The following was compiled from Renton Police Department case reports.
Fearing she was about to get robbed, the Renton woman said, “Quit following me. I’m married to a Hispanic, and I’m a Christian.”
The woman replied, “I don’t care,” then she punched her multiple times in the face, knocking her to the ground.
The suspect grabbed her cell phone May 19 and ran through the Metro Park and Ride lot on South Seventh Street.
The victim followed but lost her. She called 911 from a nearby store.
She described her attacker as about 16 years old, skinny with dyed yellow-blond hair cut shot with spikes. Officers stopped by Renton High School to see whether that description fit any students.
Thief steals iPhone and wallet, buys catfood
A Seattle man wandered back to find a bathroom in an area off-limits to the public May 19 at the Wal-Mart store on Rainier Avenue South.
He lingered while a woman working on the store renovation left for a moment. When she returned, she found her wallet and iPhone missing.
She gave officers the man’s description – and tracked the location of her phone to near the Renton Village Shopping Center.
A short time later the suspect turned up going through a garbage can about 10 feet from an officer’s car. Compliant, the suspect started pulling the stolen items from a cup he had hidden in the can.
After his arrest, he was searched. An officer found a syringe and a black-tar substance that a field test showed was heroin.
Officers also determined he had used the victim’s debit cards to shop at a nearby store. Among other items, he bought 44 cans of fancy cat food.
He was arrested for investigation of drug possession, third-degree theft and forgery for using the debit and credit cards. He was booked into the SCORE regional jail.
The iPhone wasn’t recovered but he may have given it to a woman with him.
Man warned for leaving dog in hot car
The air outside was 78 degrees on May 19, but inside the older Oldsmobile sedan, a laser thermometer showed it was 116 degrees.
The officer was concerned for the pit-bull-type dog inside the car, which appeared to be abandoned. A water bowl inside was bone dry.
Soon, the vehicle’s owner, a 52-year-old Seattle man, showed up, swearing at the officers and yelling “the dog is fine.” The officer asked him to calm down and watch his language.
He didn’t have anyplace to leave the dog; it wasn’t allowed inside the building where he was visiting family. He was warned for cruelty to animals.
Vacuum heist foiled
A 53-year-old Seattle man needed money to pay the rent, so he came to Wal-Mart on Rainier Avenue May 20 to steal a $451 Dyson vacuum cleaner.
He planned to pawn it right away.
He removed the security alarm, walked away from the vacuum cleaner when the alarm sounded, then walked back after it deactivated.
Store security stopped him outside the store after he failed to pay for the vacuum cleaner.
He collapsed and was treated for chest pains by medics, who determined he was having an anxiety attack. He was booked into the SCORE regional jail for investigation of third-degree theft.
Renton man falls victim to utility bill scam
A Renton businessman got a call May 20 while out of town from a Miguel claiming to be a Puget Sound Energy representative who indicated he was late on his utility bill.
If he didn’t pay the bill right away, his utilities would be turned off. Miguel had correct billing information for the account, so he wasn’t concerned.
The businessman wasn’t totally surprised because he hadn’t seen a bill in a while. So he wired $500 via Green Dot MoneyPak. Then he got another call about his past-due account. This time he asked for a supervisor and was given a phone number to call.
He also called Puget Sound Energy. He was told the utility doesn’t collect bills in this manner and he should call police.
