A Greenwood parent contacted us about a possible child-luring incident this afternoon.

My 6 year old daughter was playing in the backyard near 95th and Dayton at 4:15 p.m. today and a man walking down the alley tried to call her out of the yard. He said, “Hey kid, come here,” and put a foot on our chain link fence. She ran in the house and is fine.

My daughter described him as white, around 60 years old, with a black coat, a grey/black/white plaid backpack, and a faded black sunhat. He has a long white beard and she said he looked like his clothes and bag were very worn and he looked homeless or transient.

I called 911 and officers are patrolling.

Police told the girl’s parents to contact their local blog to get the word out.

Dennis sent along yet another reminder to not leave anything valuable in your car, even if you’re only gone for a minute.

The prowl occurred approximately 10:30 Saturday the 28th in the evening as a musician who had just completed a show at the Phinney Center Community Hall was loading his gear into his vehicle. The passenger side window was broken, and a MacBook, iPad, other personal possessions were stolen, as well as the proceeds of his merchandise sale. The theft was reported to the SPD. Please take care not to leave a vehicle unattended even for a minute with valuables inside.

A Greenwood resident wanted to pass along information about several attempted break-ins at his apartment over the last few months. He’s hoping someone saw or heard something, and he’s warning others to be vigilant.

My two roommates and I live on 92nd, between Stone and Aurora. A series of break-ins or attempted break-ins over the past few months has us feeling deeply violated, shaken and worst of all, fearful of staying in our home.

(S)omeone kicked through the back door and entered our ground floor bedroom. He rummaged through one room before swiping a MacBook and an iPhone, then moved upstairs and stole a laptop and my work netbook. The most disturbing part was that my two roommates were gone for only 20 minutes when the break-in took place, meaning that someone was waiting for us to clear out. The police officer who responded to our call says that an apartment building nearby was also hit, on the same street.

On Christmas Day or Christmas Eve (we weren’t home so we can’t be sure), someone tried to kick down our front door. We know this because the door frame was damaged and there was a large footprint near the bottom handle.

Early last October, while one of my roommates was asleep on the bottom floor, someone walked in (the front door must have been unlocked) and proceeded to steal a number of valuable items, including laptops, my checkbooks and my $500 iPad.

Shortly after the October break-in, I came home to find our mailbox wide open, though we weren’t entirely sure whether anything had been taken.

Has anyone else in that area had a similar break-in?

A Phinney Ridge homeowner tells us that a suspicious man has come to her Phinney Ridge home twice in the last month asking for money.

She said the middle-aged Vietnamese man came to the door around 9 p.m. Monday. He first asked for $10 for food for his family, but also said he had a friend who used to live in the house (which the homeowner says is not true, because she knows the previous owners).

This happened around North 59th St. and Greenwood Avenue North. She said she’s heard of neighborhood burglaries recently, and wonders if the man is simply casing houses.

Has anyone else had the same experience?

Raine says someone broke into his car while another person peered through his front window near Linden Avenue North and North 89th Street.

Had a gentleman peeking in my front window while another person tossed my car on the 30th.

My car was in the driveway and lit pretty well. Nothing was stolen thankfully as I heard the noise outside and scared the two gentlemen off.

Has this happened to anyone else?

A Phinney Ridge woman was assaulted by her boyfriend on Christmas Eve and later died of head injuries, according to Seattle Police. Prudence Hockley was a teacher at Woodinville High School.

From the SPD Blotter:

On December 24th at approximately 10:56 p.m. the 55-year-old female victim stepped outside her residence in the 300 block of NW 74th Street to talk to the 48-year-old male suspect, who she has been dating.  Witnesses heard voices then a loud thump.  The victim’s 13-year old daughter went outside and found her mother on the ground at the side of the house, unconscious.  The suspect was seen walking away from the victim.  He got in his car and left the scene.

Officers and SFD medics responded to the 9-1-1 call which was made shortly thereafter. Medics transported the victim to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of her life-threatening head injury.

On December 25th Homicide detectives were notified by medical staff that the victim had been pronounced dead.

Homicide detectives made an arrest of the suspect on December 28th. He is being interviewed by detectives and will later be booked into the King County jail. This remains an active and on-going investigation.

“Ms. Hockley was one of my teachers this year,” writes Renne in comments below. “I can’t believe she’s gone, I know that everyone at the school will be greatly affected by this and we will all greatly miss her. Anyone who had met Prudence would know that she was easily the kindest, most fun and full of life person you could meet.”

“It is a sad day for our Woodinville High School community,” said Woodinville High School principal Kurt Criscione. “Ms. Hockley was an extraordinary teacher with a dynamic personality and teaching style. We will miss her greatly. Our thoughts are with Prudence’s family at this difficult time.” A Facebook page has been set up in her memory here.

Update: Thanks to Steve for pointing out that Publicola this afternoon published a lengthy story identifying the suspect as a parolee, detailing his lengthy criminal record and his role in a dispute between Department of Corrections officials in Washington and Georgia.

