The Police Blotter, August 8, 2009

anacortes_police_logo.pngA car that had been reported stolen 2 days earlier was stopped by police for speeding on highway 20, the Anacortes Arts Festival office was burglarized, and a couple found all 4 of their car’s tires were flattened while they hiked at Washington Park. These are a few of this week’s police calls.

Friday, July 31

An employee of a yacht sales business in the 1000 block of Q Avenue discovered that someone had tampered with a locked exterior door and made entry into the business.  A digital camera and a package of batteries were reported stolen.  The burglary was believed to be related to another break-in the same night at a yacht business in the same building.  

An employee of a medical facility in the 1200 block of 24th Street reported that her wallet had been stolen from inside of her purse.  The purse had been stored in an office and the victim said that she had only been away from it for a few minutes.  The wallet contained the victim’s ID, credit cards, and over $350 in cash.  The wallet was later found in the restroom of a nearby gas station minus the cash.  Police are investigating leads on a possible suspect. 

An unlocked car was prowled while parked at the Whistle Lake parking lot.  Reported missing were a wallet containing the ID and credit cards belonging to a Mount Vernon woman, an iPod valued at $200, a wallet containing the ID and $20 in cash belonging to a Burlington woman, and a handbag containing clothing belonging to a Mount Vernon girl.  The wallets and handbag were later discovered by a Sheriff’s Deputy dumped on a road west of Mount Vernon, but the money, credit cards, and ID were missing.  The recovered items appeared to have been thrown from a moving vehicle.    

Saturday, August 1

An officer stopped a car on 41st Street for speeding and failing to dim its headlights.  When the officer contacted the driver, identified as a 19-year-old Anacortes man, he smelled the strong odor of marijuana coming from inside of the car.  The driver also smelled of alcohol, but he denied drinking or smoking marijuana, although he had bloodshot eyes and lethargic movements.  The driver performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest.  A search of the car revealed a small amount of suspected marijuana and an illegal switch blade knife.  The man was taken to the police station where he provided breath samples that were significantly over the legal limit.  He was booked into jail on charges of DUI, possession of marijuana, and possession of a dangerous weapon. 

A 26-year-old Anacortes man was arrested for domestic violence assault after he allegedly argued with his girlfriend and pulled her hair in the area of the 1900 block of D Avenue.  The woman had tried to leave in a car with a friend, but the man reportedly jumped into the back seat, yelled at the woman, and grabbed and pulled her hair.  The man also allegedly grabbed the woman’s call phone and damaged it.  It was also discovered that the man had warrant for his arrest out of Mount Vernon for a previous lewd conduct charge.  The man was booked into jail for assault, malicious mischief, and the warrant. 

Two windows were smashed out at a business in the 900 block of 4th Street after bar closing time and 2 wooden benches were also smashed and thrown into the street.  The damage was estimated at approximately $1000.  A witness reported hearing what sounded like intoxicated people and loud crashing, but the people were gone when he went to investigate.     

An unknown person entered a home in the 800 block of 32nd Street through an unlocked door and stole a laptop computer valued at $900.  The residents had been home in bed at the time of the crime.  Nothing else appeared to be missing from the house.  

Someone entered an unlocked car parked in a lot in the 800 block of 29th Street and stole a Zune music player valued at $350. 

Someone entered a detached garage in the 900 block of 33rd Street through a window that had been left open due to the heat and rummaged through a car parked inside.  The only thing that appeared to be missing was 3 one-dollar bills and an unknown amount of loose change. 

A man who had left his car parked overnight in the 1000 block of 5th Street returned the next morning and discovered that left door window had been smashed out.  It did not appear that the vehicle had been entered.  The unknown suspect appeared to have gotten cut as there were drops of dried blood found near the damaged area.  Repair damage was estimated at $300. 

An Anacortes woman who had parked her Honda Accord on R Avenue near the off-leash dog park returned the next day and found her car had been stolen.  The victim said that the car had been locked and the key had not been left in it.  The car was entered into crime databases as a stolen vehicle. 

A house in the 1200 block of I Avenue was burglarized by someone who broke an exterior window with a rock and reached inside to unlock the window.  Missing from the house were a laptop computer, a DVD/VHS player, and a video relay system used as a communication system for deaf people.   

Sunday, August 2

A Parkland, Wash. man reported that his car had been vandalized while it was parked in the lot of a motel in the 3300 block of Commercial Avenue.  The car had deep scratches on its doors and fenders and two tires were flattened.  It appeared that possibly a fork had been used to scratch the paint.  The victim said that he had no idea why anyone would damage his car. 

The Anacortes Arts Festival office located in the 500 block of O Avenue appeared to have been entered during the night through a locked door that was believed to not have been shut tight when an employee left the previous evening.  The next morning it was discovered that the offices had been rifled through.  Over $225 was reported missing from a lockbox and a cash register within the offices.  The incident is under continued investigation. 

