CENTRAL KITSAP – A residential burglary was thwarted by a homeowner when he confronted a person inside his home in the early morning hours on Aug. 5.
The burglary occurred in the 3100 block of NE Seahurst Court, in the Illahee area of Central Kitsap.
The homeowner, 78, and his wife, 80, were awakened by an alarm from their residential security system around 3:30 a.m.
The homeowner observed someone moving downstairs on the first floor. The man armed himself with a handgun and verbally confronted the suspect from the second floor. The suspect obscured the homeowner’s vision with a bright flashlight and ran around the bottom floor attempting to escape.
The suspect finally managed to get into the garage where he entered the homeowners’ 2011 Toyota Prius. The man followed the suspect into the garage.
The man again verbally challenged the suspect. The man was unable to get a clear view of the suspect because the suspect repeatedly shined a flashlight at him.
The suspect reversed the Toyota out of the garage, and the homeowner fired five shots at his car.
The stolen Prius was last seen heading out of the residential neighborhood toward East Boulevard NE.
Sheriff’s deputies later found the bullets had struck another vehicle parked across the street at a neighbor’s house.
Several other items were stolen along with the Toyota, including various personal electronic items valued around $2,400, miscellaneous items and yard power tools.
One of the electronic items was the homeowner’s smartphone that had been left inside his car.
Sheriff’s deputies used GPS software to pinpoint the location of the phone – on Lindberg Place in East Bremerton, about three and a half miles from the burglary address.
Bremerton police found the Toyota on Lindberg Place and began following it. A short pursuit was initiated on northbound Illahee Road NE before it was called-off due to safety considerations.
In the 6000 block of Illahee Road, a sheriff’s sergeant disabled the Toyota using ‘spike strips’ to puncture and flatten the car’s four tires. The suspect continued driving for about half a mile. The Toyota was found abandoned in a cul-de-sac on NE Dartmouth Court.
A Bremerton police K-9 team searched the area for approximately 40 minutes but were unable to locate the suspect nor any evidence.
No one was injured during the burglary.
The sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate the burglary. Anyone who may have information about this incident are asked to contact Det. Tim Keeler at 360-337-4825. Those wishing to remain anonymous may contact Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Reference Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office report number K15-007434.
