Police blotter Posted by Kimberly Jacobson | Jul 23, 2012 | 600 views

A 49-year-old Bellingham man suffered punctures to his hand and his dog suffered scratches, bruised lungs, abrasions, and a possible broken shoulder after they were attacked by a pit bull outside their home in the 2200 block of 25th Street around 11:06 p.m. Tuesday, July 17.

The victim had his dog on a leash outside his home when a vehicle pulled into the area and the female driver got out for a moment. The pit bull then jumped out of the woman’s vehicle and attacked the victim’s dog.

The man said the pit bull injured him when he tried to push it away from his dog.

The pit bull owner was very upset by the incident and said her dog had never attacked anyone before. The victim’s dog underwent emergency surgery at an animal clinic in Mount Vernon. The pit bull faces being deemed a potentially dangerous dog and its owner said she was considering having her dog put to sleep.

Among the other 263 cases handled by Anacortes police during the previous week:

Friday, July 13

• A pre-paid Samsung “Go Phone” was reported stolen from the library. The victim reported she plugged her phone in to charge in one of the restrooms, and when she checked on it a half hour later, the phone was missing. No one turned it in to library staff.

• A woman reported $140 in cash was stolen from her apartment in the 900 block of 22nd Street. The woman said she allowed two teenage men to spend the night in her apartment and she suspected them of stealing the money while she left the apartment for a while. Police are seeking to speak with the two.

• An officer on patrol around 7:27 p.m. drove by a car going the opposite direction in the 8800 block of South Marches Point Road and recognized the driver as a 33-year-old Fidalgo Island man who had several felony warrants. When the officer turned around and attempted to stop the vehicle, the car sped away.

The car stopped in the turn lane for the red light at Sharpes Corner as if to turn toward Oak Harbor, and the officer stopped behind it and got out of the patrol car. The officer yelled at the man that he was under arrest and to get out of his car.

The car then accelerated westbound in the eastbound lanes of Highway 20 for several hundred yards in extreme danger to oncoming traffic before turning onto Fidalgo Bay Road.

The officer then found the suspect vehicle had crashed into a dirt mound on Fidalgo Bay Road after failing to negotiate a turn. The driver had fled on foot up a steep embankment. The man again ignored the officer’s command to stop and continued running westbound. A K-9 unit responded to the area, but officers could not find the fleeing man.

The man’s car was impounded and police later were granted a search warrant after they could see drug paraphernalia and several firecrackers taped together into a larger explosive inside the car. A warrant has been issued for the man’s arrest.

Saturday, July 14

• An officer stopped a vehicle driven by a 32-year-old Bellingham woman after seeing it speeding and almost striking some portable traffic signs in the downtown area around 1:20 a.m. The woman also turned from Commercial Avenue onto 15th Street without using the center turn lane as required and failed to use a turn signal.

The woman smelled strongly of intoxicants, had bloodshot eyes and repeatedly fumbled for her license. The woman told the officer she had two beers.

She displayed very poor balance and failed field sobriety tests. She was arrested on a charge of DUI. At the police station, she allegedly admitted drinking four pints. She provided breath samples that were more than two and a half times the legal limit. She was cited.

• A 27-year-old man was arrested on a domestic violence assault charge after he allegedly grabbed his wife and tore her shirt at their home around 2:23 a.m. The woman reported her husband demanded to see her phone and when she refused he grabbed her in a bear hug, overpowered her, and ripped the phone from her hand. In the process, he also tore her shirt several inches down the front.

The man allegedly admitted to police he took the phone because he believed his wife was cheating on him and he wanted to see who she was communicating with. He also admitted he had torn her shirt.

The man resisted officers’ efforts to handcuff him and he struggled aggressively with the officers. The officers had to use a Taser to subdue him. He was booked into jail on the assault charge and for resisting arrest.

• Police responded to the 2800 block of M Avenue after it was reported an unknown boy had been ringing the reporting party’s door bell around 3:12 a.m. Police contacted a 17-year-old Anacortes boy walking nearby and noticed he smelled of intoxicants. The boy allegedly admitted he had a couple of beers earlier in the night.

He was arrested and referred to juvenile court for an underage drinking charge. The boy’s mother was contacted and he was taken home.

• A $150 black leather motorcycle jacket festooned with various patches was stolen from a table outside an antique store in the 300 block of Commercial Avenue.

