Everett, Wash.
Published: Friday, June 26, 2009

Girl's 911 call thwarts burglars in Edmonds

Two men used a common ploy to gain entry into an Edmonds home, police say. Three people were arrested.

By Jackson Holtz
Herald Writer

 EDMONDS -- When a stranger knocked at the door of an Edmonds home Wednesday afternoon, a teenager peeked and decided not to answer.

Moments later, the girl, 16, heard the back door open.

She saw two men walking down a hallway, one with a gun.

The teen hid in a bedroom and called 911, according to a police affidavit filed Thursday in Everett District Court.

Edmonds officers swiftly captured three suspects, two of them felons.

"I'm incredibly grateful that the 16-year-old wasn't hurt," Edmonds police Sgt. Don Anderson said Thursday.

Police believe the trio were trying an old ploy. An Everett woman, 25, knocked on the door, the court document said.

"If no one answers, they assume that no one is home," Anderson said.

A Mount Vernon man, 22, and a Marysville man, 23, allegedly snuck around back of the girl's home and forced their way inside.

The girl told emergency dispatchers she was hiding in a back room, Anderson said. Officers rushed to the house on 238th Street SW about 2:40 p.m.

The first officer to arrive noticed a car pulling out of the driveway. The car drove down a dead end and the officer saw three people walking down the street. He thought they looked suspicious, the court document said.

The girl gave officers a description of suspects that seemed to match. The three were placed in handcuffs.

Detectives brought the girl to the scene and she recognized the suspects. She also said the large-screen TV in their car was taken from her home, the court document said.

Detectives on Thursday served a search warrant on the car, a 1983 Chevrolet Caprice, and found a loaded handgun in the glove box, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Lisa Paul said.

The burglary ploy the three allegedly used is common, Anderson said. Would-be burglars often scope out empty homes during the day.

"They don't want confrontation," he said.

Don't answer the door for strangers, Anderson warned. If someone looks suspicious, call 911 and let police investigate.

"We do that all the time," he said. "We're perfectly happy to do that."

All three suspects in Wednesday's break-in were booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of first-degree burglary.

The woman also was held on a Department of Corrections warrant.

A judge Thursday ordered them held in lieu of $75,000 bail each.

Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA