By Matt Wendland

Because of vigilance of one neighbor in Burien, police apprehended a man who had previously been arrested on two occasions for residential burglary after being caught red handed.

According to the Burien Police Department, on July 7, a Burien man who lives on the 18200 block of Occidental St., heard suspicious noises coming from the home of his neighbor who he knew to be traveling. When the man went to check on the neighbor’s home, he found the back sliding door ajar and a man rummaging through the home. The neighbor confronted the intruder and the suspect fled the home on foot. Hearing the commotion, two other neighbors emerged from their homes. One neighbor joined in the chase after the suspect while the other pulled out his cellphone and began recording video. Though the neighbors were unsuccessful in apprehending the suspect before he reached a vehicle and escaped, police quickly identified the man thanks to witness testimony and the cellphone footage.

Police identified the burglar as 19-year-old Ryan Noble, who they located and arrested nearby. Noble, who had already been arrested for residential burglary two times in 2014, first in February and again in April, was identified by all three witnesses as the suspect who fled their neighbor’s home.

Police report that because of Noble’s extensive recent history with residential burglaries, detectives rushed the man’s paperwork through processing to make sure that prosecutors had everything they needed to ask for a higher than normal bail to prevent him from getting right back on the streets and potentially into people’s homes again. Despite these efforts, the judge set bail at only $2,500 and with the help of a bail bond company, Noble was released after putting down only $250.

On July 9, just two days after being charged with the burglary, Noble failed to appear in court and prosecutors convinced a different judge to raise the bail to $25,000. The following morning officers located and arrested Noble. When searched, police found Noble to be carrying a knife, gloves and a “prying” tool, the same items police believe he had used in the previous burglaries Noble was charged with.
Noble is currently booked into King County Regional Justice Center and is awaiting trial.