SNOHOMISH — The cars were broken into sometime between the dinner and wedding toast.
Sarah Swanson, owner of Eventful Moments, has planned more than 200 weddings. She has noticed thieves appear to be targeting wedding guests.
They aren’t likely to wander into the parking lot during the ceremony or reception, she said. It’s a prime time for theft.
Swanson coordinated a wedding Oct. 8 in Snohomish. The reception was over and people began heading home. One guest returned after noticing an unusual breeze while she was driving.
A window was broken out. A laptop was missing from the backseat.
This was the second instance of break-ins at that Snohomish location in two weeks.
Swanson and the guest walked through the venue’s parking lot. Two additional cars were broken into, including Swanson’s. Her front windshield was cracked and two windows were shattered. The leather seats and plastic cup holders were scratched.
Damage was estimated at $2,000.
They took her purse and a Coach work bag containing an iPad, wallet, ID and house keys.
“I always have my stuff in my car. It’s safer than in the wedding venue. We’ve had guests who steal people’s phones, gift cards,” she said.
A second break-in was reported at a nearby venue just a few hours before, Swanson said.
Charges were made with Swanson’s credit card at Fred Meyer, Walmart, Safeway and a cigar store that night. After she cancelled her credit cards, they tried to change the address associated with her bank account. They wanted the new debit card she ordered.
Then, someone showed up at her home in Arlington. A car pulled into her driveway and parked beside her car. The driver was peering into her car windows, she said. She suspects the driver saw her through the window because the car pulled out and parked by the mailbox.
Swanson is uncertain whether the two incidents are related, but she is concerned. Her cul-de-sac is out of the way. Not many people besides her neighbors are seen driving around.
“When it’s your home, it’s a whole other thing. They do have my ID and my house key,” she said.
Her house locks have been changed. She also has begun carrying her personal belongings into wedding venues.
Snohomish had 532 total thefts in 2015, including thefts from vehicles, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. Stanwood, by contrast, had 202 thefts.
Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Shari Ireton said police see more break-ins when crooks know a car will be left for a long period of time, such as at a mall or in a residential driveway.
“Always lock your car, make sure the windows are locked and rolled up, and hide anything that is valuable, even if it’s change. It may not seem valuable to you, but it may be to someone else,” she said.
Burglaries also occur during funerals when people know family members of the deceased aren’t home.
People can reduce their risk of these types of break-ins by limiting what they share publicly. For example, burglars can monitor the photos people post online to see when they’re away on vacation.
“It makes you a lot more alert to what you have and your surroundings in general,” Swanson said.
Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com.
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