73-year-old woman tied up, dragged during robbery, police say
WASHOUGAL, Wash. – Police are looking for two men who they said dragged a 73-year-old woman by her hair and used duct tape to tie her up while they robbed her home in Washougal Tuesday night.
It happened in the 3200 block of 37th Court at around 8:45 p.m.
Police said the woman was home alone when her doorbell rang. A man at her door asked her if she had seen his dog, when a second man suddenly appeared and knocked her to the floor. The men used duct tape to tie her up while they dragged her by her hair into another room of the house.
The victim, who has not been identified, was able to free herself after several minutes and tried to call 9-1-1, but her phone wasn’t working. She ran to a neighbor’s house where she called police.
"She was very upset and hysterical," said neighbor Stu Ager. "She was saying they were going to kill me. We brought her in immediately and called 9-1-1."
The woman said both men spoke English and a Slavic language that she thought was Russian. She described the man who rang her doorbell as a “clean-cut” white man in his teens or early 20s, who spoke with an eastern European accent. Police said she didn’t get a good look at the second suspect, but told them he was taller than the other man, he wore a hood and possibly wore a mask.
Police said they believe theft was the motive of the attack. It's unclear what was stolen from the home.
"It was unbelievable, we just couldn't believe it was happening next door," said Ager. "This is a very nice neighborhood, well lit, nothing like this has ever happened here, so you don't expect it."
The suspects likely left the area several minutes before the 9-1-1 call, police said.
Washougal police are encouraging neighbors to call 9-1-1 if a suspicious stranger is at the door.
"Half the time our job is just to identify who's out there - a vehicle, a person in the street - just to find out who's in our town," said Officer Kate Tierney, Washougal Police spokeswoman.
Anyone with information about the robbery or the suspects is asked to call Detective Zane Freschette at 360-835-8701.
This is absolutely disgusting. I hope they catch these monsters before they do it to someone else.
People will survive inside almost any political system. The Soviet Union and it's satellite nations were repressive beyond belief. The people learned to survive by any means necessary.  It created a criminal mentality that makes our criminals here look like amateurs. When the Soviet empire collapsed those criminals spread around the world and many of them came here. We are now reaping the second generation of these people. Many of those who escaped are wonderful people, but many are not...
Really crazy times we live in. Cowards prey on the elderly, the handicap and the defenseless. Time to put the fear into criminals. I think katu reporting the discovery of a known criminal nailed to a telephone pole, tarred and feathered with "criminals beware" carved in his chest might send a message to the criminal element. And no, Criminals don't have rights.
@The Resistance Yes, criminals do have some rights - those guaranteed by the Constitution. I am referring those rights guaranteed by the Fifth, Sixth and Eighth Amendments (and any others that have to do with arrests, trials, punishments, etc.) If we strip these rights from those who commit things like theft, rape, murder, etc., we strip them from every person in this country. Like Scotty9, I understand your frustration; however, let's not forget that if we take the rights I referred to away from criminals, a law abiding person could be imprisoned for life upon an unjust accusation.
@theprodigal --- You are right and I'm for all the Constitutional Rights. Lost my head minute. Of course if it was a member of my family that was hurt... It would be V for Vendetta
@The Resistance "Of course if it was a member of my family that was hurt . . ." Again, I totally understand. I would be hard put to let the law take its course if it was a family member or friend.
 @The ResistanceÂ
Â
While I don't support your methods, I totally understand your frustration.
I don't know if I'd offer to help him "find his dog", but he certainly would find my three dogs, two of which are Rottweilers.
Â
Normally quite friendly, but probably wouldn't react too well to that whole dragging around by the hair routine. The 12ga might be the least of their problems.
 @al_02 I agree!  I have four dogs and the neighborhood knows it because they see them out front all the time so I don't worry about things like this.  Having dogs, even little yappers, is a deterrent.  Having multiple dogs means more noise and more trouble for criminals.  Having dogs like Rotts and Shepherds and Boxers creates more that noise trouble and they know it.  Dogs are the most visible, deterrent and the best in my opinion. Â
Â
I hope this lady can recover from this trauma and find a way to feel safe again. Â
Am I late to the comments by saying if she only had a gun?
Just here doing jobs Americans won't do.Â
Deport them back to russia. Â
 @eyeonchina in a box.
These thugs may find all kinds of ways to try and justify robbery... But, pulling an elderly woman around by her hair? There is no one, anywhere, anyway that can ever justify that. Not to themselves or anyone else. I seriously wish death upon these punks. They deserve nothing less.
