EVERETT — Detectives believe more than two dozen break-ins at five Snohomish County mobile home parks could be related.
All of the burglaries have been at complexes for people 55 years and older in and around Everett and in south Snohomish County. The string started Sept. 14. Locations include Carriage Club Estates, Lynnwood Heights, Wandering Creek, Lago de Plata Villa and Mariner Village.
“In most cases, the burglar has entered the residence at night through a window, often unscrewing porch lights or interior lamp bulbs,” Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.
Investigators on Monday released photos of a man they say might know something about the burglaries. They didn’t label him a suspect and didn’t elaborate on why they are looking for him.
He is described as being about 6 feet tall and weighing 180 pounds. He was last seen Oct. 4 in the 16800 block of Highway 99 in Lynnwood and was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt with orange writing and grey sweat pants.
People were home during many of the burglaries, Ireton said.
Whoever is responsible has been quiet and often tidy.
One victim didn’t realize his home had been hit until a neighbor reported a burglary next door. That same person returned home and realized later in the day that his coin collection was gone.
Items typically stolen include jewelry, cash and electronics.
“It does seem like there is specific targeting of locations,” Everett police officer Aaron Snell said. “We are aware of that and we are working with the county.”
Police are working with people living in the mobile home parks, offering safety tips. Neighborhood Watch groups also are on alert.
A woman, 72, who lives at the Carriage Club Estates mobile home park in the 12300 block of Highway 99, said people are nervous after more than a half dozen homes, including one belonging to her neighbor, have been hit in recent weeks.
“We are terrified,” said the woman, who asked that she not be identified because she fears she could make herself a target. “My husband has been staying up all night long.”
The woman said she and her husband have installed cameras since the burglaries began. Even if the cameras are broken, the technology will record an image of the thieves, she said.
“It’s just one of those terrible things, people preying on people weaker than they are,” she said.
Anyone who might recognize the man deputies are trying to find is asked to call the sheriff’s office tip line at 425-388-3845.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com
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