Seattle police arrested a suspect in connection with a Redmond burglary, during which a vehicle, wallet and more than $2,300 in property was stolen from a residence near the 2500 block of 175th Avenue Northeast last month.

The Redmond Police Department (RPD) recommends the suspect be charged with residential burglary, theft, possession of stolen property, identity theft and vehicle prowling, according to RPD public information officer Becky Range.

Range added that a thorough initial investigation, valuable information from alert Redmond neighbors and a quick and solid interdepartmental collaboration were crucial to the case.

Seattle police recovered the stolen vehicle on Feb. 23 and the suspect was arrested and put in jail.

At 7 a.m. on Feb. 18, RPD responded to the residence and determined that sometime during the night while the residents were sleeping, a burglar entered the residence and stole the items from the home and the vehicle from the garage. RPD is not sure how the suspect entered the home.

RPD officers quickly started an investigation and determined that multiple credit cards had been used within a few hours at a Seattle store. Officers then obtained video footage from the store and immediately shared it with other law-enforcement agencies. The King County mobile Automated Fingerprint Identification System unit was deployed to conduct latent fingerprint testing and RPD updated the vehicle as stolen in the Washington Crime Information Center/National Crime Information Center systems.

Range said that after interviewing other neighbors, RPD learned that another car had been prowled and mailboxes had been broken into, possibly by the same suspect. An alert neighbor was able to provide an eyewitness statement of the time the stolen car left the neighborhood, which was very helpful in the case, Range added.

“While this story can be unsettling, we think it is an example of how critical home security and quick action can be,” Range said. “The resident immediately shared fraud alert information from his bank with officers. Watchful neighbors also helped us build a stronger case. Just a reminder to always secure your home, lock your car doors and continue to look out for anything that may seem suspicious.”

For more information on home security and neighborhood watch, click here: tinyurl.com/jdfv2l8.