Lake Stevens home invasion linked to Pierce County killing

Published 5:42 pm Friday, April 30, 2010

LAKE STEVENS — Lake Stevens detectives believe it’s “highly probable” that the same group of suspects who ransacked a Lake Stevens home Sunday night were responsible for a fatal home-invasion robbery in Pierce County on Wednesday.

“I’m pretty sure these incidents are connected,” Lake Stevens Police Chief Randy Celori said Thursday.

In both cases, families posted expensive items on Craigslist, officials said. People who said they were responding to the ads came to the homes instead intent on robbing the sellers.

At least four men and a woman are suspects in both cases, police said.

“My heart goes out to both families,” Celori said.

Lake Stevens detectives were working with Pierce County sheriff’s deputies to try to take the suspects off the streets.

Celori said he believes the suspects are Pierce County residents who likely are known to police there.

Sgt. Ed Troyer, a spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said the man who was fatally shot at his Edgewood home was James Sanders, 43. He may have intervened when his 14-year-old son was being pistol-whipped by the robbers.

Detectives believe three men and a woman went to Sanders’ home after an expensive ring was advertised on the Internet classified site.

Once inside the home, the group assaulted the family and tied up the wife. Another son was not injured and called for help.

The robbers fled with several items from the house, Troyer said. Some of the stolen property was found early Thursday in the bushes off a Highway 167 ramp.

The Lake Stevens incident occurred Sunday just after 10 p.m., Celori said.

A family who lives in the 1200 block of 84th Avenue SE was trying to sell a flat-screen TV on Craigslist, the chief said. Two men arrived at the home and threatened a man with handguns.

They forced the man to a couch, used zip ties to bind his hands and then covered him in a blanket, Celori said.

The suspects found the man’s wife upstairs and tied her up. The couple’s 6-month-old baby boy was in a crib.

The suspects allegedly used the man’s cellphone to call additional suspects to help with the robbery. Two more men and a woman came into the home, police believe.

In less than 10 minutes, the suspects ransacked the home, stealing electronics, jewelry, and Iraqi currency worth about $5,000 if exchanged, Celori said. The total take was in excess of $30,000.

The man is an U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and brought the dinars back. Police were checking to see if anyone is trying to swap dinars for dollars

None of the family was physically injured, Celori said. They turned down a request for an interview.

Police sketches of two of the Lake Stevens suspects were released Thursday. The two men are described as 18- to 24-years-old with thin builds. One is black, about 5-foot-6-inches tall, about 160 pounds, with a goatee. The other is mixed-race, likely black and Asian, about 5-foot-10-inches tall, about 170 pounds, with a tattoo on his neck.

The robberies are reminders to use caution when buying or selling items over the Internet, police said.

“The way we communicate may be changing rapidly, but the steps we need to take to protect ourselves and our families really haven’t changed,” Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick said. “These robberies are a tragic reminder that we can never be too careful when it comes to our personal safety. Don’t assume that you know someone simply because you’ve talked to them online, or even over the phone.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com.

Call police

Anyone with information about the suspects in the Lake Stevens or Edgewood robberies is asked to call 911.

Tips for staying safe when doing business online

Meeting people via Craigslist, the Internet or any other cyber-venue is inherently risky. They are hunting grounds for fraudsters and worse, police said. Here are some basic tips for staying safe: