Sammamish Police Make Arrests in Connection With September Burglary

Sammamish Police arrested two suspects earlier this month and the King County Prosecutor's Office charged them yesterday in King County Superior Court in connection with a Sep. 28 burglary, said the Sammamish Police Department.

The first suspect, 26-year-old James Franklin Kennemer of Everett, has been charged with four counts of residential burglary, possession of stolen property, theft of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm, said police.

His accomplice, a 22-year-old female from Milton, is charged with possession of stolen property, said police.

A third person of interest is still outstanding but is believed to have fled the state, said police.

The Sammamish Police Department said that the suspects have been positively linked to the burglary. Police also say that the subjects were arrested and charged earlier this year in connection with two other burglaries.

"We suspect they've been working in this area for quite some time," Sammamish Police Administrative Sergeant Jessica Sullivan said.

The arrests came after a month-long investigation involving detectives from Sammamish, Bothell, the King County Sherrif's Office and the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office. Both arrests occured in Everett and were made by Sammamish detectives. 

The pair are linked to at least five burglaries in the respective jurisdications, said police.

Nearly $35,000 in jewelry stolen from the Sammamish burglarly and two firearms taken in unincorporated King County burglaries were recovered, said police.

Police believe the group was operating in the area under the guise of a tree service company. The suspects, who had experience in the industry, would knock on doors and, if anyone answered, describe their services. If no one answered, they would force their way in and target jewelry, small electronics and firearms for theft, said police.

Police said the suspects were caught after attempting to pawn stolen items. Police have access to pawn shop data and began to see suspected stolen items show up in reports.

"We started to see descriptions that looked suspiciously similar," Sergeant Sullivan said.

This was the second attempt police had made to arrest the male suspect. During an attempt in October the suspect successfully fled from police. On Nov. 2 police caught up to him again and successfully apprehended the suspect, police said.

Police say the man is currently being held in King County Jail on $62,000 bail. The female suspect has already been released.

Editor's Note: This article was updated at 4:35 pm to include the name of the male suspect after he was identified in charging documents obtained by Sammamish Patch.