King County prosecutors have charged two defendants with residential burglary, second-degree theft and two counts of second-degree vehicle prowl in a Mercer Island incident that occurred on Aug. 19.
Eleyigth Henrietta Huerta, 33, and Kelly Vernon Sanders, 42, were arrested off-Island on Sept. 5 and Sept. 9, respectively, for the crimes that transpired in the 8300 block of Southeast 31st Street, according to King County Superior Court documents.
Huerta of Tacoma was arrested in Federal Way and is currently being held on $10,000 bail, and Sanders of Auburn was arrested by Bellevue detectives in Kent and is currently being held on $50,000 bail. Both defendants have arraignments scheduled for Sept. 23, according to court documents.
Over the years, Huerta has been issued 23 warrants on her criminal cases, including a handful presently active in courts in Pierce County, Yakima, Bonney Lake and Fircrest, according to court documents. Sanders has been issued 76 warrants on his criminal cases and is also under investigation for burglary, unlawful possession of firearms, possession of stolen firearms and identity theft, documents read.
According to the Mercer Island Police Department (MIPD), the family members were asleep at home when the incident occurred at approximately 4:47 a.m. Aug. 19. MIPD was notified of the burglary by NORCOM dispatch at about 10 a.m. and soon arrived on scene to meet with the homeowner.
MIPD’s detective unit later identified the two defendants, who were reported to have unlawfully entered a pair of the victim’s vehicles, used a garage door opener placed in one vehicle to access the garage and steal two bicycles — silver specialized and Rad bikes valued at a total of approximately $7,500 — a pro set of Callaway golf clubs and UW bag valued at about $2,000, a flashlight, the garage opener and a cat litter container, documents state. A silver bike was dumped nearby the home and was identified as the stolen item.
Through their motion inside the garage, the defendants activated the victims’ Nest video surveillance camera and were captured prowling one car and rummaging through items within the area. Detectives were able to decipher the defendants’ features that would help in the identification process.
Additional video surveillance footage from a neighbor across the street and nearby helped with the investigation, with the neighbor’s footage showing a minivan enter the scene and two subjects swiping the items. The other footage shows what appears to be a red Dodge minivan and the same two subjects from the burglary attempting to open vehicle door handles at nearby homes.
Starting with an interdepartmental bulletin containing clipped photographs of Sanders, Huerta and the red Dodge minivan, MIPD received an anonymous tip that eventually led to the positive identification of the two subjects, according to documents. Through undercover reconnaissance, a MIPD detective spotted a red Dodge minivan in front of Huerta’s residence. A computer database check revealed that Sanders recently sold a set of 10 Callaway golf clubs to an Auburn pawn shop.
Through more extensive MIPD computer database work, learning about Sanders’ burglary convictions, and collaborating with other law-enforcement agencies who tagged the pair as persons of interest, Huerta and Sanders were eventually taken into custody, documents read.
“The Mercer Island Police Department thanks our officers, detectives, and partner agencies for their diligent work on this case,” MIPD said in a social media post.
