Alert Citizens the Difference in Two Separate Sunday Morning Burglaries

A Seattle man was arrested Sunday morning after attempting to burglarize a property north of Ellensburg.

According to the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, an alert homeowner noticed a sound coming from a covered car port around 9 am. There he observed 34-year-old Austin French of Seattle attempted to force his was into a locked box.

Law enforcement was quietly notified and with the help of Ellensburg and Central police French was arrested for burglary.

French then lied about his identity and was charged with making false statements. While being medically cleared at the hospital, French attempted to flee on foot. He was quickly apprehended for a second time by deputies and an escape charge was added.

A couple in the area south of Ellensburg were awoken about an hour later by a man who had walked into their home by using a garage door opener from a vehicle.

The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office says 42-year-old Christopher Mathews of Moses Lake claimed he was "sent by people" before leaving the residence, only to get into their vehicle in the driveway. Mathews eventually fled on foot after being confronted again.

A short time later, an alert citizen saw a man running through a nearby property and flagged down a deputy, leading to a safe arrest. Matthews was booked for Burglary and Vehicle Prowling.