MACHIAS — A burglar used a necktie and purse straps to tie a 70-year-old Machias woman to her toilet after she found him inside her house, according to police.
At one point, he also pushed the woman onto a bed and rolled her up in the bedding while he ransacked her home Tuesday afternoon along OK Mill Road.
The suspect, 35, of Everett, was arrested about 2 a.m. Wednesday, Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Shari Ireton said. He was booked into Snohomish County Jail for investigation of first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery and unlawful imprisonment.
The victim suffered some bruises but wasn’t seriously hurt, according to the arrest report.
She came home about 12:40 p.m. Tuesday and found her door unlocked. Her husband wasn’t home. She called out, “Who’s here?” and a man came out of her kitchen.
He reportedly grabbed her arm, pushed her into the master bedroom and rolled her up in the comforter and sheets.
She told police she could hear him opening drawers and searching the house. He came back into the bedroom about 20 minutes later and asked her where her car keys were. He then took her to the bathroom and ordered her to kneel in front of the toilet. He used a necktie and the woman’s purse straps to tie her hands around the backside.
Police believe the man disabled a smoke alarm and used a power tool to break into a safe.
He then loaded up the woman’s sport utility vehicle with items including her purse, wallet, house and car keys, a television, a computer, various tools, a coin collection, jewelry, silverware, and personal and financial documents.
She broke free about an hour later and called 911.
An anonymous tip led police to the suspect at a Lake Stevens gas station early Wednesday, Ireton said,
The man reportedly confessed and said he wanted to apologize to the “nice, old lady,” detectives wrote. He reportedly said he tied her up to give him time to get away from the scene.
He also said he abandoned the woman’s SUV in a residential area. It was not found in the area he described.
The arrest report said the man is addicted to heroin.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com
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