Bonney Lake man's sleepless night helps nab two burglars

Published 12:34 pm Thursday, December 11, 2008

By Dennis Box

The Courier-Herald

Neil Williams had a restless night Feb. 16 and the result was a busted burglary.

Because of medication his doctor prescribed, Williams was up during the night. And due to remodeling at the Williams' house, the drapes had not been hung in the living room, which gave him a clear view of his neighborhood.

"I got up about 10 p.m. (Feb. 15) and looked out the living room window and saw my neighbor's garage door was open," Williams said. "I phoned my neighbor, but there was no answer."

Williams decided to go back to bed, but he was restless and was back up around 1 a.m.

The neighbor's garage door was still open. Williams decided to call the Bonney Lake Police Department and have them check on things.

He tried to return to bed, but couldn't sleep.

"I checked the clock. It was 1:08," Williams said. "Then I noticed a car drive down the street, turn around, come back and stop."

He watched two males get out of the car and cross the street into the garage.

"One of them reached up and unscrewed a motion sensor light," Williams said. "I told my wife (Marjean) there was a burglary in process."

Williams watched one of the subjects come out of the garage with his arms full and run up the street toward the parked car.

It was at that time when a police officer arrived, the other suspect was still in the garage.

The officer walked to the garage, then to the front door of the residence and rang the doorbell.

Williams watched the subject in the garage hide in the bushes near a red truck parked in the driveway.

"The guy was hiding about 15 feet away from the officer," Williams said. "I went down in my pajamas, it was about 30 degrees out, and yelled that the guy was behind the red truck."

The officer walked behind the truck and Williams yelled again the subject was on the other side.

"He walked around grabbed him and put him in handcuffs," Williams said. "I heard him say he hadn't taken anything."

At that time another police unit arrived and Williams said in less than a minute four more were on the scene.

"I was really surprised how quickly the officers responded," Williams said. "The officers did a good job and so did the dispatcher who first took my call."

The officers quickly found the other suspect in the car, along with the stolen goods from the garage.

Both suspects were taken into custody for suspicion of residential burglary. In a statement given to officers, one of the suspects stated they were bored and decided to go drive around and steal something.

The suspects were also involved in stealing cars in the area.

One suspect was a juvenile and the case was forwarded to the Pierce County Juvenile Prosecutor's Office.

The other suspect's case was forwarded to the Pierce County Prosecutors Office.

"It was all a coincidence," Williams said. "I happened to be up and our drapes weren't on the window or I probably never would have saw it."

Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald.