Police Blotter, June 6 - 12, 2014

Officers responded to E-dock in the Flounder Bay Marina reference a sinking vessel on Wednesday afternoon.  They discovered a 27-foot boat with no one aboard that had begun taking on water and was submerged.  Other boat owners nearby had secured extra lines to the boat prior to the police arriving.  A boom was also placed around the boat in order to contain any possible spills.  The boat’s owner arrived after a short time and stated that he was already in touch with his insurance company to get the boat re-floated.  It was unclear exactly what caused the boat to sink, more would be known once the boat is brought back to the surface. Foul play is not suspected.  

Here are some of the other cases Anacortes Police worked on this week.

Friday, June 6

8:52 pm..  APD officers took a report from a woman who claimed that her car had been stolen by her estranged son, a 23-year-old Burlington man.  She told officers that she had picked her son up hitchhiking and that he had become belligerent and rude.  She stopped the car on the side of the road to call 911 and, allegedly, her son slid behind the wheel and drove off with the car.  She told officers that this took place along Hwy 20 near Sharpe’s Corner.  About an hour-and-a-half later Mount Vernon Police Officers spotted the vehicle in their city and gave chase.  The vehicle eventually stopped, but the 23-year-old refused to follow the commands of officers.  At one point he began to approach the officers and screamed at them to go ahead and shoot him.  After initially getting out of the vehicle, he tried to return to it. It was unknown if there were weapons in the vehicle, or if the man was going to try and drive off.  MVPD Officers used a dog to help subdue the suspect.  He was eventually taken in to custody and, after being examined at the hospital, booked in to the county jail on charges of Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle, Resisting Arrest, Attempting to Elude a Police Vehicle and DUI.

Saturday, June 7

2:07 am.  While checking on businesses on Commercial Ave at about 0200 AM an officer noted three people standing in front of a closed store.  He contacted them and recognized a 27-year-old Anacortes woman who had several warrants out for her arrest for prior Domestic Violence crimes.  She was placed under arrest and taken to the Police Department.  The jail was too overcrowded to accept her, so she was issued new court dates and released.

10:16 am.  A downtown market called 911 to report a theft that had just occurred. The suspect was a woman who was fleeing the parking lot in a blue Pontiac.  A nearby officer spotted the vehicle and made a traffic stop on it in the 1300 block of Q Ave.  The 55-year-old Oak Harbor woman behind the wheel admitted that she had attempted to steal some items from Safeway.  The shopping cart full of items was later added up and came to a total of $220.00.  She was also found to be in possession of a glass pipe for smoking illegal narcotics. All of the items were returned to the store and the suspect was cited for theft as well as driving charges.

11:20 am.  A man called to report that overnight someone had stolen his $1,000 mountain bike off of a rack on his car while it was parked at an address on 11th Street.  The bike was an unusual Pro-Flex 755, which has an aqua frame and yellow foam shocks on both wheels.  If observed, please call 336-3131 reference this case number.

2:13 pm.  APD officers were advised that a man on a bicycle had struck and damaged a parked car in the downtown area, and then ridden off.  The witness stated that the man appeared to be under the influence of some sort of intoxicant and that his behavior seemed very bizarre.  Officers located the man on Market Street and contacted him.  He was clearly intoxicated and was also found to have several warrants out for his arrest.  One of the warrants was a felony warrant for non-compliance with the state Department of Corrections.  The man was placed under arrest and taken to the police department, where he was eventually handed over to Department of Corrections officials who came to APD and picked him up.

2:29 pm.  An officer wrote two correction notices for vehicles that had failed to pay for parking at Washington Park.  The correction notices give the vehicle owners a limited amount of time to pay their parking fee, or they will receive a parking ticket.