Update 11 p.m.: You can see KING 5′s story here, KOMO 4′s story here, KIRO 7′s story here, and Q13′s story here.

(Photo from Woodinville High School)

Two of the four owners of the GMS Market in Greenwood were sentenced today for running an organized retail theft ring that paid thieves to steal from larger stores, then resold the stolen items at the convenience store. Those other retailers lost an estimated $1.25 million.

Gulshan Rai was sentenced to 16-1/2 months in prison. His wife, Shabnam Sukhija, was sentenced to nine months of electronic home detention. Last month, the couple’s son, Jatin Rai, was sentenced to 16 ½ months in prison and his wife, Mitu Rai, received nine months of electronic home detention.

The four had pleaded guilty in September, and agreed to sell the store.

The man accused of attacking a female runner in Carkeek Park on Oct. 10 has been ordered to undergo a mental evaluation to determine his competency to stand trial.

Jack Keewatinawin, 19, is charged with Assault Second Degree with Sexual Motivation. He will be arraigned (enter a plea to the charge) on Nov. 15. He remains in jail on $250,000 bail.

Seattle Police say a teenage burglar was caught with a truckload of stolen items in Greenwood early this morning.

From the SPD Blotter:

On 10-30-11, at approximately 4:24 a.m. an officer stopped a suspicious parked pickup truck loaded with stolen items, in the 600 block of NW 85th. Two suspects ran away from the vehicle as the officer approached. The officer was able to detain the third suspect.

Meanwhile, victims from a residential burglary were calling it in while the officer was investigating the pickup. The items from the truck were positively identified by the victim as being her things.

The suspect (17 years old-about to turn 18 in 3 days) was taken to the precinct. The truck belonged to his mother.

The suspect was booked into Youth Service Center for residential burglary.

Thanks to James for the tip!

The Seattle Police Department has notified block watch captains that a Level 3 sex offender has moved into Greenwood on Aurora Avenue North. Michael Cromer, 44, was previously convicted of crimes including rape, aggravated indecent assault, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of a child, in Pennsylvania in 1992 and 2003.

Michael Cromer, a 44 year old white, male has moved onto the 8800 block of Aurora Ave. N. Det. Mac Gordon from the Sex Offender Detail is assigned to check on him and will be doing so regularly. To learn more about this offender, visit the website www.waspc.org and search by his name. If you have further questions about this, contact Michelle McRae at 684-5581.

Level 3 sex offenders pose the highest risk to re-offend. It is normal to feel upset, angry and worried about a registered sex offender living in your community. The Community Notification Act of 1990 requires sex offenders to register in the community where they live. The law also allows local law enforcement to make the public aware about Level 2 and Level 3 offenders. Since this offender has completed his sentence, he is free to live where he wishes. Experts believe sex offenders are less likely to re-offend if they live and work in an environment free of harassment. Any actions taken against the listed sex offender could result in arrest and prosecution as it is against the law to use this information in any way to threaten, intimidate or harass registered sex offenders. The SPD Sex offender detectives will check on these offenders every 3 months to verify our information.

The single most effective means of protecting your child is communication with your child. They have to feel comfortable discussing sensitive matters with you. Teach your children that they should not be asked to touch anyone in the bathing suit areas of their body or allow anyone to touch them in those areas. Teach them types of situations to avoid. It is not good enough to tell a child to avoid strangers. Please remember that children are most often molested by someone they or their parents know.

Last night, Seattle Police arrested a suspect in a home invasion robbery that happened in Greenwood on Monday night.

From the SPD Blotter:

On October 24th, at about 9:30 pm, residents of an apartment in the 9000 Block of Greenwood Avenue North reported that they were victims of a home invasion style robbery. The residents answered a knock at the door and were confronted by a male wearing a mask and implying a weapon. One of the residents recognized the male as an acquaintance. The suspect entered the apartment and began picking up electronic items. The suspect then left the apartment and got into a waiting vehicle. Officers located the vehicle several blocks away, but the suspect was not in it.

On October 26th, at about 9:30 pm, a North Precinct patrol officer, familiar with Monday’s incident, observed the suspect with a female in the 12300 Block of 15th Avenue NE. The officer took the suspect into custody. The suspect had in his possession a laptop and I-pod similar to those described taken in the robbery. The suspect also had a verified no-contact order with the female he was with at the time of his arrest. The suspect was transported to the Robbery Office where he was interviewed by detectives. The 33 year old suspect was later booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Robbery and Violation of a No Contact Order. Robbery detectives will continue to follow up on this investigation.

The King County Prosecutor’s Office has charged 29-year-old Jesse K. Drugger with one count of Child Molestation Second Degree and five counts of Indecent Exposure, for exposing himself to children in several areas of Seattle, including in Greenwood on Holman Road.

Drugger’s bail was increased today from $100,000 to $250,000. He remains in jail.