News of Madison Valley

There were 58 incidents in Madison Valley that were reported to the police during October, up from 49 in September. This increase was due to modest increases in vehicle theft and property damage/graffiti. The number of burglaries was higher than average for the third straight month and there was an aggravated assault and two robberies.

There were ten burglaries reported during October, but the police have posted detailed descriptions of only five of them.

1. Sometime between the mornings of Oct. 7 and 8 a burglar stole packages from the mail room at an apartment building on 19th near Mercer. The mail room is visible through the front door of the building and when open its contents are visible from the sidewalk in front of the building. The stolen packages contained $30,000 worth of medical equipment and two scarves. There is a security camera in the area but its contents were not immediately available to the police.

2. On Oct. 9 there was a forced entry burglary at a residence on 27th near Pine but no description has been posted.

3. Sometime during the night of Oct. 13–14 a burglar entered a construction site on Union near 23rd and stole twelve rolls of copper wire and other construction materials worth approximately $1300. The burglar, who apparently climbed over the fence surrounding the construction area, caused no damage and left no evidence behind.

4. Shortly after noon on Oct. 17 there was a burglary at the Safeway at Madison and 22nd, but the police have not posted a description of this event.

5. On Oct. 19 at around 11 PM there was a non-forced entry burglary at a residence on 19th near Prospect, but no description has been posted.

6. On Oct. 20 at around 4 AM there was a forced-entry burglary at a residence on 19th near Prospect, but no description has been posted.

7. On Oct. 22 there was a non-forced entry burglary at a garage associated with a nonresidential building on Republican near 22nd, but no description has been posted.

8. Sometime between 8 AM and 5:30 PM on Oct. 22 a burglar entered a home on 24th near Howell by throwing a rock through a window next to the front door. The burglar took $80 in cash, and computer and gaming equipment worth approximately $750. Police found fingerprints at the scene.

9. Also on Oct. 22, police were called to a residence on 24th near Thomas at 9 PM to investigate an apparent burglary as evidenced by a window that had been smashed open. After notifying the resident, police searched the home and found fingerprints on a door handle. When the resident arrived he found that a violin worth $100 had been taken.

10. On Oct. 23 there was a non-forced entry burglary at a nonresidential location on 31st near Harrison, but no description has been posted.

There was also an aggravated assault, an armed robbery, and an incident that may be classified as an armed robbery during October.

1. At around 9 AM on Oct. 15 a man was threatened by another man who called him a faggot and threatened him with a cane at the bus stop on Madison near MLK. After taking a picture of his assailant, the victim walked away and the assailant boarded a bus and left the area. The victim reported that the same person had threatened him at the same location with a knife last May. A witness gave police information about the assailant's identity.

2. On Oct. 18th at about 6:30 PM an there was an armed robbery at a restaurant on Madison near MLK, but no detailed description has been posted.

3. On Oct. 23rd at about noon police were called to Madison and MLK to investigate a reported armed robbery. There they learned that the incident had started earlier at 4th and Pike where a couple had left a phone at a bus stop when they boarded a bus. When the couple returned to the original bus stop the phone was missing, so they activated a “find my cell phone” tracker and found that the phone was eastbound on Madison. Following the phone, the couple eventually traced it to a building on Madison near MLK, and upon entering the building they activated a “pinging” feature of the phone that made it clear that it was in the possession of a suspect who was meeting his case worker there. When confronted, the suspect demanded a finder's fee for the phone, but the victims refused to pay. After the case worker unsuccessfully tried to get the suspect to return the phone, the suspect left the building and walked southbound on MLK. One of the victims started following the suspect, at which point the suspect yelled “stop following me cracker,” approached him aggressively, and started swinging a cane at him. The follower maintained his distance but kept following the suspect, however, and after a short time the suspect removed the phone from its carrying case and smashed it to the ground. At that point the follower retrieved the phone and brought it back to the building on Madison. Meanwhile, the other member of the couple called the police and told them about the incident. She also informed them that the phone's carrying case contained her credit cards and cash as well as the phone. By the time the police arrived and had been informed of the goings on, the suspect had boarded a bus westbound on Madison. After further inquiry, the police learned that the suspect is from Iowa, has a record of arrests for harassment, and that he currently has a voucher to stay at a motel in Tukwilla. At the time of the police report the victims had not decided what kind of charges they would press against the suspect.

Lowell Hargens is a Madison Valley resident and former University of Washington professor of sociology specializing in the statistical analysis of data.