Detectives seek to identify man suspected of 20 car prowls in Sammamish

SEATTLE -- Neighbors in Sammamish are on alert after King County sheriff's deputies say a car prowler hit 20 vehicles there recently.

One homeowner on June 18 got surveillance video of the suspect carrying a penlight in his mouth as he rummaged through their SUV. Detectives are trying to identify him after they say he used a stolen credit card at a Fred Meyer store in Maple Valley.

“He's got a pretty distinctive shirt on. It's a long-sleeve shirt and it's got the reflective stripes on the front similar to what somebody in construction or road work would wear,” said sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West.

Matt Easton was one of numerous victims who got ripped off by the thief after he accidentally left his car unlocked.

"Total fluke that it happened this very night,” said Easton.

He went out to check his vehicle after his neighbor called about the suspect seen on surveillance video prowling through the neighborhood.

"The doors are closed but inside the vehicle there's a lot of stuff messed up, strewn around, sorted through and, of course, items were missing, “ said Easton.

Deputies are asking everyone to lock their vehicles and to take everything with them, including their garage door openers.

"This person would have had full access to get inside the house if they'd just pressed the garage door button and do whatever they wanted inside the house, which is quite frightening for my family,” said Easton.

Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 to anyone who can identify the suspect. If you know his name, call the hot line anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS or go to www.crimestoppers.com to submit it online.