• The animal control officer is following up on a report that a neighbor’s pit bull mix bit a woman in the calf at her home in the 1200 block of Haddon Lane. The woman said she was in her yard when the dog attacked and had done nothing to provoke the dog.

She told police she witnessed the dog’s owner, a 24-year-old man, beating his dog with a broom handle, and she heard the dog yelping in pain. The man began chasing the dog and it ended up in the woman’s yard, where it bit her.

The woman was treated at the emergency room for puncture wounds. The dog owner allegedly admitted to police he beat his dog because it bit his friend who was visiting. The man said he would have shot his dog but he didn’t have a gun.

The officer told the man he shouldn’t kill his dog and the dog was taken to the pound to be quarantined. The man has a history of his dogs running loose and he faces possible criminal charges.

• Two rifles, two automatic pistols, and two revolvers were stolen during a burglary at a home in the 4000 block of H Avenue. The homeowner returned and found the front door was unlocked and he was sure it was locked when he left. Further investigation revealed entry into the house was possibly made by removing a skylight. There are no suspects.

• An officer stopped a car in the area of 41st Street and M Avenue after seeing the driver spinning its tires and driving with its lights off around 11:10 p.m. The driver, a 24-year-old former Anacortes man, told the officer the car had mechanical problems and that caused him to burn out his tires. A 4-year-old child was also a passenger in the car.

The man smelled of intoxicants, had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, and his license was suspended for unpaid tickets. The man claimed he had one beer earlier.

After failing field sobriety tests, he was arrested on a charge of DUI as well as driving with a suspended license. He was taken to the police station where he was verbally belligerent and made several derogatory statements about the president, the government and the police. He provided breath samples that were significantly over the legal limit. He was cited and released to his mother.

Sunday, July 15

• A 17-year-old Sedro-Woolley girl was arrested on a charge of underage drinking after officers responded to the area of the 1100 block of 34th Street regarding the report of several people fighting in a parking lot around 12:51 a.m. There was no sign of a fight when police arrived, but they did speak with the girl who smelled of intoxicants, had bloodshot eyes, and allegedly admitted drinking two beers. The girl was taken to the police station and later released to her father.

• Police arrested a 58-year-old Seattle man on a charge of malicious mischief after he allegedly broke out a window with a large stick at a convenience store/bar in the 7600 block of Highway 20 around 1:22 a.m. He was very intoxicated and became irate at the store clerk and the police when confronted about the vandalism.

He was reportedly mad because he had been refused service at the bar. The man yelled profanities and chomped his teeth as if he were going to bite the officers when they arrested him. The man also kicked at officers and had to be hobbled to be transported to jail where he refused to cooperate with the jail staff.

• A 34-year-old male Anacortes area transient was arrested at a convenience store in the 1100 block of 12th Street after it was reported he was yelling at customers and throwing candy inside the store around 12:55 p.m. The man had a Department of Corrections warrant for escape from community custody and a misdemeanor warrant for a previous charge of urinating in public. He was booked into jail.

• A 90-year-old Olga woman was cited for negligent driving after an officer finally got her to stop on Oakes Avenue for speeding around 6 p.m. The car traveled for several blocks after the officer activated the emergency lights and other cars had pulled over.

The woman’s speech was slurred, she fumbled for her license and she said she had one drink earlier. The woman kept forgetting the officer’s questions, but she said she did not have any medical issues. She displayed poor balance and provided a portable breath sample that was just under the legal limit. She was released to a friend.

• A 17-year-old Anacortes boy was booked into Juvenile Detention on charges of attempted residential burglary and malicious mischief after he allegedly tried to kick in the front door to a home in the 2300 block of E Avenue around 9:52 p.m. so he could get inside and assault a 16-year-old resident. The arrested boy told police he wanted to harm the other boy because he believed the other boy was the cause of his girlfriend breaking up with him.

In addition to damaging the front door, the arrested boy also removed and damaged some window screens in his unsuccessful attempt to get into the house.

Monday, July 16

• A 28-year-old Anacortes man was arrested for violating the terms of a domestic violence no-contact order after he returned to retrieve his parked car. The man called the police to report his wife had “stolen” money from the vehicle. After the officer explained the marriage community property concept to the man and that it wasn’t theft, it was learned that a court order prohibited the man from being within 1,000 feet of his wife’s residence. He had been less than 200 feet from the home. He was booked into jail.

