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FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 compete in California tournaments [8]
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Police arrest man tied to 100 mail-theft and 50 vehicle-prowl cases SAMANTHA PAK spak@redmond-reporter.com
On Saturday, Redmond patrol officers arrested an 18-year-old man on multiple counts of vehicle prowls and identity theft, according to King County court charging documents. The Redmond Police Department’s (RPD) ProAct Unit — which investigates auto theft and related crimes such as vehicle prowls, possession of stolen
property and identity theft — had been monitoring the suspect, Thor Andrews Jr., for several months for vehicle prowls in the area and have tied him to about 50 vehicleprowl cases and 100 mail-theft cases in Redmond. Officers first arrested Andrews on Dec. 4 after he stole an iPhone and wallet from a vendor’s truck parked behind the QFC at
15800 Redmond Way in downtown Redmond a day earlier. Shawn Jones, the victim, was able to locate his phone using the GPS tracking app “Find My iPhone,” which led him to Andrews’ residence in the 15600 block of Northeast 112th Street. Jones, who lives in Bothell, drove to the house and then called RPD.
CRIME NEWS
“It sounds like they knew who (Andrews) was,” Jones said about the police after he told them the house he’d tracked his phone to.
MORE THAN A STOLEN PHONE
Mike Dowd, spokesperson for RPD, said Pro-Act detectives had enough evidence to get a search warrant for the house to recover the stolen phone. While searching Andrews’ bedroom for Jones’ phone,
Dowd said detectives discovered stolen mail and other stolen property the suspect had acquired through vehicle prowls. During an interview with detectives at the scene, Andrews confessed to multiple cases of mail theft and vehicle prowls. Detectives also discovered drugs — heroin and marijuana — and drug paraphernalia in Andrews’ bedroom. According to charging documents, detec-
tives had to search Andrews’ bedroom for Jones’ phone because Andrews could not remember where he had placed it because “he had been using heroin.” Because detectives had been investigating the suspect for several months, Dowd said they were able to arrest Andrews on probable cause for identity theft for using stolen credit cards from vehicle prowls he’d committed months earlier, [ more ARREST page 7 ]
The Landing acquires more beds to get people out of the cold Now through the end of March, Friends of Youth (FOY) will be able to accommodate five extra guests at its overnight emergency shelter in Redmond, the Landing, thanks to a grant from the City of Redmond. FOY President and CEO Terry Pottmeyer said the money the organization received from the city allows them to increase the number of beds from 15 to 20 during the four winter months — December through March. The Landing’s physical space will stay the same, but FOY has added five bed mats for guests to use. Landing staff made room for the five additional mats by rearranging furniture in an area otherwise used for meals, watching TV and other non-sleeping activities. Pottmeyer said the grant money will go toward operational and
staffing costs as there is an additional staff member working the overnight shift at the Landing, which is located at 16225 NE 87th St., Suite A-1 at the Together Center in downtown Redmond. According to a memo sent to Redmond City Council from Mayor John Marchione, city staff was authorized to provide about $28,000 to FOY to add five beds a night at the Landing through March. Tolani Ogunyoku, program coordinator for the Landing, said having one person on staff with 20 guests is not safe, which is why they bring in a second individual. For example, he said, if there is an emergency in the middle of the night, it can be difficult for one person to manage in addition to watching over 20 guests. Whereas, two staff members on duty are able to support each other in such a situation.
Tolani Ogunyoku is the program coordinator for Friends of Youth’s young adult emergency shelter, the Landing, which received a grant from the City of Redmond to add five beds each night through March. SAMANTHA PAK, Redmond Reporter
KEEPING MORE PEOPLE WARM AND SAFE
During the colder months, Pottmeyer said the five extra beds each night make a significant difference at the shelter. “Since moving to 20 beds, we haven’t had to turn anyone away,” she said. “It’s just wonderful to not
have to turn young people away during the winter months.” Ogunyoku agreed. He said when they can only accommodate 15 guests, they hold a random lotto drawing to see who will be able to spend the night at the Landing, which serves young people ages 18-24. Landing staff will coordinate
with other shelters such as Sophia’s Way, currently in Woodinville, and Congregations for the Homeless in Bellevue, and drive the remaining young adults to these locations. Even this impacts the Landing, Ogunyoku said, as it takes one staff member away from the shelter. [ more LANDING page 9 ]
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SAMANTHA PAK spak@redmond-reporter.com