Kalama homes targeted by thieves posing as home buyers - KPTV - FOX 12
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Kalama police are looking for a couple posing as home buyers who have tricked homeowners into letting them inside their house.
Police said once the couple is inside, they end up stealing from the homeowners. It happened twice this week and police believe the suspects could strike again.
For more than a year, Dan Mahitak has been trying to sell his house in Kalama.
The 68-year-old is looking to move closer to his daughter's home in northern Washington.
This week, Mahitak said a couple stopped by who seemed interested.
"They walked around and the man was taking pictures with his cell phone while the woman kept me occupied, talking with me," said Mahitak.
The couple was inside the home for several minutes.
That's when Mahitak said the woman kept asking to see the garage and tried to get him to go outside.
Once he took the couple outside, Mahitak said the woman quickly asked to go back inside to use the restroom.
Mahitak said she went inside and he stayed outside in the garage talking with the man.
"Something just didn't seem right, something wasn't kosher. So what I did was I told him I have to go sit down," added Mahitak.
It was on the way back to the house that Mahitak noticed something unusual.
He said the man tried to stall and even set off his car alarm twice, as if signaling the woman.
"So that really threw a red flag to me. You know, something's not right here. Why would he do that two times when we were standing right by the cars?"
It was after the couple left that Mahitak was paranoid, so he quickly checked around his home but couldn't find anything missing.
It wasn't until he went to take his medication for his bad back that Mahitak noticed his medicine was gone.
"I walked back in and picked the bottle up and it was empty," said Mahitak, "I noticed another bottle of Hydrocodone was empty too."
Kalama police said something similar happened just north of town on Meeker Drive.
They report a couple matching the same description targeted another home that was for sale by the owner.
In that case, police said the couple toured the home with the owner nearby, but in the process the couple made off with some jewelry.
"It's upsetting you know. I'll be 68 years old next month and I've worked 30 plus years and raised three families. You work and work and then you have people come in and take advantage of you," added Mahitak.
The suspects in this case are described as a Hispanic couple in their mid 40s.
They were last seen leaving in a mid 1990s Chevy pickup that was silver in color with Washington license plates.
Police have no leads, but if you have any information on this case, you should call Kalama police.
Copyright 2012 KPTV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
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