A home-invasion robbery that left an Edgewood father dead Wednesday is the latest in a string of South Sound crimes linked to Craigslist.org, the San Francisco-based website that offers free classified ads and personal hookups.
“When you have nice stuff, somebody is going to look for a way to take it from you. Unfortunately, that’s the world we live in,” said Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer. “It appears now that Craigslist and the Internet are tools to do that.”
James Sanders, the slain Edgewood resident, offered several items for sale on Craigslist, including a diamond ring, a crystal necklace and a coin collection: catnip to prospective thieves. He also provided his home phone number and mobile phone number.
“We’re not putting any type of blame at all, but people should learn from this,” Troyer said.
Legal and cultural criticisms of Craigslist tend to focus on sex crimes or high-profile slayings. State attorneys general, including Washington’s Rob McKenna, tangled with Craigslist leaders in 2008, demanding modifications to the site’s erotic services ads, which were characterized as havens for prostitution.
Craigslist agreed to change its practices by charging fees for adult ads and requiring purchases with valid credit cards.
Robberies and financial crimes have received less official scrutiny, but local law enforcement agencies have seen their share of such incidents.
“Although we don’t get a lot of robberies related to Craigslist, we do see quite a few financial crimes associated with ads on craigslist,” said Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum. “Most are either listings for residences that the person does not own or have any legal connection to, or victims sending money and never receiving the property.”
The list of South Sound crimes reveals predictable patterns.
“They pretend they’re selling something for a great screaming deal, you come with cash and you get robbed,” Troyer said. “Or you sell – they come with cash and the intention to rob you.”
Here’s a sampling of recent local cases:
APRIL 2009
A Tacoma man victimized by repeated burglaries spotted Craigslist ads selling his property. With a bit of trickery, he led police to the seller – a 19-year-old man who was later arrested and charged in connection with the burglaries.
APRIL 2009
A Bellevue woman and her son responded to a Craigslist ad for a used car. They met the man in Tacoma and agreed on a price. He attacked them with a hammer. Similar incidents in May involving two other victims eventually led to the arrest of three Tacoma men.
MARCH 2008
Lacey police arrested two Tillicum residents suspected of robbing and assaulting a 69-year-old Lacey man who responded to an ad for an escort.
JULY 2007
A Lacey family drove to Tacoma to buy a car advertised on Craigslist. The two sellers led them to a residential neighborhood. One pulled a gun, robbing the family of $4,400. Both men were arrested and charged in connection with the incident. One was Bobby Joe Ezra Plain, one of the men tied to a current case against alleged members of the Hilltop Crips gang.
MARCH 2007
Puyallup resident Nichole Blackwell, reportedly angry over a family feud, posted a Craigslist ad that invited readers to “come and take anything you want,” from her aunt’s home in South Tacoma. The home was gutted and stripped. Blackwell eventually pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree burglary and firs-degree malicious mischief.
Sean Robinson: 253-597-8486
sean.robinson@thenewstribune.com
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