Police blotter Posted by Kimberly Jacobson | Jul 30, 2012 | 512 views

A car reported stolen in Whatcom County was found parked in the 300 block of Commercial Avenue after employees of a nearby business reported on Wednesday, July 25 it had not moved in more than a week. The victim reported to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office he rented the car from a Mount Vernon car dealership, but it was stolen from his Whatcom County home.

However, the victim had been arrested in downtown Anacortes on July 19 while intoxicated and prowling parked cars by trying the door handles and entering them if unlocked. At that time he claimed he was looking for his rental car.

It is believed the rental car had not been stolen, but rather the victim was so intoxicated he just forgot where he parked the car in Anacortes.
Among the other 226 cases handled by Anacortes police during the previous week:

Friday, July 20

• A man reported two smart phones were stolen from his vehicle while her was parked at the pumps at a gas station/convenience store in the 12500 block of Christianson Road around 3:15 p.m. The man went inside to pay, and when he came back he found the driver’s door ajar and the phones missing from the center console. The victim confronted the driver of the only other vehicle at the pumps, but that man denied any knowledge of the theft. Police are planning to view store surveillance video to aid in suspect identification.

• A 25-year-old Anacortes man was booked into jail after he allegedly forced his way into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment and smashed her television around 7 p.m. The woman reported the man forced his way past her at her doorway and threw a clothes basket at her television when she refused to have sex with him.

A witness verified the woman’s claim. A domestic violence protection order was also in effect that prohibited the man from having any direct contact with the woman. He was later found and arrested at his place of employment in Anacortes. He faces charges of felony domestic violence, residential burglary and assault.

• A 10-foot Livingston fiberglass dinghy was stolen from a yard in the 1200 block of Georgia Avenue. The residence had a yard sale that day, but several people who inquired about the dinghy were told it was not for sale. The residents left for a while and when they returned in the evening the boat was missing.

Saturday, July 21

• An officer stopped a vehicle near an RV park in the 4700 block of Fidalgo Bay Road at 12:45 a.m. after confirming the 21-year-old male driver had a suspended driver’s license. The man was told he was under arrest as he got out of his car, but he refused to put his hands behind his back and he tossed a shiny object that he removed from his pocket over his car.

The man struggled with the officer and was taken to the ground and handcuffed. The officer found the thrown item, a metal tin containing methamphetamine.
The man said he threw the tin because he did not want to get caught with the drug. A meth smoking pipe was also found in the man’s car. He was released at the scene and faces charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, obstructing and driving while suspended.

• An officer stopped a car on Commercial Avenue for failing to use its turn signal and improper lane travel at 1:55 a.m. The driver, a 27-year-old Sedro-Woolley woman, smelled strongly of intoxicants, had bloodshot eyes, and fumbled for her documentation.

She denied that she had been drinking, but she failed field sobriety tests and was arrested on a charge of DUI. The woman refused to take the breath test. She was cited and released to a friend.

• A 21-year-old Anacortes man was arrested in the 2000 block of M Avenue around 3:44 a.m. on a warrant for a previous charge of underage drinking. The intoxicated man and two of his friends had been contacted after it was reported they had been disrupting runners involved in the Ragnar Relay. The warrant had a three-day jail commit and the man was booked into jail.

• Owners of a boat moored at a marina on Skyline Way found several drawers and cabinets open. They believed a forward hatch was the point of entry. Nothing appeared to be missing from the boat.

• A 27-year-old Anacortes man was cited for drinking alcohol around 4 p.m. in the Forest Lands after an officer on foot patrol at Whistle Lake saw numerous cans of beer near the swimming area and the man admitted the beer was his. The man also had two warrants, but the jail declined to take him for booking. He was released after receiving his citation.

• A window at the back of the home was believed to be the point of entry for a burglary in the 1800 block of Copper Pond Place. The residents returned home and discovered a laptop computer was stolen along with a small amount of cash and an assortment of retail gift cards.

Sunday, July 22

• An $800 Honda eight-horsepower outboard motor was stolen from a boat on a trailer parked at a home in the 700 block of 38th Street. A padlock securing the motor to the boat had been cut off. The theft occurred sometime overnight.

• A 41-year-old Anacortes man was arrested in the 1300 block of Commercial Avenue around 11 p.m. for having a felony warrant from a previous possession of a controlled substance charge. He was booked into jail.

Monday, July 23

• A $400 string trimmer was reported stolen from a yard in the 1200 block of 15th Street. Later in the day, a resident of the 1100 block of 16th located the trimmer abandoned on her property along with a leaf blower and a hedge trimmer. The theft victim also confirmed the other two pieces of equipment had been stolen from her yard. The items were returned to the owner.

• A 20-year-old Anacortes woman walked into the police station around 5:22 p.m. and turned herself in on several warrants from previous charges of underage drinking, possession of illegal drugs, negligent driving and using a fraudulent driver’s license. She was booked into jail.

• Police responded to the report of a one-car accident on Highway 20 around 11:18 p.m. in which a car crashed into the center divider near Sharpes Corner. The car was heavily damaged and the airbags had deployed, but it was unoccupied when police arrived and the whereabouts of the driver was unknown. The car was towed from the scene and a small amount of marijuana and some marijuana smoking pipes were found in the vehicle.

Deputies from the Island County Sheriff’s Office found the 33-year-old male registered owner of the car at a home near Oak Harbor, but the man turned off his lights, refused to answer the door and could be seen through the blinds hiding under his bed. He was contacted the next day at his place of employment in Anacortes, and he allegedly admitted driving the car at the time of the accident.

