Police: Trespass Suspects Give 'Class Project' Alibi the Old College Try

Suspects caught in Group Health's former site in Overlake after midnight claimed to Redmond Police that they were filming a documentary as part of a Bellevue College class project, Redmond Police said.

However, Bellevue College says there was no class project connected with the incident.

Also, last week was spring break, and classes didn't start until today, April 2.

The five, all between the ages of 20 and 22, were arrested on suspicion of trespassing, according to  spokesman Jim Bove.

"As its policy, the college does not encourage, nor does it require, breaking the law to fulfill any course requirement," said college spokesman David Sandler in a prepared statement.

Two of the people arrested are currently enrolled at the college, and one was a former student, he said. The other two are not connected to the college, he said.

The property, located in the 2700 block of 152nd Ave. NE, contains a vacant Group Health hospital that closed in 2008.

Officers were called to the scene by a private alarm company, Bove said.  assisted in the arrests, and a Kirkland K9 unit helped track a suspect who was hiding inside the building.

Police are investigating whether the incident is connected to a burglary that took place at the same location at approximately 3 a.m. Saturday, Bove said. In that case, surveillance cameras captured four individuals inside the hospital building, but no one was located inside.

Bove said there was no indication that this weekend's break-ins were tied to the site's redevelopment plans. It is not uncommon for police to find young people or transients trespassing at the site, he said, adding two high-school students were arrested there approximately two months ago.

“It’s just like an abandoned house," Bove said. "It attracts attention (and) mischief.”