Suspicious Person In Orange Vest Casing Around Homes Near Villa On NE 51st Street

The Laurelhurst Blog has received several emails about a man in an orange vest fitting the email description recently given below by a Laurelhurst resident.

Seattle Police advise residents to not open their doors to solicitors, but to say "No thank you" or "Not interested" through the door. 

And if you do open the door, check to see that the solicitor is displaying proper identification, mandatory in Seattle, showing the residential sales identification which number, seller’s photograph, along with the name of the licensee as well as the agent, and the type of product or service being sold. This must be easily viewable.  If the solicitor becomes angry, threatening or verbally abusive, call 911, the SPD website says.

And always call 911 if you see something suspicious.



Here is email the Laurelhurst Blog staff received about the particular man with the orange vest walking by homes near Villa Academy:

On the afternoon of April 5, a man rang our doorbell at 3:30pm on the 4500 block of NE 51st Street, near Villa Academy, and my child answered.   

The man was white, about 5'10:, 30-40 years old with brown eyes.  He had a short brown beard and combed back hair and large skin pores.  He was wearing jeans, work boots, blue sweatshirt and a bright orange work vest. He was carrying a small blue canvas bag and a clipboard.  short brown beard combed back hair.    

My daughter said he didn't look like a homeless man.

The man said he was here to check blocked pipes and, when my child said she would call her mother he said "Don't bother" and that he would only be 10 minutes.   

He asked if our barking dogs were locked up and went into the back yard.   

My daughter felt something was up and went around the house checking the doors and windows were locked and then watched him. He rummaged round in our bushes in the back yard and then disappeared.   She thinks he climbed over the neighbors fence.   

My daughter was caught off guard as she thought it a bit odd but remembered we'd had a blocked toilet a few weeks ago so it made sense. That said, she sensed something was not right.  

I advised her that we wouldn't usually ask a tradesman to come to the house when she was alone.   

I also told her to ask the person for their identification and take a picture of them holding it.  And to also check for a car. He had no car.   

The Laurelhurst Crime Prevention officer stopped by shortly after and looked around our yard.  I checked the street and no-one else had seen him. We are also filing a police report.

 Here are more tips from the Seattle Police Department in dealing with solicitors.