Photos of Suspects Breaking Into Laurelhurst Condo

 

The Laurelhurst Blog received this information from the Laurelhurst Condominiums President:

We had a couple of attempted break-ins to our building as well as cars being broken into mid-July.

One of the attempted break-ins was around 3:05 am on July 9th, we could see the Seattle Police in our back parking lot while the suspect was still here. We think he was hiding by our dumpster. As soon as the patrol car left, he came back into view from a different camera We don't know for sure because our camera that covers our dumpster area currently isn't working.


No one from our building called the police, not sure why they responded. The owners of unit that he attempted to break-in was out of town but got an alert from their security system.


We wanted to share the pictures because these people are probably working the neighborhood.

 

Today Meeting On 7-Story Building At El Camion Site On Sand Point Way

Today, the City is holding a Design Review Meeting regarding the proposed mixed use project at 4529 Sand Point Way, where El Camion is currently serving out of its food truck.

Project 3035994 is for a 6-7 story 73,000 square foot building with 70 apartment with a focus on larger units, called "Trestle Flats."  

The project is zoned NC2P-55 and would sit out closer to the street than next door Laurelhurst Condominiums to the north, which is 8 stories high.

At street level is proposed commercial space with half the space for medical services and the other half for a restaurant. Off street parking for approximately 45 vehicles is proposed with garage access from a curb cut out on Sand Point Way, similar to the curb cut out at next door Laurelhurst Condos.  Access to parking is not permitted from the principal pedestrian street, according to the proposal on file.

The property lines are bound by Laurelhurst Condos to the north, 39th Avenue NE to the west and north, and Sand Point Way to the south. The parcel is triangular in shape and includes the former Bike Shop site and parking lot and grassy area where the picnic tables are now to where it meets the driveway going up to the 3 story commercial building housing the Burke-Gilman Brewery and and a dental office.

The property is the site of the former Bicycle Center (4529 Sand Point Way NE) which closed in late 2015 and was demolished in late 2016. 

Before that it was the location of Zopf Pharmacy, owned by the Zopf family for many decades until the land was sold in November of last year for $3.5 million, according to King County records, after being on the market for about 3 months. The buyer is listed as Shilshole Development.  

The property was last sold in 2008 for $1,600,000.  In 2007, another developer requested a construction permit, proposing a  4-story mixed use building with 30 residential units, but was cancelled in 2011.

Project 3035994 says:

The project seeks to contribute to the Sand Point corridor, by developing an underutilized site for more useful and livelier functions and activating the street level with highly-visible commercial spaces and residential units above.The attenuated lot provides the opportunity to define the curving street edge along Sand Point way, while offering opportunities for pedestrian and bicycle-focused connections to the neighborhood and adjacent Burke-Gilman trail and by maintaining wide sidewalk and providing a vibrant commercial space.  

The proposal also includes preserving an "exceptional" Madrona tree and a large Black Locust Tree and says "these trees are recognized as neighborhood amenities that the community values for their presence and as bird habitat. 

Randy, the grandson of the original owner of the property, George Zopf, who said that his grandfather built the building that housed Zopf Pharmacy which also included a popular soda fountain, until the 1970's.  It was also where George, a pharmacist, met his wife. Their daughter, Phyllis, also was a pharmacist there for many years.  
 

In 2005 the upstairs portion of the building sustained about $75,000 in damage in an arson fire allegedly started by an employee who wasn't paid. No repairs were ever done following the fire to the deck, siding or the two-bedroom, two-bathroom upstairs apartment, leaving it completely fire damaged. It was reported that there was no running water or heat in the fire damaged building, when the Bicycle Center was in operation.

The building was demolished in November 2016 after it became more and more dilapidated and covered with graffiti.   A neighbor said that when the building was being demolished and the inside was visible, especially the upstairs, one could see graffiti, needles, and the severe decay.

The property manager told the Laurelhurst Blog at the time: "We do not have a building design and use of the new building for the property at this point. We just want to remove the neighborhood nuisance."

One neighbor told the Blog staff remembering Zopf Pharmacy:

Really old Laurelhurstians remember that place as Zopf's Pharmacy in the mid-60's complete with a great soda fountain! And Green River Sodas for 35 cents.  They had a great comic book selection too(which my mom wouldn’t let me buy). I’d sit at Zopf’s and read the latest Flash until chased away by Mrs. Zopf. 

For more information go here.  

Laurelhurst Condominium Burglar Arrested And In Jail On Multiple Charges

Heather Rena Vanhulle, who broke into the

Laurelhurst Condominiums on August 9th,

currently reported to be in King County Jail

In August, the Laurelhurst Blog reported about a female who broke into the Laurelhurst Condominiums (4545 Sand Point Way) on the morning of August 9th, and opened a resident's mail which contained a credit card, proceeded to go into the bathroom and   activated it charging $1000.00 in purchases at the University Village.

Mike, President of the Laurelhurst Condominiums Owners Association, recently notified the Laurelhurst Blog that the woman, Heather Rena Vanhulle, was booked into King County Jail on August 30th with $100,000 bail denied according to the King County Jail Inmate Lookup Service.

The case number associated with the August incidents is 17-296675, and Detective Davis, with the North Precinct, is handling the case that includes multiple charges.

Mike added that when entering the suspect's last name, Vanhulle, one "can see the recent trouble she has been in."  In May and July she was in jail for theft, and in October of last year for illegal drugs and in December for theft.

