PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles police detectives are seeking information to help solve a string of home burglaries, including the most recent incident that took place late Sunday on South D Street.
Officers are seeking anyone who might have seen — or has surveillance video of — a male in a dark sweatshirt or a suspicious vehicle in the area near West 18th and South D streets at about 11:15 p.m. Sunday.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Clay Rife at 360-452-4545 or crife@cityofpa.us.
A resident at a home in the 1700 block of South D Street called police at 11:18 p.m. Sunday to report finding a burglar in their living room.
Residents told police they heard a noise in the living room and believed it was caused by their cat.
One of the residents went into the living room and found a man wearing a dark colored sweatshirt walking through the living room, said interim police Chief Brian Smith.
“[The suspect] fled the residence and officers were called,” Smith said.
Using a police dog, officers tracked the suspect to a location near West 18th and South D streets, where it was believed he got into a car and left the area.
Items reported missing from the home include an iPhone 6, a purple cellphone wallet, and credit cards and identification belonging to the resident.
The resident told police it was likely that the front door was not locked, and officers found no evidence of forced entry, Smith said.
Other crimes
“It was the fourth instance since February where a burglar has entered an occupied home,” he said.
On Feb. 10, police received a report of a burglary and vehicle theft in the 700 block of East Third Street.
Investigators believe the house was entered between 10 p.m. Feb. 9 and early Feb. 10 while the residents slept.
Residents told police they woke up to find they were missing a computer, keys, a car and other items.
The vehicle was recovered later that morning.
A similar burglary was reported at about 4 a.m. March 23 in the 1000 block of West Spruce Street, in which a resident discovered a tall man in a dark hood standing over his bed.
Medication, a laptop computer, a purse, cash and a credit card were reported as taken from the residence. The resident is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the alleged burglar.
A woman also reported a burglary at 2:45 a.m. on March 29 at a residence in the 700 block of West Sixth Street.
She told police she awoke to the sound of her dogs running into her bedroom and footsteps coming from the front door.
The woman reported her purse, credit cards and keys missing, and the front door was open.
Smith said the common denominator in this type of crime is that the homes were not locked, and there were no signs of forced entry.
Neighborhood watch
The police department and the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office will hold a neighborhood watch information meeting at 6 p.m. on April 13 at the Clallam County Emergency Operations Center, in the basement of the Clallam County Courthouse.
Representatives from law enforcement agencies and from the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s office will talk to residents about how to reduce the chances of being targeted for a crime, reduce neighborhood crime and organize neighborhood watch networks. They also will provide information on current crime trends.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
