Following a major uptick in burglaries around King County, prosecutors and burglary detectives from around the county compiled a list of the top 20 most prolific burglars in the area. Late last month, prosecutors filed their first case against one of the top 20. Now, at the ripe old age of 19, Michael Vong is facing charges for 15 counts of burglary, attempted burglary and auto theft in King County Superior Court.
According to court documents, Vong is accused of stealing money, electronics, shoes, cell phones, iPods, cash and a microwave during, prosecutors say, a “crime spree” which began in September 2008.
Vong was finally arrested in December 2008 after he was caught breaking into a home in the 1700 block of 14th Avenue South along with three juveniles.
Following his arrest, court documents say, two detectives from the Seattle and Renton police departments interviewed Vong about other burglaries he’d been involved in. “As they drove around, Vong would direct them to specific houses he burglarized,” court records say. “Vong would tell the officers who was with him [during the burglaries], how they got in and what was taken.” During the interview, records say Vong told detectives that “If windows or doors were locked, one of the crew would ‘shoot’ a window or glass door with a BB gun” to gain entry to homes. Court records say Vong showed officers approximately 20 different homes he’d burglarized all over King County, 13 of which were in South Seattle.
Prosecutors “stacked” 15 counts against Vong in the hopes of getting Vong off the streets for a maximum of six years.
In an interview earlier this month, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg told me that he believes “a very small number of offenders are responsible for the vast majority of burglaries” and estimates that about 150 people are responsible for the majority of the 15,565 burglaries reported in King County in 2008. “If we get longer sentences, when they’re in prison they can’t break into your house,” Satterberg said.
Goodness, I’m sure glad I don’t live in the crime infested ghetto of south Seattle.
Hopefully these neighborhoods start gentrifying soon.
Only 6 years for 15 felony burglary counts?! Why doesn’t the three strikes law apply? Does it require three seperate trials?
Six years is just long enough for this kid to get good and violent.
@7 Ha Ha. Six years is very long time and burglary no where near qualifies for the three srikes law. In fact, many burglers are back on the street with no jail time. Interesting technique. Take someone around and have him incriminate himself in every burglary and then slap him with the maximum penalty. He deserves it but I can’t imagien the next guy will be as cooperative. Too bad that new jail won’t be built thanks to Mayor Drago, so 99% of non-violent criminals will serve 0 jail time in the coming years. But you know by not building a new local jail surely the DEA and congress will will change the drugs laws nationally and there will be massive amounts of money spent on longterm treatment because we don’t have a jail.
Oh wait that won’t happen?
A new law is needed that says 2 burglary convictions committed within a 5 year period is a mandatory 20 year sentence. Then amend the 3 strikes law to include burglary. This will balance out those who didn’t learn the first time, then have a good 10 years to think about it the second time with the 20 year sentence, then 3 strikes and we throw away the key. If we also concurrently create a new death penalty law that mandates lethal injection within 60 days of conviction (with no appeal possible) when any violent felony is committed AND it is caught on camera, I think we’d see a serious drop in crime.
We need to start demanding that laws get changed that mandate 10 years means 10 years, unless this is your first & only conviction, and Life means LIFE.
Also give them the option at self suicide now that we have the new death with dignity law. Let themselves eliminate themselves off the tax payer dole a little quicker, if they really have any honor and remorse for their lives of crime.
Enough already. Put some teeth into the fucking laws.
@4:
How about every time we spring an innocent person out of jail or death row, we hold a lottery to replace them with a random death penalty or “tough on crime” supporter?
I mean, if you’re so confident our criminal justice system never makes mistakes, you shouldn’t have anything to fear.
@5 ahhh yes… our famous little internet coward who won’t register
I think that by the time you’ve committed 3 different felonies on seperate occasions, it is pretty much confirmed that you are a hardened career professional criminal.
Once… might have been an accident.. or maybe you were wrongly accused and failed to prove it in court…
Twice… maybe you are a persecuted individual who happens to frequent places where crimes are often committed in your presence…
Three times? Sorry bub. You obviously haven’t learned your lesson, and simply fail to acknowledge you need to move somewhere to start fresh, away from the former environment.
Your post has little credibility since you fail to register and stand up for your snark. Society is simply fucking fed up with the bullshit that is our current criminal justice system.
All those “innocent” folks you speak of are rare. Taken in the context of the totality of the criminal justice system they are a statistical anomaly. Should we as an entire population have to sacrifice our safety and security of our families, and be forced to live with career criminals, just so we don’t accidentally incarcerate an innocent person? Really? You are a complete fucking moron if you believe that.
If you notice my earlier post, I stated that the law should be for MULTIPLE offenders with MULTIPLE strikes. OR it should be for someone CAUGHT ON TAPE, like the convenience store murderer in Ballard last week. THOSE people deserve an express lane to lethal injection.
Take your liberal bleeding heart and shove it up your ass. I want to sleep, live, and work in safety. I don’t feel nearly as secure as I did a decade ago, as the liberal nannies and activists continue to erode laws designed to protect us from those who choose not to live within an orderly society.
Seems as if some of the comment posters here are IN THE CLOSET RACISTS. Which is a shame.