Police News & Blotter | Dec. 1, 2021 - Jan. 12, 2022
The Newcastle Police Blotter features selected crime reports. This is not a comprehensive list of incidents in Newcastle. Questions? Contact Police Chief Houck at [email protected].
A message from Police Chief Jason Houck:
During the period of December 1, 2021, through January 12, 2022, NPD suffered a couple more staffing setbacks. Our traffic officer was moved back onto patrol, thus eliminating our ability to focus on those traffic complaints that everyone sends us. A total of 46 tickets were written in this timeframe. For the year, however, there were 882 total tickets issued for bad driving choices here in the City. The prior year we only wrote 653.
As you’ll see below, prowls and thefts remain a problem. We still need people to stop leaving valuables in their vehicles, locked or unlocked. We would appreciate folks locking their car doors, making sure their garages are closed, and getting rid of the old push-button garage remote in exchange for either one on your phone or one that requires a code. All of these things would help prevent or deter most of what you will read about in the blotter.
During this period, we worked with some residents here in the city in an attempt to catch package thieves, but unfortunately the same staffing issues that took the traffic officer off duty have made continuing that initiative impossible for now as well. We would like to remind people to try to get packages off their porches ASAP, and to have them delivered to drop boxes if possible.
Finally, I want to remind folks that Facebook, Twitter, etc. are not effective ways to let us know a crime is occurring at that moment. If you are posting about something you are hearing or seeing, click on the green app that looks like a phone and call us first, then take to social media to ask others if they saw or heard it.
Blotter, 12/1/21 - 1/12/22
12/1
930am
6900 block Coal Creek
Shoplift—NPD responded to a business at this location after employees called to report a woman had entered the store, filled up a cart with cosmetics, and then walked out of the door without making any effort to pay for them. The woman got into a waiting car as NPD was arriving. When the officer tried to stop them, the vehicle fled out of the lot at a high rate of speed. Officers did not pursue per state law. NPD is investigating.
1pm
12800 block Newcastle Way
Vehicle Prowl—A man called to report that sometime overnight, his work van was broken into and multiple tools, as well as documents and a printer, were stolen. The suspects gained entry by smashing the window.
12/3
11pm
13900 block SE 92nd
Burglary—A man called NPD to report he had just returned home and found a window on the back side of his house had been smashed out, and someone had gone through his house and taken multiple items. Neighbors heard and alarm going off earlier in the day but did not know which house, and no alarm company called NPD. Prints were recovered from the scene and will be compared when completed.
12/4
4am
8900 block 129th
Vehicle prowl—A man called NPD around 8am after waking up to find that his vehicle had been broken into sometime overnight. Inside the vehicle, he had been keeping $500 worth of Christmas presents and important/sensitive tax & personal information. Video showed that the prowl occurred around 4am that morning. NPD is investigating.
12/6
930am
Coal Creek Parkway
Eluding—An officer was doing speed enforcement along CCPW when they attempted to stop a vehicle for going 55mph. Initially, the vehicle pulled over as if it was going stop. Then, as the deputy got out, it took off SB, running through several traffic lights. The officer did not pursue the vehicle per state law.
12/8
9am
13800 block Golf Club Road
Welfare check—NPD responded to this location after getting reports of an unconscious female behind the wheel of a car. When the officer arrived, they found a female passed out in her own vomit and unable to care for herself due to the state of her drug-induced intoxication. Aid was called, and the female was transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation.
630pm
12200 block SE 80th
Burglary—A woman called to report that some time since 1030am, someone had broken into their house and stolen an unknown number of items. When deputies arrived, they cleared the house. It appeared as if the unknown suspect/s broke the rear sliding window with a planter and then went through the entire house. The suspects moved the outside cameras, and the inside cameras were not working at the time. Fingerprints were lifted from the scene and the results are pending.
12/10
11am
13400 block Commons Drive
Vehicle prowl—A man called NPD to report that sometime between 12/8 and 12/10, an unknown person had entered his vehicle and stolen multiple gift cards, electronics, cash and other personal items. The man said his door had been locked at the time, but there was not damage to windows etc., so it is unknown how the suspect/s gained entry.
530pm
6900 block Coal Creek Parkway
Shoplift—An employee called to report that just prior to calling, a man had entered the store carrying a backpack and duffle bag, then proceeded to load them with items from the store and walk out without paying. The employee waited to call PD. NPD is investigating.
8pm
8200 block 127th
Package Theft—A woman called to report that a package was stolen off her front porch. The package contained about $100 worth of clothing. The woman reported that at around 130pm, her Ring camera caught an unknown man coming up to her porch carrying paperwork. The man took the package and got in a waiting SUV and left the area.