He claimed he fell asleep at the wheel and had “panicked” and fled the scene. The man was cited for hit and run, illegal possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Tuesday, July 24

• Police were dispatched to an apartment around 3:15 a.m. regarding the report of an altercation between a woman and her 16-year-old daughter in which the daughter had allegedly assaulted her mother. (Police brought the girl home earlier in the night after she was arrested for underage drinking.)

The mother showed officers several scratches and marks on her skin she said were the result of her daughter hitting and biting her. The girl also allegedly pulled her mother’s hair and knocked the phone from her mother’s hand to prevent her from calling 911.

The mother’s accusations enraged the girl and she began to curse and kick at her mother. The girl ignored the officer’s order to stop and she then repeatedly tried to punch the officer with her fist and struck the officer twice in the chest. The girl also kicked the officer in the knee while continuing to scream profanities and kicked and spit at other officers who arrived.

The girl was handcuffed and hobbled due to her continued kicking. She was taken to juvenile detention and booked on charges of domestic violence assault, interfering with the reporting of domestic violence, resisting arrest and third-degree assault for hitting and kicking the officer.

• A burglary was reported at a motel in the 900 block of 20th Street after employees discovered about $250 worth of food items had been stolen overnight from a room where breakfast was served. Security camera video showed a man stuffing food items into a plastic bag and then leaving.

Police recognized the man from previous contact as a 24-year-old Anacortes resident. Police found the man later in an alley in the 1100 block of 11th Street and arrested him. Many of the stolen items were recovered at a nearby residence.

The man allegedly admitted he broke into the motel and stole the food because he was hungry. He was booked into jail on a charge of second-degree burglary.

• An unknown prowler used a piece of pipe to smash out the rear window of a vehicle parked in the 300 block of Seventh Street and rummage through several items inside. It did not appear that anything was stolen, but the repair cost for the windshield was estimated at $250.

• An Oak Harbor woman reported she parked her car on 29th Street near Storvik Park and when she returned a few minutes later her suitcase and $210 in cash had been stolen from the car. The victim told police she was in the process of moving and she had many of her personal belongings and her medication in the suitcase.

The victim said the locks on her car were faulty and probably hadn’t actually locked. Police spoke with several people in the area but no one witnessed the theft.

• A $500 black Iron Horse brand mountain bike was stolen from a bike rack at a marina in the 1000 block of Q Avenue while the owner was on a boat trip. The bike had been secured to the rack with a cable lock.

Wednesday, July 25

• A 22-year-old Sedro-Woolley man and a 22-year-old Mount Vernon man were arrested on warrants around 3 a.m. after an officer stopped the car in which they were passengers on Highway 20 for improper lane travel.

The Sedro-Woolley man’s warrants were for theft and driving while suspended, and he was booked into jail as one of the warrants had a three-day commit. The Mount Vernon’s man’s warrants were for vehicle prowling, criminal trespass and driving while suspended. He was also transported to jail.

• A 25-year-old Anacortes man was arrested at a home in the 1100 block of 27th Street around 3:30 p.m. on felony warrants for violating the terms of his pre-trial release and a domestic violence residential burglary charge. He was booked into jail.

• The owner of a retail business in the 2000 block of Commercial Avenue arrived at work in the morning and found the front door open. The owner discovered a gold-colored pocket watch and 18 new “Sport” backpacks had been stolen.

The owner could not remember if she locked the front door when she left the previous evening. There was no sign of forced entry into the building.

Thursday, July 26

• Police were dispatched to the report of someone sleeping on the beach near the Guemes Island ferry around 6:15 a.m. An officer found a 50-year-old transient woman sleeping in a sleeping bag.

A records check revealed she had two warrants, including a felony warrant out of Snohomish County for possession of a controlled substance. The woman was arrested and booked into the county jail after a friend arrived and took possession of her belongings and dog.

• A Renton man was cited around 2:45 p.m. for following too closely after he ran his motorhome into the back of a pickup that was stopped for a red light on Highway 20 at Reservation Road. The motorhome driver had not noticed the light was red until it was too late to stop. The driver of the pickup, a 47-year-old Kingston man, was transported to the emergency room with neck pain.

• An old, 1970s-style Schwinn brand road bicycle was stolen from the backyard of a home in the 2300 block of 31st Street.

• A man working outside at his home in the 4400 block of Kingsway was bitten by his neighbor’s dog when it got loose and ran into his yard. The man suffered three puncture wounds to his hand. The victim was treated at a local clinic.

The dog owner was unsuccessful at calling his dog back before it bit the man. The dog owner was not home when police attempted contact. The animal control officer will follow up and contact the dog owner.

• Police responded to the hospital emergency room around 5 p.m. regarding an intoxicated man who was out of control and acting in a threatening manner. The 48-year-old Anacortes man went to the hospital because he wanted help for “extreme intoxication.”

The man raised his fist at a nurse and paramedics and they believed he was going to assault them. When police arrived, the man immediately asked if they wanted to fight.

The man ignored several requests by officers to either sit down and be treated or leave. The man then removed his shirt and allegedly said “I guess we’re going to have to do this.”

The man balled up his fists and moved toward the officers, and he was pushed back a couple of times. The man again ignored commands to step back and he again came at the officers with clenched fists.

The man was Tasered when it appeared he was going to strike an officer. Officers were then able to take him to the ground and handcuff him. The man was booked into jail for investigation of assault.

Friday, July 27

• A 29-year-old Anacortes man was arrested for violating a vulnerable adult protection order after he was found inside a home late at night. The man tried to hide in a bed by pulling the sheets over his head.

The court order prohibited him from being at the residence. The man snuck into the house to visit the protected adult’s granddaughter. He was booked into jail.