News of Madison Valley

June saw another decrease in the total number of incidents reported to the police from Madison Valley. The June total, 28, was down from 43 in May, 56 in April, and 63 in March. Car prowls and vehicle thefts remained in the single digits during June, and there were only three burglaries.

1. Around 5 PM on June 27th police were called to investigate a burglary that took place earlier that day at a residence on E. 22nd near Mercer. When they arrived, they found that a window pane in the back door of the residence had been kicked in, allowing the burglar to unlock the door. Once inside, the burglar rummaged through the house but apparently took only $230 in cash from a drawer in an upstairs bedroom closet. The police found fingerprints at the scene and the police report notes that a high fence around the back yard of the residence would have prevented anyone from being able to detect that a burglary was taking place.

2. Sometime during June 27 – 29 someone took a bicycle from the garage of a residence on 25th near Denny. There was no forced entry into the garage and it appears that the burglar took the bicycle while the garage was being cleaned up. The robbery wasn’t reported to the police until July 6.

3. During the night of June 29 – 30 a burglar gained entry at a restaurant on Madison near MLK and took two digital devices and $1,400 in cash. The police and an employee were unable to find any evidence that there had been a forced entry into the restaurant and the employee reported although he was sure that a front door deadbolt was locked when he closed the business the previous evening, he found it unlocked that morning. The business owner told police that she planned to add a security system to the business. The police found no fingerprints at the scene.

Finally, a robbery and an armed assault were reported during June.

At around 10 PM on June 6 police received complaints about a vagrant sleeping on a sidewalk on 19th near Pine. After arriving at the scene, the police found the alleged vagrant at a nearby bus stop and he told them he had been the victim of an armed robbery that had taken place on 19th at around 6 PM that day. The victim told the police that the robber had demanded his wallet, which contained $50 and two debit cards, and threatened him with a knife while doing so. At one point during the altercation the robber thrust his knife at the victim and when he tried to ward it off with his hand he had sustained a cut from the knife. The victim refused to tell the police what had happened after he had been robbed.  

A unit from the fire department arrived to tend to the victim’s wound.

On June 17 at approximately 7 PM police responded to a report of an armed assault that had just taken place on E. 24th near Gayler. The victim told police that he had been driving north on 23rd and had stopped for the light at Madison when another vehicle stopped extremely close alongside his. When the light changed and the vehicles started moving, he heard bumping noises at which point the driver of the other car started driving erratically and yelling at him. Both vehicles continued driving north on 23rd, but after they had stopped at another red light at 24th and Galer, the driver of the other vehicle angrily pointed a handgun at him. Just then the light changed and the assailant continued to follow the victim’s car until they reached E. Lynn, at which point the assailant turned east. The victim gave the police a description of the assailant’s car and its license number.

Lowell Hargens is a Madison Valley resident and former University of Washington professor of sociology specializing in the statistical analysis of data.