12/11
4am
7600 block 120th PL SE
Prowl / Burglary—A mand called to report that two men had just prowled his vehicle and then broke into his garage. The van was unlocked, and the garage door opener was in the garage. The man indicated that about $4k worth of tools were taken from the van. NPD is investigating.
9am
920 block 118th CT
Prowl—A man called to report that overnight, his camera had caught two suspects trying door handles to vehicles parked in the driveway. NPD reviewed the video, and the suspects appear to match those of the burglary that occurred at 4am. Nothing was taken in this incident, as all the vehicles were locked and nothing was inside of them.
12/13
4am
13600 block 90th
Fraud—A woman called to report that she had been the victim of a fraud to the amount of 10 million dollars. She claimed to have been contacted by someone representing themselves as the police in China. During a Zoom call, she said this person told her that she owed 10 million dollars to the Chinese government and that she needed to pay. The woman claims to have wired the 10 million dollars shortly after. NPD is investigating the validity of this claim.
10am
14000 block SE 92nd
Catalytic converter theft—A woman called and reported that some time on 12/9 between 645-7am, her son heard a loud noise outside. When he went out to investigate, he saw a person standing next to his mom’s car, then saw the person get into a Tesla and drive away. On 12/13, when mom went to her car to start it, she heard the loud noise and realized her catalytic converter had been stolen.
230pm
7500 block 119th
Vehicle Prowl—A man called to report that some time since the previous day, his daughter’s vehicle had been broken into. The vehicle had been left unlocked. Stolen from inside was cash, clothes, and a computer.
12/14
11am
7400 block Golf Club Road
Prowl / Burglary—A man called to report that some time in the past 2 days, his vehicle had been broken into. There was not damage to the vehicle, so it was likely unlocked. Someone had obviously gone through the vehicle, but the only thing he could find missing was his garage door opener. The victim told NPD when he checked his garage, he found several items missing, including a mountain bike and several items related to motorcycle riding. The man estimated the loss to be around $3k.
12/15
445pm
Most of Newcastle
Pursuit—An NPD Officer recognized a suspect and suspect vehicle wanted for multiple bank robberies in King County, including the one here last month. When the officer attempted to pull the vehicle over it sped away, weaving in and out of traffic, into oncoming lanes, through small residential streets etc. NPD Officers tried to follow while keeping the rest of the public safe, but the newer Camaro the suspect was driving was a bit too fast for our vehicles, and the pursuit was terminated as the vehicle got too far away from the officers. NPD is coordinating with other agencies to apprehend this suspect.
12/16
1230am
6900 block CCPW
Theft—NPD was called to this location after a business called to report they had stopped someone who had been shoplifting over $650 worth of items. NPD arrived and the store did not wish to prosecute for the theft, but they did request the man be trespassed from the store.
12/20
130am
Golf Club Road and 155th
Eluding—An eagle-eyed NPD officer spotted a suspicious-looking white Nissan, one the many of you may remember as possibly being involved in multiple thefts of packages around the city. When the officer turned around and attempted to stop the vehicle, it sped away and drove up on the sidewalk to get away from the officer. NPD did not pursue. We did, however, find two empty packages in the street with addresses in both Bellevue and Newcastle. Both owners were contacted and indicated their packages had been stolen. NPD is continuing to investigate this and the other package thefts that are occurring.
8am
8200 block 118th
Burglary—Some time overnight, unknown suspect/s broken into a storage container on a construction site by punching the lock on a vehicle blocking the door, then breaking the lock on the container itself. A large quantity of tools were taken.
9pm
6900 block Coal Creek
Vehicle Recovery—NPD officers located a vehicle that had been stolen in a burglary three days prior in Seattle. A man was found sleeping inside the vehicle, and he was taken into custody without incident. It is unknown if he was the suspect responsible for the burglary. He was booked into jail for possession of a stolen vehicle.
12/21
12100 block SE 77th
9am
Package Theft—A package containing license plates was stolen from the front porch. Those plates were then attached to the white Nissan Rogue that many of you have heard about. That vehicle then burglarized a home in Issaquah (2 blocks from my house) in the middle of the day. The vehicle then fled from Issaquah PD and struck another vehicle before continuing. The plates and vehicle have yet to be recovered.
12/22
630am
7900 block 110th
Vehicle prowl—A woman called to report that some time overnight, someone had smashed a window on her car and stolen 2 pairs of sunglasses that were left in the vehicle.
12/22
9am
11800 block May Creek Park
Eluding—NPD Officers spotted a stolen vehicle that was also suspected of burglaries in the area. When they attempted to stop the vehicle, it fled. State law does not allow police to pursue the suspect, so we didn’t.
1230 PM
SE 84th / Coal Creek Parkway
Hit and run—Two people driving NB were injured when the vehicle there were in was hit head-on by another vehicle that had crossed the median strip and hit them while traveling SB. The occupants of that vehicle all got out and ran. A dog was called to search for the suspect, but the track was negative, and it was found on video that the suspects got into another vehicle and fled the area. The suspect vehicle was later found to be stolen.