 @Lips I can't go with the death thing  ( maybe I should with these two, though)but very serious  intense beat-down and a second one a few days later, then 45 days later by surprise with a hissed promise in their ears that  they will never be  rest easy again  because another beat-down is just around the corner, might  be  just the ticket to put these bad boys out of business. They sound like sociopathic mafia thugs.
This was too specific- I wonder if they had inside information.
 @PeterAWolf Or they may have been intending to go somewhere else and ended up at this lady's house.
 @PeterAWolf They might also have been watching for a while -- those recycling boxes of brand new TVs and other high end items do make people targets.
People you don't ever have to answer your door if it is not someone you know or are expecting you likely don't want to talk to them anyway!!! Always told my kids and wife to not answer the door to a strander...
Well....as much as I hate to admit it, I'm now elderly. I have never...EVER...opened the door to anyone I didn't know real well. I'm also afraid of guns...probably because I've never fired anything more harmless then a Roy Rogers cap gun when I was little. But when I was a young mom and had to spend a night at home alone with my baby while hubs was on a railroad run as a brakeman, I had the unfortunate experience of having 4 young men try to get into our big old house. While one knocked on the front door, the other three were trying to break-in thru that back door. All I had was a kitchen knife and the phone on which to dial 911. I left the baby sleeping in his nursery and hid in the hallway in front of his room until the police came. We lived on the boundary of Eugene and Bethel...no less then 7 cars came...police, state police and the county sheriffs came...and caught all four within the hour. We were lucky. If...if I were to think of purchasing a gun, it would only be with taking a training course specifically aimed at the elderly because hands aren't as steady and eyesight, even with glasses, isn't what it used to be. I'd consider having one...come into my space, and I'll try and shoot you.
 @fracas Pack of lies in writing!  No one your age would type as you speak.  None of this I say I say that no Foghorn Leghorn funny bidness here.
@Benjamin Schniffle @fracas You are a twit...just because I'm 63 doesn't mean I'm not educated enough to know how to write...which I do for a living. Try it sometime...you might find yourself being taken more seriously. Of course...you're barely 2 years old, so you have time. And from the looks of that great head of yours, it'll take a LONG time :/
Just hope those two get what karma they so richly deserve.
Forget the karma business; jail time is what they deserve!
 @jpk BOTH...
 @jpk I don't think they'd be held long.  It depends on what their criminal history might be.
Having a elderly mother,the headline was disturbing enough to not read the story.
Security cameras. It won't stop them from committing a crime but it will help catch them afterwards and stop them from doing this to someone else.
Yup, once again, spend lots of money to mayyyyyyyyybbbbeee lead to an arrest. How does that expense keep someone safe from assault? Sorry, but I don't buy it, Ralph. If thieves want something, they take it, without concern for getting caught.
 @jpkÂ
Â
These property crime criminals are like drunk drivers, they do it many times before they get caught.  The cops need all the help (evidence) they can get. A security camera may not prevent an immediate crime, but by help to catch the criminal later it will prevent some future crimes and spare your neighbors the grief you just went through.
Â
Buy the best lens you can afford. Picture clarity is the key!
 @jpkÂ
Â
True, but technology and price are getting better and better all the time. The stuff available to the ordinary citizen is so much better than it used to be and VHS tapes are almost non-existent, thank goodness!
So is adequate lighting and camera angle. We've all seen the surveillance videos of thieves and burglars involved with commercial enterprises, and they don't look to good. And I'm sure commercial enterprises spend more money on their equipment than residents do, or can afford.
 @jpkÂ
Police always show up to investigate the crime. It is so rare that police actually prevent a crime from happening that they talk about it for weeks. Plus they can't really arrest anyone until the crime has been committed so they have to just wait.
 @jpk Well it may have showed the second guy hiding waiting to jump in and tackle her and so she may not have opened the door for starters. Having said that though never open your door if you don't know the person outside....
 @jpk That is much cheaper then a camera...
oh my gosh, how frightening!!
I never, never answer my door when home alone and keep my doors locked  and I live in a very safe small community.  This poor elderly lady did not deserve to be treated this way.  You yahoo's with a gun scare me more than anything else.  She just needs to practice a little more safety, guns are not the answer
 @granny4life Both my grannies had guns and knew how to use them but for you fearing them its probably not a good option since you likely would not be willing to use it on someone...
