Thief Targets Interbay Cartoonist

SEATTLE - A nationally published cartoonist from Seattle is outraged after a burglar swiped computer equipment containing his life's work. Stu Heinecke, whose work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal and other publications, said the thief cut through a fence overnight, broke a window and stole several Apple computers, including a cinema display and a G-5.  His was one of several Interbay area businesses burglarized last night with the suspect caught on surveillance tape.

"You ask, 'What's missing?'  A lifetime of work is missing!" said a frustrated Heinecke on Friday. "So I'm trying to keep my language nice. I have a few choice words for this guy."

The burglar also hit the office building next door, where security cameras caught him casually unloading more computer equipment from the elevator then driving away in a white pickup loaded with loot.

"We've got to get this guy off the streets," said Heinecke, who backed up only a small portion of his work on a separate hard drive. "This is not right. We're all struggling, we're all trying to get by, and to have someone come in and pick off your business like this just to get some drugs? Some money? It's not right."

The thief left behind some bolt cutters he used to cut through a chainlink fence. Heinecke thinks it could be a valuable clue, as well as several mock-up laptops he was preparing for an Apple promotion that were pilfered.  "If you get this fake laptop, it might lead to the thief," he said.

Heinecke says there were other breakins in the neighborhood a couple weeks ago. "I felt like saying: Dude, if you wanted 50 bucks for your drugs, why didn't you just tell me? I would have given it to you. Why mess with all these (other) people?"

One bright note: one of Heinecke's desk top computers was found this morning at a car wash. The car wash owner took it to an Apple store that traced it back to Heinecke and returned it.  If you have any information, please call Seattle police.