PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Police Department is asking the public for help following two burglaries of occupied homes within less than three hours of each other early Monday morning.
In each case the burglar woke residents and got away with nothing, said Sgt. Josh Powless.
The first burglary was reported at about 2:30 a.m. on the 900 block of Laurel Street. The second was reported at about 5 a.m. on the 200 block of West Ninth Street.
“If anyone in that area has surveillance video, we’d love to hear from them,” he said.
Powless said police believe the burglaries could be related because of their proximity and because of how little time had passed between burglaries.
Victims weren’t able to offer good descriptions of the intruders because it was dark and they had just been woken up, he said.
In each case victims reported one intruder, though it isn’t known if more were involved.
Someone has reported seeing someone suspicious in the area around that time, but police don’t yet have any solid leads on the burglar’s identity.
The first home that was entered had an unlocked window, he said.
“When things warm up, people tend to leave windows open,” he said. “These criminals take advantage of that.”
In the second burglary, the burglar damaged a door to get past the lock.
Powless is urging people to lock their doors and windows at night and to call police if they see anything strange.
“A lot of people feel they are bothering us, but we like to check that stuff out,” he said, adding that seemingly small details can lead to a bigger case. “Don’t hesitate to call if something is out of the ordinary.”
Anyone with information about the burglaries can reach police by calling 360-452-4545.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.