LAKE STEVENS — An arrest has been made in the New Year’s Eve home invasion robbery of a Lake Stevens couple in their 70s.
A Bonney Lake woman was booked into the Snohomish County Jail Wednesday for investigation of first-degree robbery. Crystal Atter, 27, later appeared in Everett District Court, where her bail was set at $50,000.
Atter and two men are accused of breaking into the home in a senior housing community in the 11100 block of 20th Street NE. Two other suspects are not in custody.
Atter alleged they were collecting a debt from the couple, according to a police report.
The robbery was reported around 5:30 a.m. Dec. 31. The couple reported that their doorbell rang. When the wife answered the door, three people barged in wearing masks and gloves.
One of the men allegedly forced the wife to the ground and held her there by the hair while the others confronted her husband, 76, in a bedroom.
The victim has Parkinson’s disease and is unable to walk, according to a police report. He reported that he was struck in the head several times with a hard object.
His wife watched the trio drive off in a large white vehicle, reportedly taking jewelry and a computer tablet.
A neighbor later reported seeing a white Cadillac with a black bag over the license plate swerve and hit a median. The impact left a dent in the trunk and caused the vehicle to lose a hubcap. At that point, one of the suspects got out and removed the bag from the rear plate, the witness told police.
On Tuesday, the husband called police to say he remembered the woman’s voice from the break-in. He said he had met with her at a Snohomish supermarket and that she had called him the night before the robbery. He provided police with her cellphone number.
Police tracked the number to escort ads and later identified Atter through social media.
A Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy located the Cadillac in Arlington and contacted Lake Stevens police, who took Atter into custody.
Atter said she believes the man got her name from her online ad.
The investigation is continuing, Lake Stevens police said Wednesday.
Anyone with information is asked to call 425-334-9537 or 425-377-3214.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com
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