Skateboard burglar caught on video in Kirkland
KIRKLAND -- He came into the neighborhood riding a skateboard, but police say it was only a prop -- the man was actually looking to break into a home and that’s just what he did.
Little did he know the house had security cameras and his crime was caught on tape.
"I came home from hot yoga. I came over here, opened up the door and I could see that the back door had been kicked open and the hinges were off the door so I slammed the door and ran outside and called 911. I thought someone was still in the house,” homeowner and burglary victim Maegen Powers said.
Powers is a victim of a burglary and she doesn’t at all like the way it makes her feel.
"Extremely violated and it makes me really mad and I want to catch this guy and I don't want other people to feel like I felt; I'm a victim of my own home and it's not fair,” Powers said.
Fortunately, Powers’ elaborate security system caught the bad guy in the act.
In the video, the burglar is seen still carrying his long board.
He first knocks on the door. When no one answers, he walks around to the rear of the house and then breaks down the door.
Minutes later, a camera catches the man backing a car into the driveway and then loading the loot.
"This is someone's worst nightmare and it happened to me and it doesn't feel good at all. I was scared,” Powers said.
Her cameras also caught police searching her home, but by that time the long-board-carrying burglar was gone.
On Wednesday, police arrested a woman trying to cash one of Powers’ checks in SeaTac.
"She's not believed to be involved in the burglary herself but we're exploring leads that were developed from that arrest and her interview that might help us identify the suspect,” Kirkland police detective David Quiggle said.
That’s what Powers wants more than anything.
"I'm scared, I really am and I don't want to feel that way. I want to do everything I can to make sure we catch this guy and this doesn't happen to other people,” Powers said.
Police hope someone recognizes the man or his car and calls in a tip. And they urged neighbors to be vigilant and to call police if they see something suspicious.