Port Townsend police warn of thieves

PORT TOWNSEND — Thieves apparently are stealing from homes while the owners host garage sales, according to information from the Port Townsend Police Department.

Officers have investigated two incidents in recent months in which a woman was reported to have stolen medication after asking to use the restroom inside the homes, said Officer Luke Bogues, Police Department spokesman, in a statement released Saturday.

The first report was in late June after a woman in her 30s asked the homeowner to use his restroom during a residential yard sale near Blue Heron Middle School.

He allowed the woman inside his home and later noticed multiple medications had been stolen from a bathroom cabinet, Bogues said.

On July 29, a man hosting a garage sale at his home near Hastings Avenue reported that a man and woman in their late 20s or early 30s asked to use his restroom.

“He reluctantly allowed the woman into the house and became suspicious when the couple quickly departed,” Bogues said.

He searched his home and discovered that $886 in cash and medications had been stolen, Boges added.

No suspects

No suspects have been identified, and it is not confirmed whether the same individuals are involved in both crimes, Bogues said.

People with any information regarding the crimes are asked to call the Police Department at 360-385-2322.

Police recommend residents keep their doors locked and not allow strangers inside their homes while hosting yard sales.

Suspicious activity should be promptly reported to officers by calling 9-1-1 emergency dispatchers.

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