12/23
6300 block 132nd
930pm
Vehicle Prowl—A woman called to report that some time over the past day, her vehicle had been broken into. The woman told NPD she had left a bag in the back containing a small drone, an unknown amount of change, and mail inside the car. There is no suspect information.
12/24
7600 block 113th
6am
Vehicle recovery / prowler arrest—A very attentive NPD officer checking out an area that had been hard-hit by prowls and thefts the past week happened upon a U-Haul in the middle of a neighborhood under construction. Realizing nobody would be moving into the unfinished homes, he examined the vehicle a little closer and found a man passed out in the on the front seat. The man had very noticeable tattoos, ones that he recognized from a previous prowl car. The damaged ignition was also a “clue.” Once the deputy awoke Sleeping Beauty, the man admitted to having a drug problem and being the one in the other video inside the house, and that he was there in the area today to burglarize a house. It also turned out that the vehicle (U-Haul) was stolen. Charges were filed for trespassing and possession of stolen property.
930am
13800 block Golf Club Road
Vehicle prowl—A man called to report that sometime since 9pm the night before, someone had broken into his car and taken 43 packages, which he was scheduled to deliver that day. Yes, you read this correctly: This man, who is apparently a delivery driver and likely had packages that may have been gifts for some of you reading this, decided to leave those packages in his car overnight, and they got stolen. *****Don’t get me wrong, folks. I hate thieves, and I don’t condone theft in any way. I wish we could leave our wallet or purse on the sidewalk and come back to get it 3 days later. Now, having said that, what planet does this guy live on where he thought this would be a good idea? This is exactly the kind of stuff that keeps the people doing this coming back here time and time again. One car, 43 packages… Why wouldn’t they keep coming around here?
12/25
12pm
7200 block 132nd
Vehicle Prowl—A woman called to report that some time since around 4am, her vehicle had been broken into. Someone had shattered the rear window of her car and stolen 3 tennis rackets, 2 sets of headphones, and 2 DVD players with screens from inside the vehicle.
12/28
13800 block Golf Club Road
Fraud—A man called after he noticed several thousand dollars had been withdrawn from his bank account over the previous month. He told officers that when he went to the bank, he was shown video of a man using his ATM card to withdraw the money. The victim recognized the suspect as his brother and described him as a drug addict. He said he did not give his brother any permission to use the card. NPD is investigating.
12/29
12am
7800 block 113th
Vehicle Theft—A woman called to report that her vehicle had been stolen sometime overnight from in front of their residence. When NPD arrived, the victims provided video showing that around 11pm the previous night, two unknow suspects wearing hoodies and covid-style masks walk by the property. Shortly after that, the vehicle can be seen being driven away. NPD followed prints in the snow until they disappeared. The vehicle has been entered into a national database.
7300 block Coal Creek
11am
Burglary—A man called to report that some time in the past 6 days, his storage unit at the complex had been broken into and $3500 in musical equipment had been stolen. Fingerprints were collected from the scene and pending results.
1 / 2
5pm
12800 block Newcastle Way
Package theft—A woman called NPD to report that a couch that was delivered to her apartment building was stolen sometime between 3 and 4pm. Yes, a couch. NPD is reviewing possible video surveillance of the incident.
1/3
545pm
6900 block Coal Creek Parkway
Bank Robbery—In a scene straight out of a movie, NPD responded to a bank in this area after the employees called to report they had just been robbed. When NPD and KCSO officers arrived, they learned that the employees had just freed themselves after they had been zip tied and then tied to a cabinet. The employees said that shortly after they had locked up for the day, a man emerged from the ceiling holding a gun. He gathered them all together and into a room and zip tied them together and demand the $80K he had heard them talking about that was in the vault. Because the vault was on a timer, they could not get inside; he then demanded to get into the ATM, which was also on a timer. The suspect physically assaulted the employees and threatened to kill them if they did not cooperate. He eventually fled. Officers had been called to the bank around 1pm when the manager noticed a leak and a hole was found in the roof, however by the time NPD was called, roofers had already begun to close the hole in the roof. NPD is continuing to investigate.
1/6
545pm
9000 block 140th
Package Theft—A man called to report that at 4pm, he received a package at the front do containing a pair of boots. By the time he was able to get home to get the package, an unknown person took the package off his front porch. The reporting person was unwilling to assist in prosecution.
1/7
730pm
7400 block Golf Club Road
Burglary—A man reported that sometime in the previous 12 hours, someone had kicked his front door in, ransacked his apartment, taken $2-3K in cash and jewelry from his residence; but he also told NPD he was not willing to assist in prosecution. NPD is not investigating.