SEATTLE -- Seattle police are crediting a landlord for helping catch a fugitive sex offender. Good ears and gut instinct helped the landlord put two and two together.
The landlord says he met David Richard Weller outside of the Home Depot in South Seattle a month ago. He felt bad for him and offered Weller a place to stay in exchange for doing some drywall work. The trailer was parked on a property in a quiet neighborhood on Beacon Hill near the golf course.
The landlord stopped by the property about a week and a half ago to check on his property. He was standing outside of the trailer when he heard a strange conversation.
Weller was inside the trailer, talking on the phone, making inappropriate comments about young girls, according to the landlord.
The landlord went to his computer and ran Weller's name through the Department of Justice database and learned who the man really was.
Weller is a fugitive sex offender out of southern California. He had a significant criminal history for possessing child porn. Police say when they arrested him, he had picked up DVDs with illicit materials from the post office and had written materials on how to seduce and sexually assault a child.
The landlord called police, who moved in to make the arrest. While police credit the landlord with helping catch a predator, he doesn't want any credit. He says he just wanted to do the right thing.
Prosecutors say Weller waived extradition and will be returning to San Diego to face charges.