Granny could also have a "speakeasy" grill installed in her front door, so she could clearly see and speak to whoever is outside without unlocking the door. Lots of elderly people have difficulty seeing through peep holes, but this simple modification could solve that problem, especially for older people who live alone. It's a good way to keep someone you love a lot safer.
http://www.wildwesthardware.com/speakeasy.htm
http://www.signaturehardware.com/style372
http://www.speakeasydoor.com/
Â
 @granny4life Oh really?Then what is the answer?For more stories like this to happen? My grandmother has a 12 gauge shotgun handy when she is alone.You sound like another anti gun lib who wants to make people helpless and defenseless.
@granny4life i keep a baseball bat behind my front door just in case.
This comment has been deleted
 @gunnutzÂ
or dead. Only thing worse than cowardly little men attacking an elderly woman are cowardly little men with a gun.
 @ormom  @gunnutz More left-wing BS. Good god, you fools ever quit?Â
Â
And just where IS that Fed Up POS? I would have expected him to show up.Â
 @NotAChance  @ormom  @gunnutz Nope.  Not left wing BS.  It's a little thing called reality and I lived through it.
Â
As a victim of a home invasion robbery (and I had guns in my home at the time but they were inaccessible when they idiots broke in), I'm here to tell you the guns didn't do a dam bit of good. Â And, because I knew they were there, I was more than a little concerned the idiots would find them and use them on me!
Â
The day after my home invasion robbery in a neighboring town, the homeowner wasn't quite so lucky. Â They shot him to death with his own weapon.
Â
Reality.
 @NotAChance  @ormom  @gunnutz Exactly wait until it happens to their family and see how fast they get armed...
It's nice that we're importing criminals that would assault helpless elderly people...well, actually NOT.
@ThePosterFormerlyKnownAsPhredE There's a Russian church in Battleground that imports them.
 @hankhandsome  @ThePosterFormerlyKnownAsPhredE Most likely illegals.
 An elderly woman! what kind of a low life attacks an elderly woman? No one is safe anymore, even at home! My mother is armed and she is not afraid to use it. She knows not to open the door for anyone she doesn't know. I bought her an intercom for her door.
 @Pointblank I always open the door with one hand on my pistol, especially on Halloween.
 @dynamited77  @Pointblank Part of your  Halloween costume?
 @dynamited77  @Pointblank It is people like you that give us gun owners a bad name!
 @ormom  @Jim330rifle  @dynamited77 Well stated, ormom.
 @Jim330rifle  @ormom  @dynamited77 Jim, I didn't think ormom was doing that. She just was pointing out that there are gun owners, and there are gun nuts. I am personally very much against having guns in the hands of nuts.
 @Sundowner  @Jim330rifle WTH are you talking about? I haven't seen anything that Jim wrote that even sounded hate filled, let alone any of the rest of the nonsense you accused him of. And because of all that vitriol that you spewed, you just pointed out why guns should be more regulated. You really need help.
 @ormom  @dynamited77 It just seemed you were lumping all of us together who have guns.
 @Sundowner I don't hate illegals or gays.I wasn't calling you a troll and I know what it means.No I don't wear a WWJD bracelets.I'm sorry if I insulted anybody.
 @Jim330rifle Wow, you sure don't sound very "Christian".  You hate what you consider "illegals", you hate "gays", you throw out Bible verses and then you insult.  You don't wear one of those WWJD bracelets, do you?  Not sure who you were calling a troll down below, but my name popped up.  Better look up the definition of "troll" before you throw it out here randomly. Â
 @Jim330rifle  @dynamited77
That's why people like me call people like dynamite a nut. There are gun owners and gun nuts and the nuts are going to hurt it for the rest of you because they are dangerous.
This comment has been deleted
 @Jim330rifle  @ormom  @dynamited77 There is a difference between owning guns and always packing when you open a door. That is not how you give children a sense of security!
 @dynamited77  @gunnutz  @Pointblank And I suppose you think this gives your kids a sense of security? Here, kids ... you stand way out of the way when Daddy opens the door with his gun prominently displayed. Cuz if someone comes here with a gun, there's gonna be blood. Yes, indeed. Just what I'd like my little ones to grow up with. NOT!
 @Jim330rifle
Read up on what a statistic means vs an anecdote. I haven't been in a car accident but I sure know a lot of people who have who are just as careful as I am.
