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Seattle neighborhood has six burglaries in two days

SEATTLE — The burglaries happened in the Laurelhurst neighborhood earlier this week.

At Violet Sweet Shoppe on NE 45th St., the thieves got in through a window. Owner Crystal Rice showed up on Monday morning and found the window open and papers all over the floor.

She doesn’t leave cash or other valuables overnight. Instead thieves took folders of paperwork. “It looks like they really quickly tore through everything,” said Rice.  She thinks they were after information for identity theft.

Five other businesses were also hit.

Early Sunday morning The Wax Bar in Laurelhurst was burglarized. The thieves smashed a lock box outside, got the key and helped themselves. They stole the entire cash drawer, but it only contained a couple dollars in change. They also stole about a thousand dollars in merchandise including necklaces, purses and skin care products.

“I’ve been looking on Craig’s list to see if anyone is selling the stuff. But I’m sure they’re handing it out to their friends,” said Kyrin Jenkins on Thursday.

The thieves also went across the street and broke in through the front door of a design studio and stole a computer. And instead of leaving out the front door, they burrowed through the dry wall into Chelsea Antiques. But they picked the wrong place to tunnel through. The thieves knocked over a clock and set of the burglar alarm.  When they escaped back through the dry wall they dropped a wallet. We asked Seattle Police about the drywall, “For someone to break through drywall it shows an incredible amount of motivation and greed.”  Police aren’t sure if the same thieves are responsible for all 6 burglaries.

Crystal Rice is relieved the thieves didn’t get away with more. “I take everything home at night. I don’t leave anything valuable in here,” she added.