Local News | Prolific burglar gets 15 years for million-dollar spree | Seattle Times Newspaper
You know, there are some excellent arguments for bringing back the pillory and the bastinado. This is a classic example.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015624815_burglar16m.html
By Christine Clarridge
Seattle Times staff reporter
It took more than an hour for a courtroom full of Keith Blair's victims to tell him what he'd stolen from them.
In addition to nearly $1 million worth of possessions that he'd taken from their homes - jewelry that had been passed down from grandmothers, vintage coins and the items some had hoped to leave to their children - Blair deprived them of their security and peace of mind.
"You stole our lives, our dreams and our treasures," said Mary Anne Lee, of Bellevue. "You caused devastation and actual heartache."
Blair, 34, of Bothell, was convicted last month of 13 criminal charges, including residential burglary, attempted burglary, auto theft, theft of a firearm and trespassing.
On Friday, King County Superior Court Judge Mariane Spearman sentenced Blair to an exceptionally long prison sentence of 15 ½ years because of the scope of his crimes.
His attorney, John Muenster, noting the sentence was six years longer than the standard sentence range, said the term was unconstitutional and equivalent to a sentence for murder.
Already suspected in a series of residential burglaries in Bellevue, Blair was free on a $250,000 bond when he went on what the King County Sheriff's Office called an "unprecedented" crime spree.
During his string of burglaries, police and prosecutors said, Blair netted cash, gold, guns, watches, priceless Japanese swords and a $80,000 Porsche in eight different police jurisdictions, including Shoreline, Seattle, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Medina and Kirkland.
According to police and prosecutors, Blair entered homes either by kicking in a door or by using a ladder to enter second-story windows.
While some of the victims were well-to-do, others made a point Friday of telling Blair how hard they had worked for what he took.
"The reason my husband is not here," said Tammy Bodmer, of Lake Forest Park, who spoke at the hearing along with her two teenage daughters, "is because he is at his real job where he goes to work so he can buy things for our family."
The spree began in Shoreline, where detectives were called to investigate a burglary in Richmond Beach in August. According to the King County Sheriff's Office, Blair took a safe with $30,000 cash, a $50,000 custom Rolex watch and electronics from that home.
On Sept. 25, Blair was chased away by a Richmond Beach homeowner during an attempted burglary and seen getting into a car by an off-duty Seattle police officer who got a partial license plate.
The car was later linked to Blair.
Another break came when detectives working a different case found Blair's girlfriend selling gold to a gold dealer while using the car that had been linked to Blair.
Blair's girlfriend has been charged in connection with the burglaries, and his wife is facing charges, according to the lead investigator, Shoreline police Detective Cary Coblantz.
Coblantz said Blair has been tied to more than a dozen burglaries in Snohomish County and could be charged with additional break-ins in King County as well.
"I can't stress how important this case was and truly the amount of damage that he did," Coblantz said. "It was extraordinary right from the beginning."
Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015624815_burglar16m.html
By Christine Clarridge
Seattle Times staff reporter
It took more than an hour for a courtroom full of Keith Blair's victims to tell him what he'd stolen from them.
In addition to nearly $1 million worth of possessions that he'd taken from their homes - jewelry that had been passed down from grandmothers, vintage coins and the items some had hoped to leave to their children - Blair deprived them of their security and peace of mind.
"You stole our lives, our dreams and our treasures," said Mary Anne Lee, of Bellevue. "You caused devastation and actual heartache."
Blair, 34, of Bothell, was convicted last month of 13 criminal charges, including residential burglary, attempted burglary, auto theft, theft of a firearm and trespassing.
On Friday, King County Superior Court Judge Mariane Spearman sentenced Blair to an exceptionally long prison sentence of 15 ½ years because of the scope of his crimes.
His attorney, John Muenster, noting the sentence was six years longer than the standard sentence range, said the term was unconstitutional and equivalent to a sentence for murder.
Already suspected in a series of residential burglaries in Bellevue, Blair was free on a $250,000 bond when he went on what the King County Sheriff's Office called an "unprecedented" crime spree.
During his string of burglaries, police and prosecutors said, Blair netted cash, gold, guns, watches, priceless Japanese swords and a $80,000 Porsche in eight different police jurisdictions, including Shoreline, Seattle, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Medina and Kirkland.
According to police and prosecutors, Blair entered homes either by kicking in a door or by using a ladder to enter second-story windows.
While some of the victims were well-to-do, others made a point Friday of telling Blair how hard they had worked for what he took.
"The reason my husband is not here," said Tammy Bodmer, of Lake Forest Park, who spoke at the hearing along with her two teenage daughters, "is because he is at his real job where he goes to work so he can buy things for our family."
The spree began in Shoreline, where detectives were called to investigate a burglary in Richmond Beach in August. According to the King County Sheriff's Office, Blair took a safe with $30,000 cash, a $50,000 custom Rolex watch and electronics from that home.
On Sept. 25, Blair was chased away by a Richmond Beach homeowner during an attempted burglary and seen getting into a car by an off-duty Seattle police officer who got a partial license plate.
The car was later linked to Blair.
Another break came when detectives working a different case found Blair's girlfriend selling gold to a gold dealer while using the car that had been linked to Blair.
Blair's girlfriend has been charged in connection with the burglaries, and his wife is facing charges, according to the lead investigator, Shoreline police Detective Cary Coblantz.
Coblantz said Blair has been tied to more than a dozen burglaries in Snohomish County and could be charged with additional break-ins in King County as well.
"I can't stress how important this case was and truly the amount of damage that he did," Coblantz said. "It was extraordinary right from the beginning."
Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com