Published April 25 2013
The efforts of a sharp-eyed motorcycle officer on routine patrol Wednesday morning resulted in the arrest of two ex-convicts suspected of casing a north Bellevue home for a burglary.
Police say the pair admitted they intended to burglarize the home, and that they had knocked on the front doors of two other houses, but were confronted by homeowners.
"Officer Seth Tyler showed what excellent police work and collaboration in the Bellevue PD is all about," said Police Chief Linda Pillo. "He was observant, he was aware of his surroundings and he acted on his suspicions to prevent this, and probably other burglaries."
Tyler, a seven-year veteran of the Bellevue Police Department, was patrolling on his Honda ST1300 when he noticed two men walking from a car toward a house in the 5800 block of 116th Avenue Northeast.
After seeing one of the men head toward the front door and the other toward a side gate, Tyler parked a block away and walked to the house, suspecting a burglary was about to take place. As he approached the home he spotted one of the men walking back to the street, apparently trying to determine if Tyler had left the area.
When they saw him approaching, the two men ran away, Tyler called for back-up, other officers flooded the neighborhood, and the pair were caught within minutes.
Police arrested the men after they found methamphetamine and a suspected stolen credit card in plain view inside the car. One of those arrested, a 29-year-old Seattle resident, has eight prior felony convictions. The second suspect, 31, also from Seattle, has two prior convictions.