Queen Anne condo manager accused of stealing from neighbors

The live-in manager of a posh Queen Anne condominium building with multimillion-dollar views has been accused of stealing from her well-to-do neighbors, possibly for up to two years.

The 54-year-old woman was arrested Wednesday for investigation of burglary and booked into the King County Jail after a private investigator hired by one of the building's residents videotaped the manager stealing cash, according to Seattle police.

The private investigator stashed a video camera inside a clock radio on April 9 and four days later the camera captured the manager breaking into the unit, a police report said.

The 89-year-old victim and her daughter placed a $100 bill and six $20 bills in a small satchel inside her master bathroom to see if they would go missing, the report said.

The video footage showed the building manager inside the victim's home for nearly three minutes on April 13, the report said. Police said there were chips and scratches on the front door; the victim told police that the suspect somehow entered her unit after she changed her locks.

The victim told police that the $100 bill was stolen.

The suspect and her husband are on-site residential managers at the 18-unit building called 111 West Highland Drive, where units are valued at up to $2.4 million, according to property records. The suspect on Thursday made a brief court appearance, where bail was set at $5,000.

William McKay, the attorney representing the building's condo board, said Thursday that he was still gathering information about what happened and couldn't comment on the arrest.

The suspect had keys to all units in the building, the police report said.

According to the police report, several people in the building noticed items missing from their units, some for as long as two years. The nurse of one resident even saw the suspect inside her patient's home without permission, the report said.

Police weren't contacted until recently, the report said.

The suspect's son said Thursday that he was aware of the arrest. He added that his family is "shocked and surprised regarding these allegations."

Among the residents of building are the widow of late-Diamond Parking founder Josef Diamond. One resident who lives at the building declined to comment when reached at home Thursday.

Seattle Times news researcher Miyoko Wolf contributed to this report.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com