A Capitol Hill couple is spreading the word about a surgical-strike burglary of their 16th Ave E home. Details on the September 20th break-in and the small window of midday time the perpetrators put to use are below. Lynn and Jamie are looking for others who may have seem something related to the crime or suffered similar break-ins in the area as their case is handled by SPD burglary detectives.
Dear Friends & Neighbors in Capitol Hill:
On Thursday, September 20, our house was robbed – nobody was hurt and our pets are safe. However almost everything of monetary and sentimental value was stolen including computers, electronics, jewelry, and other personal items. We are writing to inform you about the incident for your own knowledge and safety, and to seek any information you might have to help catch the criminals.
Address: Our home, 346 16th Ave E (at Harrison) – yellow house.
Incident Time: between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM last Thursday, Sept 20 2012
Point of entry: Busted open a side door to the house (which was dead-bolted) after an unsuccessful attempt to break the door’s glass window and unlock the door.
The thieves likely planned well ahead of time – they knew exactly when we were not home and came before our dog walker typically arrives. They had tools with them to dismount a television from the wall and enough capacity to steal some very large heavy items including a television, personal computer, laptop and computer monitor. They carefully unscrewed bolted items, unplugged and untangled power cables, helped themselves to duffel bags and sacks in the home to load up smaller items, and basically combed the entire house. We are taking steps to check for and prevent identity theft.
If you were in this area and witnessed the incident or any strange behavior, or if you have any information that may lead to helping us find the criminals, please do not hesitate to email us. If this has happened to you and you feel it might be the same individuals, please let us know. Feel free to knock on our door and speak to us in person or just say hi. We’re happy to share information and aside from this horrible incident, we love our neighborhood and are always eager to get to know our neighbors better. Thanks for reading our note and we hope to hear from you or speak to you soon.
A special thank you to our neighbors who have already been so supportive and stopped by to help. We really appreciate it.
Our very best,
Lynn & Jamie Eisenhart
Just a thought, but there are droves of kids and ‘gutter punk’ types that hang out in the alley north of Republican between 18th & 19th during the time frame outlined. It’s a longshot I’m sure, but it might be worth checking that alley to see if any of these items might have been stashed back there.
It’s unlikely someone would spend the time casing the joint — it’s just not worth it. Someone who knows you likely is involved – knew when you’d be gone, when the dog walker came, that tools may be necessary, potential value of items, etc. Have any friends with teenagers? Is your dog walker trustworthy or perhaps associates with known criminals?
Dear neighbors, I am so sorry you have to go through this. I have been burgled a few times in my life and it always feels aweful.
You should think about anyone new that has been inside your home in the past 3 – 4 weeks. They could have noticed locations your valuables, cased your home, allowing a fast smash and grab. Trades people working on part of your house maybe.
Hopefuly the detectives whent into this with you.
Last time we were burglarized, there was a building going up across the street. I suspected one of the construction workers due to boot prints and the thief’s knowledge of our schedule — I didn’t work 9 – 5 back then. S/He really took their time; no ransacking and nothing out of place. It was truly creepy.
Casing a house isn’t difficult and for what it’s worth careful thieves usually case multiple places at a time. With most people working a regular schedule it’s not hard to figure out when nobody is home. Although the breaking windows/breaking in a door doesn’t sound professional, when it’s easy to pick locks that are generally used for residences. These people will get nailed, it’s just a matter of time. All it takes is for someone to spot them, and in broad daylight it’s not too hard. Maybe they are stupid enough to sell an item or two on craigslist and it might give you a lead. My heart goes out to you two tho, it’s a bad feeling when someone invades your space in such a manner :(
while these folks acted with precision, there’s no telling what they would have done if the dog walker had come in.
I’m sorry for your misfortune. It’s incidents like this that make me think guns really ARE OK to keep for personal protection.
A lot of thieves this organized will strike twice, because they know you will have a bunch of new stuff if you have insurance. And you may have unwittingly alerted other thieves to target you with this well meaning letter. I hope you get justice and get your stuff back, but I would probably consult a security specialist and take a hard look at the people who enter your home. Best of luck to you.
I’m sorry this happened to you. I live about a 1/4 mile north of you and have heard there’s a lot of burglaries happening all over Capitol Hill. There’s someone that goes door-to-door, pretending to try to get signatures on their petition but really is just casing houses to see who’s home and who’s not.
We really appreciate all of the great tips and expressions of support. While getting robbed sucks, this incident has only made us love our neighborhood and our neighbors more.
My house was burglarized Monday afternoon (near 23rd and Republican). There are nearly a dozen people who live in the house, yet the burglary was timed when none of us were home (around 3-3:30pm). A roommate came home early and caught the thieves in action, but they scrambled out another door and took off. They were two kids – 15 years old or so. Kicked through a basement window and cleaned out two bedrooms and were in the living room trying to boost the tv.