Wal-Mart security officer honored by police chief for role in capturing suspect

A King County District Court judge today ordered that a 35-year-old Everett man, accused of sneaking into a Wallingford home and raping a woman at knifepoint, be held at the King County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

Court papers released today identify the man as Sankarandi Skanda, who also goes by the name Franklin David Antill.

The court papers illustrate the brutality of the Oct. 20 attack, which occurred while the 34-year-old woman's two small children and their nanny were in their rooms.

Police say the woman told them she was sifting through mail and paying bills when she heard a noise. Upstairs, the woman encountered a man who held a knife to her throat and demanded money, police said.

The woman screamed and told the man that she didn't have any money inside the home, the police report said. She offered him her wedding ring if he would leave, the report said. According to police, the man then raped the woman, rifled through a jewelry box and threatened to kill her. Police were called when the woman's husband came home.

The rape suspect used the woman's credit card at a Lynnwood Wal-Mart store the following night to buy gift cards, a prepaid cellphone and a printer, the police report said. He tried to use the cards to buy a laptop computer, but the credit-card company denied the transaction, Seattle police said.

Seattle police obtained images of the man from Wal-Mart security staff members and broadcast his images through the media in hopes of learning the man's name. On Oct. 24, Crime Stoppers received an anonymous tip identifying the man.

On Wednesday night, the man showed up at a Wal-Mart store in South Everett and was recognized by a security officer as the same man who had been captured by video cameras at the Lynnwood store on Oct. 21, police said.

Abbi Allen, a security officer at the Everett Wal-Mart, was honored today by Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske for helping catch the suspect. "This was a very serious crime, and it really devastated this victim and her family," Kerlikowske said at a news conference.

Allen was able to identify Skanda because fliers about him showed a drawing very close to his actual features, the chief said. When he came into the Wal-Mart "she [Allen] was on him," Kerlikowske said. Allen, 25, had been scrolling through a week-old surveillance videotape that showed a man identified by police as the suspect in the attack. When the officer looked away from the video and focused on a live feed of goings-on inside the South Everett store, she saw the same man, Skanda.

"It was one of those freaky coincidences," Seattle police spokesman Mark Jamieson said.

Allen immediately called Everett police and stayed on the phone while officers were dispatched. She tracked the man's every move and relayed details about his whereabouts to police, said Everett police spokesman Robert Goetz. Officers were waiting for the man when he walked outside.

A spokeswoman for Wal-Mart said officials were pleased with the security officer's work.

"We, of course, are grateful that our associate was able to help the community in this way, and the safety and security of our customers is always our top priority," Anna Taylor said.

Lead Detective Chris Young said the attack apparently was random. Police continue to investigate any possible connection between the victim and the suspect. Skanda has a criminal history in Idaho and Florida. He has convictions in Idaho for escape and burglary, and convictions in Florida for vehicle theft, larceny, drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Seattle Times staff reporter Nancy Bartley contributed to this report.

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