SEATTLE - There's a thief roaming the streets of Seattle's Phinney Ridge neighborhood. And it's what he's after that has residents digging for answers. Neighbors are pointing the finger at a feline with a fetish.
A bright orange bucket parked on a grass strip in Phinney Ridge contains evidence of a crime - a crime committed by a now notorious cat burglar. Look inside and you can't even count on five fingers how many victims there are. A few dozen gloves of the garden variety.
The suspect's love for gloves keeps him prowling the side streets of Phinney for more five-finger discounts. He's described as a middle-aged male, medium-length hair, green eyes, who goes by the name of Houdini, who's now prepared to face the music for his disappearing acts.
"I would come home and it looked like someone laid out an art collection of single gloves," says Diano Garcia.
Garcia's roommate is Houdini's owner. The glove collection had grown some 30 strong. So they set out the bucket. A note attached apologizes for the clepto cat.
"Most people just come by and laugh. They read the sign and it's funny for them," says Garcia.
Neighbor Ramon Shiloh is a victim.
"I've lost latex gloves, I do a lot of artwork. And I've seen my own latex gloves in the driveway," he said.
And up on the front porch of Houdini's home... fresh kill. Two more mismatched gardening gloves. Evidence of more green thumbs victimized by someone who doesn't even have thumbs.
"If there were one-handed gardeners out there, they wouldn't care, but I want my glove," says Shiloh.
We tried to recreate the crime scene hoping our friendly feline would make a beeline for the glove. But Houdini wasn't about to be caught in the act.
So Phinney neighbors who lost a mitten? We know just the kitten. And he and his owners are purr-fectly happy to return them. Just look for the orange bucket.
