Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 7, Issue 9, September 2003

Copyright 2003 Seattle Sun. Please feel free to use the article and photos below in your research. Be sure to quote the Seattle Sun as your source.

Cops n' Robbers

By LEAH WEATHERSBY

Flaming fume fiend:

On Wednesday, Aug. 13, at 5 p.m., a police officer was on patrol in Ballard when she saw smoke billowing up from a stairwell near the Safeway grocery store on Market Street. When she got there, the fire had already been extinguished but the store was blackened in areas and a burnt sock and can of paint thinner were still visible. The suspect a man in his 30s was sitting at the bottom of the stairs.

The store manager said he'd been alerted about the fire by another employee and had responded to the scene only to find the suspect sitting next to a puddle of burning paint thinner. The manager was able to extinguish the flames before the Seattle Fire Department arrived.

The officer asked the suspect what had happened. The suspect said he'd been inhaling the paint thinner fumes from a rag.

"I was huffing and got cocky and thought I could light a cigarette with the rag in my hand," he said.

He added that when the rag actually his own sock caught on fire he'd "freaked out" and accidentally knocked over the can of paint thinner which had then burst into flame. The suspect was placed under arrest.

Landlady larceny:

On July 10, a woman saw a classified ad for a house in Wallingford that would be available for rent Sept. 1. The woman called the number in the ad and spoke to another woman who identified herself as the owner of the house. The owner gave the woman the address so she could go take a look at the outside, but said she wouldn't be able to show the home until the current renters moved out. Apparently satisfied by what she knew of the house so far, the would-be renter met the other woman in a coffee shop and paid her the first month's rent and a security deposit to hold the home. She never heard from her supposed-landlady again.

On Wednesday, Aug. 13, the woman called the police to report the incident. She said she'd looked up the real owner of the house who stated that the home was not for rent and that she was the second person to call about a the same type of scam regarding his house.

Lassoing lunch:

On Thursday, August 14, two men and a woman were just finishing their meal at a University District restaurant where they had ordered $37.80 worth of food. One of the suspects paid the tab with a $50 American Express Traveler's Check. However, later that day when the cashier tried to deposit the check, the bank teller told him it was a fake.

The cashier called the police to report the incident. He told the responding officer that unfortunately he didn't get a good look at the suspects' vehicle (some sort of dark-colored SUV) or the suspects themselves. He said he was distracted by another incident involving an unruly customer at the time the suspects paid. However, he stressed that everyone in the group had been well-dressed and all had been wearing cowboy hats not the "10-gallon" style, but flat-brimmed.

Missing mom:

On the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 12, two employees of a Northeast Seattle bookstore noticed that three children had been left alone in a sitting area for about 30 minutes. Upon talking to the kids, they learned that their mother had dropped them off at the store and told their older sister (who was in a different part of the store) to watch them. The employees paged the sister who sat with the younger kids but with her back turned to them. After it seemed clear that the older sister wasn't watching her siblings, the employees called the police.

An officer responded to the scene and spoke with the daughter. She said her father was at work and her mom was at home cleaning and would be back in a couple of hours. The daughter added that they'd been left at the store several times before.

The officer tried calling the children's home but got no answer. Finally he drove to the house and spoke to the mother in person. He told her he was concerned about the kids' safety and that the store would appreciate it if she would pick up her children. The mother agreed to do so, however when she arrived at the store she began yelling at the staff and threatening them with lawsuits. Police were again summoned and the woman was banned from the store.

Unwanted admirer:

On Wednesday, Aug. 13, a Crown Hill couple (in their 30s) called the police to report a case of harassment. The wife said that on Friday, Aug. 8, she received anonymous flowers with the flowing note addressed to her:

"You know what they say about lemons and life; when life gives you lemons you exchange them for oranges."

The woman said she has no idea who would have sent the flowers and does not suspect any of her friends. She didn't think anything more about it until Aug. 13 when she received another note, also anonymous, which read:

"Did you make lemonade yet? P.S. I am still waiting to see the chances of a guy like me going out with a girl like you."

After receiving the second note, the couple decided to investigate. They learned the flowers had been charged to a company credit card (issued in a state where they used to live) but neither the name on the card nor the company was familiar. However, further investigation of the firm and its business partners led wife to believe that she may have worked with employees of the company in the past and even met some recently at a U-District job fair. Though they still didn't know who would have sent the flowers and notes, the couple said they'd received numerous hang-up calls in the last few days and wanted to document what had happened so far.

Marred Miata:

Just after 1 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 14, officers responded to call about a suspicious male with a lighter in a Mazda Miata parked in the Fremont-Phinney Ridge area. When they arrived they found a man in his 30s sitting in the car. The officers asked him if the car was his and he said that it was. He added that he was waiting for a friend.

By this time, the suspect has gotten out of the vehicle. The police told him to place his hands on the trunk. Upon approaching the Miata, one of the officers could see that the airbag compartment as open and the stereo had been removed. Just then, the suspect turned and pushed one of the officers in the chest and ran off.

After a short pursuit, officers located the suspect hiding in some bushes. On his person they found a pipe with residue on which later tested positive for cocaine. The suspect was booked into King County Jail.