Monday, August 3

An officer stopped a Honda Accord on SR 20 for speeding near Christiansen Road and then learned the car had been reported stolen in Anacortes a couple of day prior.  (See earlier case above.)  The driver was identified as a 20-year-old Anacortes man and the sole passenger as a 21-year-old Anacortes man.  The driver appeared very nervous and said that the car belonged to a “friend.”  The car also smelled strongly of burnt marijuana and the driver handed the officer a marijuana smoking pipe.  The officer also saw that the car’s ignition had been punched and there was a screwdriver sticking out of it.  Both men were placed under arrest and the passenger immediately said that the driver didn’t know the car had been stolen and had “nothing to do with it.”  The passenger claimed that he had been loaned the car by an unknown man at a local casino earlier in the day.  Both men were booked into jail on possession of stolen property charges.  The car was impounded as evidence and its legal owner notified of its recovery.        

Officers received the report of a “rolling domestic” in which passersby reported that a male passenger had been leaning over and yelling at the female driver.  The car was stopped by an officer near 32nd Street and D Avenue.  It was learned that the incident had not been a domestic, but rather the man was teaching the woman how to drive. 

A car stereo valued at $100 was reported stolen from a Honda Civic that had been parked in a business parking lot in the 2900 block of T Avenue.   Entry into the car had been through an unlocked door and part of the car’s dash had been pulled loose to allow removal of the stereo.  The suspect is unknown at this time. 

A resident of the 1500 block of 12th Street reported that she was missing over $100 in quarters from 2 coin collection jars in her home.  The woman confronted a relative who had been at her house during the timeframe of the theft, and he initially denied taking the money.  However, the woman confronted him a second time after she learned the coins had been cashed in at a local CoinStar machine and the 19-year-old man admitted he had stolen the money.  The man then left town and police contact with him is pending.   

The owner of a local car rental business reported that a 37-year-old Anacortes man had rented a car for one day 2 months prior, but had never returned the car.  The man had reportedly called and had been granted use of the car for another week.  The man had allegedly made no attempt to pay any of his bill or return the car since that time.  A signed stolen vehicle report was then completed.  Police located the man and the car behind his house in the 1400 block of 17th Street.  The man admitted that he had not contacted the car rental company in over a month and said that visible damage on the car had occurred in a parking lot accident.  He claimed that he had been planning on having the damage repaired.  When the company owner arrived and retrieved the car, other damage was discovered to the car and it had been driven over 6,000 miles.  The man was informed that he was facing possible criminal charges for motor vehicle theft. 

An eight foot inflatable boat and an attached 6-horsepower outboard motor owned by the City Parks Department were reported stolen from the City dock at the east end of 30th Street.  The theft had occurred sometime over the weekend and the loss was estimated at $3000.

A Honda Accord parked at the Guemes Ferry parking lot in the 1400 block of 6th Street was broken into and the stereo stolen.  The victim reported the car had been locked, and there was no sign of forced entry.  It appeared that the stereo had been carefully removed from the dash.  The loss was valued at $200. 

An officer contacted a couple in the 2800 block of T Avenue after it was reported they were possibly smoking drugs.  It was learned that the man and woman had been smoking cigarettes and the man then left riding a bicycle.  The officer then learned that there was a domestic violence no contact order that barred the 42-year-old Anacortes man from having contact with the woman who was identified as his wife.  The woman said that they were aware of the court order.  The officer was unable to locate the man and the man was issued a court summons for violation of the order. 

A burglary was reported to a house in the 800 block of 37th Street.  The resident returned home and found a side door ajar that was believed to have been locked.  There was no sign of forced entry.  Missing from the house were a CD player, a wooden toolbox containing assorted hand tools, miscellaneous women’s clothing, and a carpet cleaner.  The estimated loss was approximately $700. 

A window on a playhouse in the 3800 block of W. 3rd Street was cracked when it was struck by what appeared to be a BB.  The damage was estimated at $50. 

Tuesday, August 4

A medical office in the 2500 block of M Avenue was evacuated after an anonymous woman called in a bomb threat.  The woman claimed that her boyfriend had left a bomb at the facility earlier in the day.  The building was searched and nothing suspicious was located.  The caller’s identity remains unknown at this time. 

A resident of the 2400 block of Vista Lane discovered that he was missing a checkbook containing 2 blank checks from his car.  The victim later discovered that the 2 checks had been forged for approximately $200 each and deposited into a bank account in Arizona.  The matter is under further investigation. 

An 8-year-old Anacortes boy reported that an unknown man had pointed a handgun towards him and fired approximately five shots near the woods at an elementary school in the 1300 block of 41st Street.  Officers searched the area extensively but did not locate any shell casings, anyone who had heard any gunshots, or anyone with a gun.  The boy was inconsistent in his story and he was spoken with about telling the truth and the difference between reality and imagination.  