 @gunnutz  @dynamited77  @Pointblank He must be off his meds.He shouldn't have ANY firearms.
 @ormom  @dynamited77 Not true!Where did you get your info?Did you get it from some site with a anti gun bias?Myself ,family and friends have owned guns for years and we have NEVER had anything happen where somebody got hurt.
 @dynamited77Â
Plus there cannot be anything good that you are teaching your kids by such paranoid behavior. You might as well train them to be suspicious and on the offense around everyone they meet and to cower unless they have a gun.
 @dynamited77
Yup. Just like the 'protection' the parents had for that 15 yr old in N.M who blew his whole family away with their 'protection'. Someday, you will hopefully wise up and realize the statistics are not on your side and your kids are a whole lot more likely to end up dead by your gun than by any intruder.
 @dynamited77  @gunnutz  @Pointblank I'll whisper so as not to embarrass:  I'll bet that's what the rogue cop in Forest Grove thought too, right up until he snapped.
 @gunnutz  @dynamited77  @Pointblank Why am I paranoid answering the door sporting a gun? I'm talking about protecting my family. I don't want my kids anywhere where there are no guns for protection.
@dynamited77 So what you're saying is for a thief to shoot you first, then rob you?
 @dynamited77 Wow -- Care to post your address so everyone keeps the trick-or-treaters away from your place?  Doesn't sound like knocking on your door is worth it for a lousy pack of Smartees.
This comment has been deleted
 @Dr. Rawdog  @Pointblank Unless they think by no answer, no one is home and kick it in. That's when a shotgun comes in handy. Which in my opinion is the best choice for home defense.
 @Lips  @Dr. Rawdog  @Pointblank Dogs too! Lots of criminals will pass on a home with loud and big dogs.
 @Dr. Rawdog  @Pointblank Not necessarily just last week a lady hid with her kids and her gun in the crawl space as they could be broke in knowing she was home and hunted her down. He had a nice meating with 5 rounds of 38 lead instead of what he was after. So not opening the door did not help this lady...
 @Dr. Rawdog  @Pointblank Right, 'cause, they never break in. There's no such thing as breaking and entering. It's like Dracula laws; they can't come into your home unless you invite them.
@ormom @Playanekes ormom, I agree with you that some people will never be able to use a gun for defense. I live with one of those people. My sister, though she spent time in the military and has been trained to handle a weapon, has hand tremors and balance issues due to an autoimmune disease. IMHO, she cannot handle a gun safely. I also agree that not opening doors to strangers (and other "defensive" measures) is the best option. That being said, there are times when a gun - as a last resort - is what is necessary.
 @NotAChance  @ormom  @Playanekes cell phones don't have lines. Lifeline alert wrist or necklace buttons (with service) are a good option for elderly who live alone.
 @ormom  @Playanekes 1-3 BIG  rescue dogs who are suspicious of strangers work pretty good besides not opening the door. The only time I have opened the door alone to strangers (besides children) is after I had a  a view first through peephole AND with  large growling pit-mix held back from lunging by my hand on her collar at my side. Worked well and the questionable individuals turned pale then turned tail and left fast. Generally, I just didn't open the door, and nowadays,  I won't unless I know who it is.
 @NotAChance
Not in the story, so no, I didn't jump to the wildest conclusion available. More likely it was a dead battery, don'cha think?
 @FreedomRocks
Look whose making a scenario fit themselves and then trying to normalize it. Believe it or not, I don't know a single gun-totin granny and I know a lot of grannies in my line of work. But then, I suspect we inhabit very different worlds. Maybe yours is filled with grannies like that, I'm glad mine isn't.
 @ormom  @Playanekes Ya both my grandma's fit that category and both would have dropped the guy given half a chance. You making the scenario fit your abilities not other peoples....
 @ormom  @Playanekes You ever consider that the perps may have cut the line?
Â
No, of course not. That would require critical thinking.
 @Playanekes
Some people will never be able to use a gun for defense and if you try to arm them you will only end up getting them killed. Do you really think an elderly woman who will open the door to a strange man is the kind of person who can use a gun? Think again.
Â
Defense is the best strategy. Don't open the door to strangers - period. And have a phone that works for pete's sake and don't be afraid to dial 911.
 @Dr. Rawdog  @Playanekes  @Pointblank It's still considered an illegal entry and/or trespassing.  Very much criminally illegal, and very much subject to possible prosecution.  Local LEOs will want to catch these guys very quickly.