At 1:50 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, a golf cart owned by Bellevue College was stolen from outside the BC Public Safety office. At 9:18 a.m. on the same day, Head of Public Safety Ross Villegas sent out a school-wide public safety bulletin in the form of an email informing students and faculty of the theft.
The golf cart has a navy blue body, a black canvas roof and the Bellevue College logo on the front. The thief is described as wearing dark clothes and having sped off south through the BC campus. Per the public safety bulletin, the Bellevue Police Department (BPD) was notified, but has been unable to recover the stolen cart.
Drew Anderson, BPD Public Information Officer, has been able to provide confirmation that officers were dispatched to the 3000 block of Landerholm Circle NE at approximately 2:19 a.m. on the day of the theft. Officers were informed by the parties present that the cart was stolen by an individual wearing dark clothing. An area check was conducted by the officers on scene, but the golf cart was not able to be located. Currently, the cause for the approximately 30-minute gap between the theft at 1:50 a.m. and subsequent response by the BPD at around 2:19 a.m. is unknown. Per Officer Anderson, the BPD received the call about the theft at 2:19 a.m. and officers were dispatched shortly after. Ross Villegas, head of public safety, is currently out of office and unable to provide comment until he returns next week.
At this time, the BC Public Safety department and the BPD are requesting members of the campus to keep their eyes peeled and report any sightings of the missing golf cart to the Public Safety office or the BPD.
Furthermore, BC Public Safety offers these helpful tips on preventing vehicular theft and other car related crimes on campus.
- Always keep windows closed and doors locked.
- Park in well-lit areas and avoid isolated areas.
- Approach with your keys ready and look inside your vehicle before getting in.
- Don’t leave shopping bags, purses, money, phones or other valuables in your car.
- Report suspicious behavior: Call BC Public Safety at (425) 466-9365. Examples of suspicious behavior may include people looking in the windows of vehicles, people pulling on the door handles of several vehicles, etc.
- If you see an active vehicle break-in, please first call 911, then BC Public Safety.
