Sue Reynolds and Cherie Mueller, co-owners of Java Jazz on 15th Avenue West, had a problem on their hands that led them to become victims of a vehicle prowl in August.
Happens all the time, but Reynolds said she ended up helping Bellevue police solve the crime by checking out the Internet for clues several weeks later.
The original problem had to do with a generator used to power an espresso step van the women own and park in the triangular parking lot in Magnolia Village. "The generator had been acting up for a week or two," Reynolds said.
So she got on the phone and found out that Eastside Rentals in Bellevue could handle the repair job. The two women drove there, unhooked the generator for the business and were told a part was needed to fix it, Reynolds said. "They had told us they thought they'd have the part in on the next day."
And rather than drive the van back to Seattle that day, the two decided to park it at the Bellevue home of Mueller's mother, Reynolds said. However, it actually took four days to get the part, she added.
When they finally went to pick up the van on Aug. 23, they discovered that someone had broken into it. A sliding glass window had been pried open enough to reach in and unlock the door, Reynolds said. "They re-locked the door and slid the window closed, but not all the way," she added.
But the prowler did that only after stealing a La Cimbali espresso machine, a Rio coffee grinder and the cash register from the van, she said. It was an $8,500 loss, and the women immediately called Bellevue police. A cop fingerprinted everything and took a full report.
The police officer told them the chances of recovering the stolen equipment was "next to none," Reynolds said. "He didn't hold out much hope... they'd catch the guy," she added.
Reynolds said she called her insurance company to report the loss. She also got a loaner espresso machine and used a grinder she already had to get back in business. "My priority was getting back up and running for my Magnolia customers," Reynolds explained.
Still, the idea of getting ripped off rankled Reynolds, who had an idea. A La Cimbali espresso machine is relatively rare in Seattle, making up only 1 to 5 percent of the machines used in the city, she said.
Reynolds decided about a month later to see if the stolen espresso machine was being advertised for sale. She didn't bother checking classified newspaper ads or eBay because it cost money to advertise that way, Reynolds said. "I thought it was more likely to see it on Craig's List because it's free," she said of the popular Web site.
Reynolds turned out to be right. She spotted an ad for the La Cimbali machine on Craig's List, along with an ad for a Rio grinder posted by the same person. "I could tell it was the same person," said Reynolds, who explained that the seller instructed potential buyers to leave "their num" on both ads.
She e-mailed the seller with her cellphone number, expressing interest in just the espresso machine. "They were asking $4,000 for that," Reynolds said. She got a call back last week from a man who identified himself as John, but he had to think a bit before he gave a last name of Johnson, Reynolds said. "If you have to think about your last name, it's a red flag."
John told Reynolds he had the machine in a Bellevue storage locker, and he made arrangements to meet her at 7 p.m. at a nearby mini-mart. "As soon as I hung up, I called the Bellevue police."
Reynolds said she told Bellevue police about the appointment and that she was sure the espresso machine was the one stolen from her. Bellevue police were skeptical about her meeting John on her own when she went to the police station to talk about the game plan, Reynolds said. "They thought it would be wise to have one of them go with me."
Bellevue police decided to have a well-dressed detective pretend to be a brother, but the detective only wanted either Reynolds or Mueller to go along because he could protect only one of them if the sting went south, said Reynolds, who ended up going instead of Mueller.
Reynolds and the detective met John and another man at the mini-mart that night. "They're both really scruffy-looking," she said. And the four of them went to a storage business, where John opened one locker that didn't contain the espresso machine.
John was nervous and kept looking at the undercover detective. "It turned out (the detective) had arrested him five years ago," Reynolds said. However, John's partner told him that the machine was in a second locker, which John opened. There the machine was, Reynolds said.
She recognized the espresso maker because of some unique features such as a missing knob and some stainless steel racks she'd installed on the top of the machine.
Reynolds then said she wanted it, which was an agreed-upon phrase to signal that the machine was the one stolen from her. She offered to give John a $3,500 check for the machine, but he only wanted cash.
At that point, Reynolds added, the undercover detective said cash would be no problem and got on his cellphone to tell someone to bring the money. That was a signal which immediately brought several police officers in four or five squad cars to the storage lockers.
They had their guns drawn, and John and his partner were arrested, she said. "You know, my heart was racing a little bit with those guns drawn," Reynolds added. Police also found her stolen grinder in the trunk of John's car, she said
John and his partner both denied knowing the espresso machine was stolen, saying "some guy" gave it to them, Reynolds said. But it felt good to get a couple of criminals off the street, she added.
Outside of a $500 deductible, Reynolds' insurance company covered her loss. However, asked why she potentially put herself in harm's way to catch a couple of low-level crooks, Reynolds had an answer.
"If we don't get involved as a community and individuals, we allow crime to occur all around us," she said. "We have to step forward as individuals and say, 'I put my foot down.'"
Staff reporter Russ Zabel can be reached at rzabel@nwlink.com or 461-1309.[[In-content Ad]]