A 19-year-old was taken to the hospital from her home in the 3700 block of W. 7th Street after her family reported that she had possibly overdosed.  The woman was acting bizarrely; yelling at her parents, and was uncooperative with paramedics and police.  

Wednesday, August 5

Unknown vandals damaged the lettering to a sign at a business in the 1300 block of Commercial Avenue.

Someone entered an unlocked SUV that was parked in the 800 block of 22nd Street and stole approximately 20 music CD’s and some woman’s clothing.  The loss was estimated at $250.   

A 21-speed Mongoose mountain bike valued at $60 was stolen from a bike rack at a marina in the 1300 block of Q Avenue.   

A concession stand at a park in the 1900 block of 13th Street had a metal door pried open and approximately $50 of candy and beverages stolen from inside.  The door repairs were estimated at $300. 

An officer stopped a car in the 2100 block of Commercial Avenue for having expired tabs.  The driver was identified as a 17-year-old Anacortes boy.  It was learned that he had 2 warrants for his arrest for previous DUI and possession of marijuana charges.  The boy was arrested and during a search the officer located a baggy of marijuana in the boy’s shirt pocket.  A search of the car revealed two marijuana smoking pipes, a marijuana grinder, rolling papers, and other drug paraphernalia.  The boy was referred on new charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and booked into juvenile detention on the warrants. 

A Bellingham couple who had left their car parked at a viewpoint on Loop Road in Washington Park returned after a couple of hours to find all 4 tires on their car had been flattened.  It appeared that the tires had been punctured by a small sharp instrument.  Their car had to be towed and it was unknown who caused the damage. 

A shoulder bag containing miscellaneous women’s clothing and prescription sunglasses was stolen from a Honda Civic parked at the Whistle Lake parking lot.  A rear door window had been smashed to allow access into the car.  The replacement cost for the stolen items and the damage repair for the window were estimated at $500.

A 37-year-old Anacortes man was cited and released for being in possession of stolen property after an officer contacted the man in the 2700 block of Commercial Avenue riding a mountain bike the officer recognized as being stolen.  The bike was then returned to its owner. 

Thursday, August 6

A 26-year-old Anacortes man was arrested in the 2400 block of Commercial Avenue for having multiple misdemeanor warrants out of Bellingham.  The man was transported to the county line where he was turned over to a Bellingham officer for transport to the Whatcom County Jail.   

Officers responded to the area of 30th Street and R Avenue after receiving reports of possible gunshots.  Officers contacted a 17-year-old Anacortes boy walking in the middle of the road and saw that he had a large aerial firework sticking out of his pocket.  The boy admitted that he had just lit a roman candle and thrown it in the grass.  An officer located the spent firework in the area of the supposed gunshots.  The boy was then referred to juvenile court for illegal discharge of fireworks and released to his mother.                    

An employee of a building supply business in the 1900 block of Commercial Avenue reported that an unknown man had just shoplifted an AM-FM dual power radio valued at $200.  The man had picked the radio from a display near the front door and then walked out the back door.  Efforts to locate the suspect were unsuccessful.  The suspect was described as being in his 60’s with gray hair and wearing a ball cap and bright red tennis shoes. 

The renter of an apartment in the 1100 block of 27th Court discovered that someone had kicked her front door and split the door frame and damaged the door knob latch.  The woman said that she checked her apartment and did not find anything missing, so it was unsure if entry into the apartment had been made.   

An Anacortes man reported that the front license plate had been stolen off his Chevy Tahoe sometime in the past week.  He was unsure where the theft had occurred.  The man contacted the Department of Licensing and had the plates cancelled and was issued new plates. 

An officer stopped a car driven by a 41-year-old Anacortes man in the 900 block of 13th Street after it ignored a street closed sign and drove over the centerline.  The officer could smell alcohol on the driver and he had watery eyes and a flushed face.  The driver said that he had a glass of wine a short time earlier.  The man failed field sobriety tests and was arrested for drunk driving.  The man provided breath samples that were slightly under the legal limit and the man was released without being cited at that time.  The case was forwarded to the City Prosecuting Attorney for a charging decision. 

Friday, August 7

An officer contacted a 16-year-old Anacortes girl and a 17-year-old Anacortes boy who appeared to be arguing in the 4100 block of Oakes Avenue.  The girl said that they were having relationship issues and that it was “no big deal.”  Both people smelled of alcohol and the girl had slurred speech and other signs of intoxication.  The boy also appeared to be intoxicated and he said that he “only had about five beers.”  He also claimed that he was only “buzzed” and not “totally drunk.”  Both teens were arrested for underage drinking and were advised charges would be referred to juvenile court.  They were driven home and released to their parents.