” compiling personal information from pieces of stolen mail. With that info in hand, she and other thieves had everything they needed to open credit accounts in their victims’ names.
The photo above is a small slice of the recovered loot. It gets better.
Police later learned the townhome, much like the mail and stolen items inside it, did not belong to the woman either. “She never even rented this place,” says Major Crimes Task Force detective Todd Jakobsen. “The people that lived there moved out and she just moved in. She never paid rent.”
Upon questioning the woman and her boyfriend, the police learned that they were part of a four-person operation that has been operating overtime, stealing mail and breaking into homes seven days a week for the past several months.
Following up on information provided by the woman, police found the third member of the crew of thieves, a 31-year-old woman, in a tent at an encampment at I-5 and NE 50th St. In the encampment, police found more stolen mail and about 200 pounds of stolen copper wire.
The fourth member of the crew and alleged ringleader was arrested on September 22nd.
“These arrests should drastically reduce property crimes” in the North Precinct, Coordinated Criminal Investigations Captain Eric Sano says, according to the SPD Blotter.
Detectives are still combing through all of the stolen items recovered during their investigation. Given there were “duffelbags full of mail”, I’d be curious to hear if anyone gets a call from the police, or finds a sudden influx of overdue deliveries arriving.
hmmmm, given the one members hiding spot i’m curious if there is any relationship with the group of homeless that hangs out around that area. As a resident of 50th I have never had any major problems with them before – but wondering if i should be a bit more cautious moving forward.
Does anyone know how we can find out if items stolen from our home are amongst the items seized? I had some jewelry with sentimental value taken from our home and would love to get it back….
Same question as SJM….same problem…sentimental jewelry.
@SJM / Kelly, I’m putting the question in to my contact at SPD. Will let you know what I hear.
Jonah Spangenthal-Lee from the SPD replied:
Our detectives are still processing evidence and investigating the suspects, so my guess is it may take some time until they’re able to start the process of returning property. In the past, we’ve put up a gallery of images of property and asked folks to call in if they believe it’s theirs. I’m not sure if we’ll handle this in a similar way or not, but we’ll put something out as soon as we get it worked out.
Several months ago my Wallingford parents (46th & 2nd) had fraudulent banking accounts opened in their names. We assumed that mail containing personal information had been stolen, as my parents are pretty darn cautious with most everything pertaining to identity security. It will be so interesting to find out if they are in these records somewhere!
Same as Joe, we near Meridian Park and have had quite a few issues come up with neighborhood break ins, drunkiness in public, littering and loitering from members of the encampment on 50th. What can we do as a community to decrease this problem? I have submitted multiple reports to the police to no avail. I noticed that they are currently removing all the ivy on chain link fence along Meridian Park. Aesthetics aside I am assuming it has something to do with safety. It is unfortunate that our little hidden park is now exposed to the busy road, but I did notice a large presence of homeless people in the park during the warm months.
A couple years back one of the “homeless” who hangs out at the I-5 ramps came into our store and told me (he was in an oddly gregarious semi-drunk state) that the local ne’er-do-wells would trade their stolen goods and stolen mail for drugs with a woman in the U-District. Wonder if that’s the same person?
I’ve had to call the ambulance for them a few times because they’ve been passed out in the road – they just end up back in a few days. I don’t get the feeling that the city has any interest or the resources to do anything that would make any significant change. And while its not great to have that occurring in the neighborhood – I’m not in support of spikes or anything that would make the few areas they do have to survive unlivable as well. hrm…..
If people stopped giving them money from the off ramp, they would have less money for beer and drugs. And maybe they would go to get help at homeless shelters etc.
Instead of giving bums money, give it to a charity of your choice, that can provide help for them.
Aw, common, people. You’re punishing them for the crime of being homeless. Just think of the wonderful diversity they bring to the neighborhood. So what if they steal your identity, it’s only money,and they need it more than you. Tomorrow when you’re stopped at 50’th/I-5, make sure you make people behind you miss the light so they can see what a caring person you are as you hand the homeless guy a dollar.
Common you Wallingford NIMBY’s, open your hearts and give them a big hug!
Lots of packages being stolen off peoples front porch’s . And still UPS will not ring the doorbell or knock when they deliver a package to our house.
Please keep us posted about the return of stolen goods.
Hoping my 80 year old antigue car fuel pump is among the lot.