CRIME BLOTTER

King County man linked to string of home burglaries faces 14 felonies

Oct 10, 2024, 7:20 AM | Updated: 9:59 am

bellevue burglaries...

Screenshot of security footage outside a home Kevin Sampson, 36, allegedly burglarized. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

Bellevue Police arrested a man accused of breaking into homes and stealing people’s belongings while they were sleeping.

He was arrested by the Bellevue Police Department (BPD) after attempting to retrieve his impounded SUV. The suspect, Kevin Sampson, 36, allegedly abandoned the vehicle during an attempted burglary last month with stolen items still inside.

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“Inside the vehicle, we were able to find some of those designer purses, some credit cards and debit cards that were connected to some of these victims,” Drew Anderson, public information officer with BPD, told KIRO Newsradio.

BPD responded to calls at 4 a.m. on Sept. 19 regarding an attempted burglary on Southeast 58th Place. At the scene, responding officers identified a grey SUV as the same one matching the description of a vehicle seen in several burglaries. When they tried to stop the car, the driver abandoned his vehicle.

“He attempted to get his vehicle right here at the Bellevue Police Department, so then our officers brought him in for questioning, and we were able to arrest him,” Anderson said.

The suspect has been tied to at least four burglaries from July to September using surveillance footage from homeowners and their neighbors. Most victims of his robberies had no idea that Sampson was in their home until they woke up the following morning.

On most occasions, he would gain access to the homes via a sliding door or an unlocked window. Sampson would even hit the same house multiple times, according to BPD.

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He is in King County Jail charged with 14 felonies, including burglary and identity theft.

“This suspect was escalating his crimes, which makes this moment even scarier,” a BPD spokesperson told KIRO 7.

Contributing: KIRO 7

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.

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