5:05 pm.  Just before 5:00 PM a group of juveniles were swimming in Little Cranberry Lake.  One of them began to flounder and sunk below the surface.  When his friends could not locate the 13-year-old Oak Harbor boy on their own, they began to yell for help.  Several adults in the area ran down the west side of the lake in response.  Two men swam out and found the submerged, unconscious juvenile and dragged him to the shore.  After being underwater for several minutes, he had no pulse and was not breathing.   The adults present immediately began CPR.  Within a few minutes Anacortes Police Officers arrived on-scene and assisted with CPR until the Fire Department med crew could get to the lake.  The patient was taken to Island Hospital and then flown to Children’s Hospital in Seattle in critical condition.  However, by Friday, June 13th, his condition had been upgraded and he is now listed as stable and improving.   

Sunday, June 8

12:41 am.  Officers responded to a fight complaint in a downtown tavern.  Upon arrival they spoke with several people and learned that a fight had started inside a bar, but had then moved outside on to the sidewalk.  Although there were at least two men who were injured with cuts and bruises, no one wanted to pursue charges.  Both of the injured parties were advised that they were not welcome back in the bar and were given trespass notices at the request of the bar employees.

3:03 am.  A homeowner near Tursi Park on Pennsylvania Ave called to report people being loud in the park at 3:00 AM.  The responding officer found four juvenile making use of the park’s zipline in the playground. They were advised that all city parks close at 10 PM and agreed to head back home.

11:46 am.  A hiker reported seeing a tent set up off of 31st Street in the Anacortes Community Forest Lands.  Officers hiked in and contacted a man and woman in their 20’s who had set up camp.  They were advised that no camping was allowed in the forestlands and officers stood by while they collected their tent and other gear and moved on.

Monday, June 9

12:45 pm.  Recently, a 48-year-old Anacortes man was arrested and placed in jail for warrants out of California.  On June 9th he called from the jail to complain that he felt that his girlfriend had cashed some checks in his name. Investigation revealed that no crime occurred.  The checks were in both of their names and the man had previously given her permission to cash the checks.  He reportedly gave her permission to do that while on the recorded phones at the jail.  The subject in jail is due to be extradited back to California soon.

5:47 pm.  An alert neighbor on 24th Street prevented a burglary when he verbally confronted a man that he saw attempting to pry open a door in the backyard of a neighboring residence. The man wandered off while 911 was being called, but officers recognized the suspect based upon his description.  Their efforts to locate the suspect were cut short when the owner of the property arrived and stated that she did not wish to pursue any charges.  No entry was made by the suspect and nothing was damaged.

Tuesday, June 10

10:18 am.  A man called to report the theft of tools that had been left overnight in a partially framed new home on Washington Blvd.  A ladder, saw horse, and five 100 ft electrical cords were all taken.  

5:05 pm.  An officer made a traffic stop on a vehicle that was eastbound on Highway 20 after he was able to confirm that the registered owner of the vehicle had a suspended driver’s license.  The driver, a 20-year-old man from Yelm, acknowledged that he knew that his license was suspended and that he was not supposed to be driving.  He told the officer that he did not want to get arrested because he “almost” had his license back and he was concerned that getting arrested might impact his desire to become a police officer.  The driver was arrested and issued a citation for driving on a suspended license, he was also issued a ticket for driving without proof of liability insurance.

9:09 pm.  An APD officer developed information that a 32-year-old Anacortes woman with several warrants for her arrest was at a residence on 4th Street.   Officers went to that home and arrested the woman, who was asleep in a bedroom of the home with drug paraphernalia on the bed with her.  She was booked in to the county jail on the outstanding warrants for Perjury, Drug Possession, Possession of Stolen Property, and five count of Forgery, amongst other charges.

Thursday, June 12

A couple walking their dog on West 5th Street were charged by a pit bull and had to retreat onto a nearby porch and yell for help after the pit bull bit their dog.  A neighbor across the street called 911 after going outside with her granddaughter to see what was going on and having the dog charge at her as well.  The dog eventually was run off by a passing motorist who realized what was going on and chased the dog off.  The dog ran home to an address in the 3400 block of West 6th Street.  This matter is under investigation by the Animal Control Officer as the dog will likely be deemed as a Dangerous Dog according to the Anacortes Municipal Code.