Citizen's Tip Leads to Arrest of Suspected Burglar, $100,000 of Property

A 36-year-old Edmonds man has been arrested on suspicion of burglary after a citizen's tip led to recovery of $100,000 of stolen property.

Here's how it unfolded:

On Jan. 27, Edmonds Police began an investigation of a residential burglary in the 1200 block of Coronado Place, according to Sgt. Mike Blackburn.

While the homeowners were away, a burglar used a tool to force his way into a rear window. Once inside, the suspected burglar stole two handguns and thousands of dollars worth of personal property including gold, silver and valuable jewelry.  

During an Edmonds Police Detectives Unit investigation, a citizen provided a tip regarding a suspicious person. Blackburn said that although the individual had no obvious connection to the burglary being investigated, detectives acted on the tip in order to determine the man’s identity and where he lived.

Further investigation revealed that this 36-year-old Edmonds man had a recent history of selling valuable jewelry. When detectives were able to locate a few pieces of gold jewelry he’d sold at a Seattle business, they took pictures of the items and showed the pictures to the Edmonds victims.

The victims recognized particular pieces from the photographs as items belonging to them. “The suspicious individual brought to police attention only by a citizen’s tip suddenly became a suspected burglar,” said Blackburn.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s home and, on Feb. 17, located property not only stolen during the Edmonds burglary but also valuable items taken during a burglary in Mountlake Terrace. They also located unique tools the burglar used to force his way into homes.

When detectives completed their search and itemized the stolen items found at the suspect’s home, they determined that they recovered more than $100,000 worth of property taken during the burglaries.

The suspect was arrested for the crimes of residential burglary, possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools and trafficking in stolen property.