Crook uses bolt cutters to steal house key from lock box on family's front door

King County Sheriff's Office is asking the community for help finding the man who used bolt cutters to steal a family’s house key from a lock box on their door, all while they were inside.

On Tuesday, around 5:11 p.m., King County Sheriff responded to a 911 call on the 2500 block of SW 107th Way in White Center.

Investigators say a family, who is in the process of selling their home, have a realtor lock box on their front door.

The victim, who was inside the home during the incident, said she got a call from her husband that he could see someone on their home surveillance cameras outside of the house. 

The woman heard rattling at the door and asked loudly who was behind it, but no one answers.

When she opened the door, the woman discovered the lock box with her house key was gone. She confirmed with the realtor that they did not authorize the removal of the key.

Surveillance captured images of a man walking up to the door with bolt cutters in his hand.

Neighbors who lives near where the incident happened say unfortunately it is not surprising.

"It seems all the trouble that used to be on the east side of 16th is moving down this way. I’ve had a lot of strange people come by recently," said Mark Thorn.

The victim later found broken pieces of the lock box on her property.

Investigators say this man was prepared to cut the lock box, and has probably done this at other homes.

The responding deputy advised the family to change their locks, which can cost hundreds of dollars depending on the amount of locks that need to be changed and if you hire someone professionally.

Sergeant Tim Meyer, with King County Sheriff’s Office, says your best bet to avoid similar situations is to not leave your key outside.

If that is unavoidable, Meyer suggests hiding the key in a less obvious place. He says it may also be worth investing in keyless locks.

If you have information call King County Sheriff at (206) 296-3311 and reference case #C21034902.

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