Repeat Burglar of the Month

The PAO's fight against repeat burglars -- known as the Repeat Burglar Initiative or "RBI" -- began in June of 2009, and has been paying off.  The theory behind this project is that a small number of burglars are responsible for the vast majority of these crimes, and if we can identify and capture the right offenders, the number of burglaries will drop.
 
This month, The Prosecutor's Post features a case involving a serial burglar, Christopher Rust, who has been charged with four counts of Residential Burglary, and has admitted his involvement in at least five other burglaries.  The Bellevue Police Department is still investigating the defendant and his co-defendants, who they believe may be responsible for up to 30 burglaries in Shoreline, Woodinville, Edmonds, Bellevue, Kenmore, Sammamish, and Kirkland.
 
The defendant was caught after he used a stolen credit card at an area department store.  His criminal history spans 18 years, and includes seven felony convictions. If convicted of the four charged Residential Burglaries, he faces a standard-range sentence of five to seven years in prison, but the PAO may seek an exceptional sentence of 10 to 15 years in prison.

To read more about this particular defendant, you may click on the following external links: link to first article, link to additional article

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