• A 68-year-old Nevada woman sustained abrasions to her leg and back after she was dragged by the car she just stepped out of near the boat ramp at Washington Park. The woman was driving a borrowed car and could not find the emergency brake when she parked in the lot near the boat ramp. The car began to roll as she was getting out. The rolling car struck two other vehicles that were parked but unoccupied.

• Police responded to a home after a man reported his wife bit him and he had locked himself in the bathroom around 10:35 p.m. The 44-year-old wife had left in her car when police arrived, but the man had three fresh bite marks on his hands and arm.

He said he had been arguing with his wife about his belief that she was feeding her sons unhealthy food. He said his wife yelled at him and then bit him.

Skagit County Sheriff’s deputies found the woman in her car in a restaurant parking lot on La Conner-Whitney Road. An Anacortes officer arrived and arrested her. The woman allegedly admitted she bit her husband. She was booked into jail on a domestic violence assault charge.

Tuesday, July 17

• A 20-year-old Anacortes man was arrested for investigation of DUI after he lost control of the car he was driving and crashed into a tree at a home at the corner of 32nd Street and M Avenue around 1:57 a.m. Witnesses who heard the crash encouraged the driver to stay at the scene after it was initially reported he tried to flee. A witness also reported the driver told him he was drunk.

The man was transported to the hospital by paramedics but he was not seriously injured. He smelled of intoxicants and had bloodshot, watery eyes. He consented to a blood draw and allegedly admitted to police he had been using marijuana and drinking alcohol. The man faces criminal charges after police get the results of the blood draw.

• A computer monitor and a modem were reported stolen from the volunteer office at a medical facility in the 1200 block of 24th Street.

• A witness reported seeing a man and woman throwing rocks at each other and the woman hiding in the bushes in the area of 27th Street and Commercial Avenue around 5:44 p.m. Police then contacted a 44-year-old man and his 50-year-old girlfriend in the area and learned the couple had been arguing.

The man had a lawn-mowing job and the woman was reportedly frustrated because the mower was not working. Her frustration resulted in her allegedly throwing a rock at the man and hitting him in the head. The woman allegedly admitted hitting the man with the rock but said it was just to get his attention. However the man said he had been hit hard.

The woman was arrested and booked into jail on the charge of domestic violence assault.

Wednesday, July 18

• Another portable toilet near the baseball fields at Island View Elementary School was destroyed by fire. The outhouse was burned down to its wooden base and the grass around the structure was also burned. The fire was believed to have been intentional, but there are no suspects.

• An Anacortes woman reported discovering a fraudulent charge to her debit card for almost $200. The charge was for a purchase from an Internet-based business and originated in Canada. The woman contacted her bank’s fraud division and it was believed her card number was obtained illegally.

Thursday, July 19

• About $700 worth of used copper wire was stolen from outside a maintenance building in the 700 block of Fourth Street. The wire was on a pallet inside a fenced area. The wire was reported to be quite bulky and heavy and would not have been easy to move.

• A 71-year-old Post Townsend man was cited for consuming alcohol within a city park after an officer saw him drinking beer at Rotary Park. The man claimed he did not see the sign that prohibited alcohol consumption in the park.

• A 61-year-old Guemes Island man suffered cuts to his face and a possible broken nose when the bicycle he was riding struck the corner of an unoccupied parked car in the 1300 block of Sixth Street. The man fell from his bike and struck his head and face on the ground.

• A 57-year-old Sedro-Woolley man was arrested on a charge of vehicle prowling after witnesses saw him trying the door handles of several cars in the downtown area. One woman saw the man open her car door and climb inside the vehicle. The man set off a car alarm on another vehicle he tampered with.

He was intoxicated and claimed he had been looking for his rental car. He was cited and released.

• Officers responded to the report of yelling coming from a home in the 1400 block of 15th Street around 6:22 p.m. Officers contacted a 28-year-old man who claimed he just stubbed his toe. In addition to his toe pain, the man had a warrant out of Burlington from a previous disorderly conduct charge. He was arrested and booked into jail on the warrant.

• A 19-year-old woman was arrested at her home on a charge of domestic violence assault after she allegedly grabbed her husband by the wrist and dug her fingernails in during the course of an argument. The man had red marks on his wrist. It was learned the couple was breaking up and the woman had been trying to remove car keys from the man’s pocket against his will. She was booked into jail.

Her 20-year-old husband was also cited for domestic violence assault after he allegedly admitted to pushing and shoving his wife when they argued several hours earlier.