Sheriff’s Office Town Hall: Vigilant Public, Not Vigilantes

— by Lin McNulty, Updated Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. —

Part 1 of 2.

Concerned with recent car prowls, and a break-in at the ferry toll booth, County Council Member Rick Hughes hosted and moderated a Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, December 10 at the Eastsound Fire Station. Sheriff Rob Nou, Deputies Doug Maya and Ray Harvey, along with Juvenile Court Probation Officer Mike Jennings were in attendance and on the panel.

Six snatch-and-grab car prowls have taken place on Orcas from public, yet somewhat remote, parking lots, e.g., Turtleback trailheads, Orcas Athletic Center, Orcas Center, and the Orcas School. Each incident involved taking items that were in plain sight and visible from outside the vehicle. The intent seems to be to obtain cash, as most of the property was dumped at various spots around the island. And even though credit cards were among the items recovered, that does not mean that the numbers were not recorded prior to dumping. All victims have been advised to report the theft to their card companies.

In most cases, a rock was thrown though the windows of the locked vehicles. Sheriff Nou pointed out that a case can be made for not locking your vehicle in order to save the extra cost of replacing a window or repairing a pried door. Only one incident involved an unlocked car. The key seems to lie in NOT leaving property (an attractive nuisance) visible in your car. Ten vehicles parked at the school were not broken into; the one with visible valuables was the one targeted. Deputy Maya advised that on a recent survey in the village that approximately 50 percent of vehicles were unlocked.

This is still an active investigation, and evidence has been processed and sent to the crime lab. However, not as much evidence can be recovered with an unlocked vehicle.

The thefts are occurring at sporadic times of the day, beginning with the Friday after Thanksgiving. On December 9, a home burglary was reported, but it is unknown if it is related to the car prowls. Since these incidents seem to be wrapped around the Thanksgiving holiday, it is conceivable it may not be an island resident, but instead a visitor.

As regards the break-in at the ferry booth, no cash was taken from the cash register, as it was empty. And, as Sheriff Nou stressed, the rumor circulating that the suspect cut his or her self on the glass at the booth is not true.

This rash is believed to be the work of several suspects working in tandem, not just one person. As an interesting side note, the rocks being used to break windows are all approximately the same size.

Vigilance is stressed. “Eyes and ears would be great,” said Nou. If you see something, report it, record license numbers, take a photo (if safely possible) with your cell phone. It is not recommended that citizens approach any suspects.

(Editor’s note: the anonymous tip line, for messages only, is 370-7629. The Sheriff’s office advises that anonymous tips may also be left at 378-4151, in the case of an immediate situration.).