Residential burglars who strike in the daytime after knocking on doors to see if anyone’s home — then offering a “lousy excuse” if someone is — are the target of North Olympic Peninsula law officers.
And the cops think they’re making some headway in solving what could be dozens of burglaries since late last year.
Officers from two agencies arrested two men believed to be connected to a string of daytime home burglaries in eastern Clallam County.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office and Port Angeles Police Department arrested Andrew J. Ellsworth and Zachary R. Oravetz of Port Angeles on Saturday for investigation into three burglaries in late December, said sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Lyman Moores on Thursday.
The arrests were part of a joint investigation among the Sheriff’s Office, and Port Angeles and Sequim police departments.
Daytime burglaries have spiked during the past eight weeks, particularly in eastern Clallam County and possibly in East Jefferson County.
The three law enforcement agencies have been paying particular attention to reports from Port Angeles, Sequim and unincorporated Clallam County of two suspicious men walking from home to home and knocking on people’s doors during the day when most are away at work.
Sequim Detective Sgt. Sean Madison said “several” of the 10 recent burglaries or attempted burglaries in Sequim are believed to be connected in that way.
“One of the similarities are that a couple of people have been seen walking through neighborhoods knocking on doors,” he said.
“If somebody is home, they have some real lousy excuse for seeing if anyone is home and moving on.”
Moores said unincorporated eastern Clallam County has had 30 residential burglaries in the past month, many with the same “common denominator.”
“With a lot of these burglaries,” he said, “somebody approaches a house knocking on their door.
“If someone does answer, they [say] they left their cell phone here, looking for so and so, wondering if they live here — just to see if anyone is home.”
Port Angeles Deputy Chief Brian Smith said Port Angeles also has had a significant increase in home burglaries since mid-December, but most of them have been in the late evening or early morning.
In total, he said there have been 25 residences illegally entered.
At the scene of one daytime burglary, a neighbor reported two young men knocking on his door and asking similar suspicious questions to what has been reported elsewhere, Smith said.
One daytime burglary in Port Townsend may also be connected, Moores said.
Jefferson County Sheriff Tony Hernandez could not be immediately reached for comment.
While detectives believe Oravetz and Ellsworth were working together on at least two burglaries, Moores said it remains unknown if they are those two men who have been knocking on doors or are responsible for any other break-ins.
Law enforcement across eastern Clallam County, including the state Department of Corrections, and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work together to solve the other burglaries, Moores said.
Oravetz and Ellsworth are both believed to be responsible for two burglaries on Hennessy Lane west of Port Angeles.
Moores said detectives believe Oravetz broke into another home in Port Angeles on his own, he said.
Oravetz, 21, was arrested for investigation of first- and third-degree burglaries and theft of a firearm
Ellsworth, 45, was arrested on investigation of residential burglary, theft in the third degree, theft of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance.
With all three burglaries, Moores recalled jewelry, precious stones, prescription drugs, power tools, a firearm and some cash being stolen.
The tools, prescription drugs and all of the jewelry and stones were recovered, he said.
With most of the recent burglaries, items that can be easily sold by the thieves — such as flat screen TVs, guns and laptops — are taken, Moores said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.