$14,550 in jewelry and $90 in cash were stolen from a 90-year-old woman’s residence in the 8200 block of Avalon Drive on Monday, March 18.
The woman had permitted a couple to come to her house in order to fix her vehicle after she was approached by the man outside of the South end Rite Aid around 4:30 p.m. The man, described as Hispanic, asked if he could “fix” the scratches on the woman’s vehicle, according to the police report. He said the work would have to be done at her home, for $200. He followed her to her house with a female passenger who he claimed was his wife, in his black SUV.
During their time there, one suspect was always present with the victim. The man put a white, pasty substance on the victim’s car and said he would have to come back to remove it. The woman paid him $150 and said she would pay the remainder after he finished the job later. The next day, she discovered that her jewelry was missing along with some cash. Police lifted fingerprints from the victim’s vehicle and a recovered envelope that had contained payment and had been given to the suspects.
Stolen jewelry included a Star of David pendant on a gold chain, diamond rings, gold bracelets, earrings, pearls and gold and silver chains.
Feb. 28
Fraud: $318.78 was stolen from a 51-year-old Mercer Island woman’s personal checking account to pay for a Sprint phone bill in North Carolina.
March 5
Identity Theft: A 46-year-old Mercer Island woman’s personal information was used in several attempts to open credit accounts. One account was used to purchase items that were shipped to a Las Vegas address.
March 7
Fraud: A $500 purchase was made at a New York City Target using a 69-year-old Mercer Island woman’s Discover account. Someone had accessed the victim’s personal information by unknown means and made changes to her Discover account information.
March 9
Money theft: A checkbook was stolen from an 89-year-old man, a resident of a neighborhood east of Mercer Island High School, and numerous checks were forged for $19,000 in cash after Feb. 24. The suspect is a 46-year-old Seattle man.
March 10
Arrest: The King County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 47-year-old Mercer Island man at 6:52 p.m. and booked him into the Issaquah City Jail.
March 11
Mailbox vandalism: In a case of malicious mischief, mailboxes were lifted off of their posts in the 3900 block of 86th Avenue S.E. One was damaged, according to the police report. Street signs in the same block were also pulled out of the ground.
March 14
Malicious mischief: Graffiti was sprayed onto the eastbound I-90 wall in the 9100 block, below Shorewood Heights, sometime in the late morning.
Burglary: Jewelry was stolen out of a home in the 8000 block of S.E. 45th Street, in the neighborhood north of the Congregational Church, sometime between 12:50 and 5:40 p.m. Stolen jewelry included a gold Rolex wristwatch. There was no evidence of any forced entry. Police found human feces at the scene, near the ground floor doorway outside of the stairwell, and took a sample into evidence.
March 15
Tires slashed: A 42-year-old woman’s ex-boyfriend is suspected of slashing and flattening two tires of her Honda Civic sometime overnight, the second incident in a month. One witness was present.
Arrest: Police booked a 21-year-old man into the Issaquah Jail on a $2,500 misdemeanor warrant at 1:28 p.m.
Burglary: A burglar crawled through the lower level dog door of a residence in the 8200 block of East Mercer Way sometime between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. An iPad and charger were stolen out of the bedroom upstairs, but no other items were disturbed or missing. Two bedroom windows were left unlocked.
iPhone Theft: Someone stole a 17-year-old student’s iPhone 5, worth $400, out of a friend’s bag at their table during a dance in the Mercer Island High School commons area sometime between 9:15 and 11:15 p.m.
March 16
Arrest: Police arrested a 23-year-old man and booked him into the Issaquah Jail on two warrants set at $4,000 bail at 2:13 a.m. after stopping his vehicle for expired tabs in the 9800 block of eastbound I-90. The driver had affixed a 2013 tab to his vehicle to make it appear current. However, the tab was not registered to his vehicle, as he had bought the tab from a friend.
DUI: A vehicle nearly swerved into a police car at 2:46 a.m. in the 6300 block of eastbound I-90. The police officer was able to react quickly and avoid a collision. The 32-year-old driver was arrested after he crossed into the far left lane and swerved back into the far right lane. He failed standard sobriety tests.
Theft: A stainless steel, custom-made Bruce anchor worth $800 was stolen out of a boat parked in a yard in the 3400 block of 74th Avenue S.E., in the First Hill neighborhood. Twenty feet of chain was attached to the anchor. The victim remembered last seeing his anchor in August 2012.
March 19
Mail theft: An REI patronage refund, miscellaneous catalogs and other pieces of mail were stolen out of an unlocked mailbox in the 3400 block of 74th Avenue S.E. sometime after March 15. The mail was returned to the owner after being recovered in the 3300 block of 72nd Avenue S.E.
Arrest: Police booked a 45-year-old man into the Issaquah Jail on an outstanding misdemeanor warrant at 3 a.m.
