Two Recent Unforced Break-Ins While Residents Asleep, Police Issue Warning To Lock All Doors

Late Saturday evening or early morning Sunday, two homes in Laurelhurst were broken into through unlocked doors or windows while the residents were sleeping.

The suspect entered through an unlocked kithcen door in the 3800 block of 42nd Avenue NE  and took  took a number of personal items including electronics, police say.

The other unforced break-in was in the 4000 block of 41st Avenue Northeast, where the burglars entered an unlocked back door or window and took electronics, car keys and stole the parked car in front of the house.

The police say that in each case, the residents were asleep in their respective homes and most of the victims were unaware they had been burglarized until they awoke the morning after the break-ins 

This break-ins are a part of a series of burglaries in the NE area the police report on the SPD Blotter:

The Seattle Police Department’s auto theft and North Precinct burglary detectives are working to track down suspects they believe have stolen at least seven vehicles in series of burglaries in the Roosevelt and Greenlake neighborhoods.

Since January, a burglar or group of burglars have entered victims’ homes through unlocked doors during the late evening and early morning hours and stolen purses, laptops, ski equipment, and car keys before fleeing in the victims’ vehicles.

Although detectives haven’t made any arrests, they have identified a person of interest previously convicted for a series of similar burglaries in the last two years.

Detectives say protecting yourself from burglars can be as simple as locking up your home and securing your keys in a safe place at night.

“Make sure all your doors and windows are locked,” cautions North Precinct burglary unit Sgt. Jeff Durden. “It takes all of two minutes to steal a car.”

And Brian, Laurelhurst Crime Prevention Chair, sent us email reminding people to ensure their front doors are locked at night. He says "We had a case where someone rattled a front door that was locked at 1am thinking the owners were not home."