Marysville neighbors point to suspect

MARYSVILLE When a burglar broke into a Marysville home Wednesday, he probably didn’t expect the homeowners to return before he had a chance to make off with his loot.

Dashing away with Snohomish County deputies in close pursuit, he also probably didn’t expect the neighbors to help police the way they did.

Around each corner, neighbors, many of whom were out for morning walks, pointed police in the right direction.

“These people obviously look out for each other,” Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said. “They were paying attention and that helped us find him, find him quickly and get him out of the neighborhood.”

The couple’s home was burglarized Wednesday morning in the 12800 block of 19th Avenue NE, according to court papers. Deputies arrived and immediately began to sweep the area to find the suspect. That’s when the neighbors jumped in to help by telling police where they saw the man run.

Paying attention while not getting involved is exactly what people should do when they see a crime in progress, Hover said.

“We don’t want people to put themselves in danger,” Hover said. “We don’t want them running after suspects or trying to stop them on their own. But pointing out what they’ve seen makes all the difference to us.”

A half-hour after the couple called 911, deputies found the suspect hiding on a porch about a half-mile away, Hover said.

“A lot of neighbors out walking directed deputies to where they saw the suspect running,” she said. “It actually helped lead them to the suspect.”

A judge Thursday ordered the man, 21, of Seattle, jailed on $10,000 bail for investigation of residential burglary.

When neighbors tell deputies at a scene what they know, or call 911 to share information, it helps police, Hover said.

“That helped us find the suspect,” she said. “These neighbors did everything right and they didn’t put themselves at risk.”

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