News of Madison Valley

Driven by a substantial drop in car prowls and auto thefts, the number of crimes reported to police in Madison Valley dropped to a level (40 incidents) similar to the early months of 2015. There were six burglaries, however, which is a common monthly total.

1. Sometime between the afternoon of July 2 and the morning of July 3 a burglar entered a home on 30th near Henderson that is being remodeled. The burglar stole tools worth approximately $4000, but left no fingerprints.

2. During the night of July 12 – 13 a burglar entered an apartment on Union near 27th by breaking a window near the front door of the unit. The burglar stole computer equipment worth approximately $3000, motorcycle clothing, and jewelry of undetermined value. Police found no fingerprints.

3. On July 15 at 9:15 AM police were notified that an alarm had been tripped at a home on E. Galer near 25th. When they arrived at the scene, a resident told them that nothing had been taken, but that a screen had been removed from a window. The burglar apparently was frightened away when the alarm sounded. The police found no fingerprints in the vicinity of the window.

4. On July 17 between 11 AM and 1 PM someone entered a home on 30th near Olive through an unlocked back window. The burglar stole an iPhone, approximately $500 in cash, and other items. The police found fingerprints around the window through which the burglar entered.

5. Sometime between July 15 and July 19 while the residents were away from home, a burglar smashed open a window of a home on E. Aloha near 20th and stole approximately $3000 worth of computer equipment, wallets and handbags, personal identification documents, and skiing equipment. The burglar left via the back door of the home and the police found fingerprints on the door handle.

6. Around midnight on July 21 there was a non-forcible entry burglary at an address on 25th near Howell, but the police have not posted a description of it.

Finally, there was a robbery on the edge of Madison Valley during July.

On July 11 at about 8 PM police received a report of a robbery that had just occurred on Union near 25th. The victim, who was taken to Swedish Hospital, told the officers that she had been walking along Union when a black male, about 5' 8” tall, 30 years old and with a possible limp, passed her on the sidewalk and then turned around and pepper sprayed her in the face. He then grabbed her smart phone from her hand and fled west on Union. Police subsequently searched the area of the robbery but found no suspects.

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