Here is the report Mike sent to the Laurelhurst Blog in August regarding the incident:

On August 9th, at 6:41am, the female suspect was seen on our security cameras entering the property at the rear of our property.   

Around 6am, the suspect attempted to follow a relative of one of our owners into the building.  The relative told the person that she couldn’t let her into the building and that she would need to contact the person she is visiting via the intercom for access.   

The female suspect was seen on camera attempting to break into the key boxes at the rear entrance.  You could see her on the video pulling small tools from her top.  She did manage to break open one of the key boxes but fortunately it is and older key box that isn’t used any longer so it was empty.   

At 7:45am, she was seen leaving the back of the building in the rear parking area.  

At 7:48am, the female suspect is seen walking to the front entrance,.  She checks the doors to see if they are locked.  She is then seen checking out a real-estate key box that was mounted by the front entrance. She then walked into the east carport.  She tries the door there then disappears out of view from the cameras.    

At 7:52am, she is seen on camera coming out of the elevator and walking around the for about a minute, she is then seen entering the lobby restroom.   

At 9:09am, she leaves the lobby restroom and proceeds to walk out the front door heading west.    

When we checked the lobby restroom, we found in the garbage can, a UPS overnight envelope that was empty. It was originally delivered on August 8th to the front door of one of our units.  She was in the lobby restroom with the door locked for an hour, we believe she tried and it appears successfully activating the new credit card that she took from the envelope 

The owner of the unit where the envelope was delivered too had been out of town prior to the envelope being delivered.  When we were able to contact the owner we were told that the envelope contained a new credit card and that it was used to make $1000.00 in purchases at the University Village on the.   

Unfortunately we can only guess how she got into the building.  In our carports there is an exit only doorway from that leads from the stair tower into the carport.  She must have entered the building from that door, how we don’t know.  

She was on the property for almost 2.5 hours.  Other than the female suspect no one else was seen so we believe she acted alone.  

We wanted to share the picture of her because we are certain she is probably working in the neighborhood, and would like people to be on the lookout for her. If she is wandering around the neighborhood she is most likely up to no good.

Woman Breaks Into Nearby Laurelhurst Condominiums, Opens Resident's Mail And Activates Credit Card

Above is a picture of a women who broke into the Laurelhurst Condominiums (4545 Sand Point Way) on the morning of August 9th.

Mike, President of the Laurelhurst Condominiums Owners Association, sent the Laurelhurst Blog this information about the incident and also warns the neighborhood that this individual could be casing the neighborhood:

On August 9th, at 6:41am, the female suspect was seen on our security cameras entering the property at the rear of our property.   

Around 6am, the suspect attempted to follow a relative of one of our owners into the building.  The relative told the person that she couldn’t let her into the building and that she would need to contact the person she is visiting via the intercom for access.   

The female suspect was seen on camera attempting to break into the key boxes at the rear entrance.  You could see her on the video pulling small tools from her top.  She did manage to break open one of the key boxes but fortunately it is and older key box that isn’t used any longer so it was empty.   

At 7:45am, she was seen leaving the back of the building in the rear parking area.  

At 7:48am, the female suspect is seen walking to the front entrance,.  She checks the doors to see if they are locked.  She is then seen checking out a real-estate key box that was mounted by the front entrance. She then walked into the east carport.  She tries the door there then disappears out of view from the cameras.    

At 7:52am, she is seen on camera coming out of the elevator and walking around the for about a minute, she is then seen entering the lobby restroom.   

At 9:09am, she leaves the lobby restroom and proceeds to walk out the front door heading west.    

When we checked the lobby restroom, we found in the garbage can, a UPS overnight envelope that was empty. It was originally delivered on August 8th to the front door of one of our units.  She was in the lobby restroom with the door locked for an hour, we believe she tried and it appears successfully activating the new credit card that she took from the envelope 

The owner of the unit where the envelope was delivered too had been out of town prior to the envelope being delivered.  When we were able to contact the owner we were told that the envelope contained a new credit card and that it was used to make $1000.00 in purchases at the University Village on the.   

Unfortunately we can only guess how she got into the building.  In our carports there is an exit only doorway from that leads from the stair tower into the carport.  She must have entered the building from that door, how we don’t know.  

She was on the property for almost 2.5 hours.  Other than the female suspect no one else was seen so we believe she acted alone.  

We wanted to share the picture of her because we are certain she is probably working in the neighborhood, and would like people to be on the lookout for her. If she is wandering around the neighborhood she is most likely up to no good.

 

Pictures of Alledged Car Prowlers At Laurelhurst Condomiums

 

 

 

 

The Laurelhurst Condominiums' (4545 Sand Point Way) Chairman of the Board of Directors would like to share the attached pictures of an alledged intruder who has carried out many recent car prowls in the parking lots at the condominiums, directly across from the Wells Fargo Bank on Sand Point Way.

The pictures were taken from the security cameras from the recent break-ins at the beginning of the month and show intruders "going from car to car" in the parking garages, the Condo Manager told us.

He wrote on April 1st:

Last night it  happened again. The intruders stole a car, bicycles and emptied out storage lockers, loading the stuff into the stolen car and a truck they drove away in. It happened between 4 and 5 in the morning this past week.

 

If anyone recognizes the person in  the pictures in the surveillance cameras, please contact the manager of the Laurelhurst Condo Association at 206-523-1855.