The owner of a business in the 1300 block of Commercial Ave. reported that a former employee had been using a company gasoline card without permission over the past year to make gasoline purchases that totaled over $6,000. The employee allegedly had been terminated but had not turned in his company gas card as required. The matter is under continued investigation.
Some of the other police cases, as reported by the Anacortes Police Department, include:
Friday, April 3
A resident of an apartment in the 800 block of 29th Street reported that three juvenile boys had beaten on her front door with a mop and caused several dents to the door. The woman heard and saw the boys pounding on the door, but she did not recognize the youths. The damage was estimated at $50.
A man living in the 3700 block of M Avenue reported that he had been watching television in his living room when an unknown man kicked open his front door. The homeowner said that the other man fled when he saw him. The homeowner said that he did not get a good look at the other man’s face, but he described him as a white male about six feet tall wearing navy blue pants with a white stripe along the leg and a navy blue shirt. The door jam and lock were damaged by the kick.
A 37-year-old Anacortes woman was arrested on outstanding warrants for previous crimes of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana after an officer stopped the car she was driving near Skyline Way and Sunset Avenue for having a defective exhaust system. The woman had a one day jail commit and she was booked into the county jail.
Saturday, April 4
At about 1 AM an officer stopped a car in the 1600 block of Commercial Avenue for driving with its headlights off. The driver was identified as a 25-year-old Anacortes man who smelled of intoxicants and admitted he had a “few” to drink. The man displayed poor balance and preformed poorly on field sobriety tests. The man’s driving status was also suspended for unpaid tickets. The man was placed under arrest for drunk driving and transported to the police station where he refused to provide breath samples. Based upon previous DUI history and the officer finding an opened container of liquid cold medication in the man’s car, the officer obtained a search warrant for the man’s blood and obtained a sample. The man was cited for DUI and driving while suspended and released to a sober friend.
A resident of the 800 block of 30th Street reported that she was missing a cylinder for her asthma inhaler and two pairs of sweatpants from inside of her apartment. The woman said that her apartment had remained locked, and it was unknown how the items disappeared.
Sunday, April 5
An officer stopped a car on State Route 20 near Christianson Road after he observed the vehicle weaving out of its lane of travel and failing to use its turn signal during lane changes. The driver was identified as a 29-year-old Anacortes man who smelled of alcohol and had watery and bloodshot eyes. The driver initially said that he hadn’t been drinking, but then admitted he had “two beers.” He later said that he had “three beers.” The driver failed filed sobriety tests and was arrested for drunk driving. He was processed and cited for DUI after providing breath samples that were approximately twice the legal limit. He was released to a sober adult.
A resident of the 1900 block of 12th Street opened up his front door mid-morning and discovered a burnt-out couch had been left on his front porch. The resident said that he had no idea of who would have left the couch on the porch. This was the third report in the past month of burnt-out couches being dumped at Anacortes homes. The culprits are unknown.
Officers stopped a car driven by a 30-year-old Ferndale man for having a cracked windshield that obstructed the driver’s vision. The officers could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside of the car. The driver denied having smoked marijuana but then admitted that he had marijuana in his pocket. The marijuana was located and the man was arrested. The man said that he was just taking the marijuana to his brother and claimed that he didn’t smoke it anymore as he was going through chemical dependency treatment. The man was cited and released for possession of marijuana.
An officer responded to the Washington State Ferry terminal regarding the report that one car remained on an arriving ferry because the driver was passed out and unresponsive. The officer observed the driver, identified as a 48-year-old Maple Valley man, slumped over in the driver’s seat and drooling and also saw a plastic cup that appeared to contain wine near the driver. The man’s 7-year-old child was also in the vehicle and his 8-year-old child was standing by with the ferry staff. Officers were able to wake the man which caused him to start swearing. The man appeared to be intoxicated and he admitted he had drunk wine earlier but he said that he had not been drinking in the car. The man performed poorly on filed sobriety tests and he was placed under arrest for being in physical control of a motor vehicle while being under the influence. He was transported to the police station where he was cited after providing breath samples that were over two and a half times the legal limit. The children’s mother arrived and took custody of the kids and the driver was released to another sober adult.
Monday, April 6
Shortly after midnight, an officer stopped a car driven by a 54-year-old Anacortes woman in the 300 block of N Avenue for failing to use its turn signal. The woman handed the officer her vehicle registration and then searched extensively for her insurance card before realizing it was in her hand. The woman smelled of intoxicants and was very slow and deliberate in her movements. The woman braced herself against her car for balance when she began field sobriety tests. She performed poorly and continued to be unsteady on her feet. She was arrested for drunk driving but resisted the officer’s efforts to place her into a patrol car. She was transported to the police station where she admitted to drinking “three beers” at a downtown bar earlier. She was cited for DUI after providing breath samples that were over twice the legal limit. She was released to her husband.
An officer spoke with a 19-year-old man after his friend reported that the man was depressed and had made some possible suicidal references. The man said that he might have said something to his friend about hurting himself, but only because he had been angry at that moment and that he had no intention of actually harming himself. The officer then spoke with the man’s mother who said that she was going to check on her son and that she would call the police if she needed any further assistance.
Tuesday, April 7
An officer stopped a car near State Route 20 and Commercial Avenue after watching the vehicle weave out of its lane of travel several times and fail to use its turn signal during three separate turns. The driver was identified as a 23-year-old Anacortes man who smelled of alcohol and displayed slurred speech and slow and lethargic movements. The man said that he hadn’t had a drink in the “last hour” but admitted he had “a couple” at a downtown club earlier. The man was placed under arrest for drunk driving after performing poorly on field sobriety tests. He was cited and released for DUI after giving breath samples that were significantly higher than twice the legal limit.
A relative reported that a 20-year-old woman was “whacked out” on drugs at a west end home and being somewhat combative. The family said that the woman was yelling for no reason and acting very irrational. The woman told paramedics that she was having a panic attack and she was observed to be speaking extremely fast and unable to keep her hands and body still. Officers assisted in convincing the woman to go to the hospital for evaluation.
A mail carrier reported finding a dead cat stuffed into a mailbox in the 1200 block of 32nd Street. It appeared that the cat had been struck by a car and then placed in the mailbox. Animal Control retrieved the cat for disposal.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested at his home in the 1000 block of 24th Street after his mother reported that he had attacked her. An officer arrived and found the mother on the floor and she said that her son had grabbed her and knocked her to the ground after they had argued about the boy being gone all night. The boy also allegedly slammed a door that struck his mother’s arm. The boy was booked into juvenile detention for domestic violence assault.
A renter of a basement apartment in the 2400 block of 41st Street returned home and discovered that the front door had been kicked in causing approximately $500 in damage to the door, lock, and casing. The renter then checked the home and discovered that someone had stolen a 50” plasma television, an HDTV box, and a DVD player. The case in under investigation.
Officers spoke with two adult sisters whose brother had reported that the women had been yelling at each other at a home in the 2300 block of 23rd Street. One of the women told an officer that she was mad because her sister had been “lying about her for years.” It was determined that the argument had been verbal only and that no crime had occurred. One of the sisters agreed to go to a motel for the night for a cooling off period.
Wednesday, April 8
A 45-year-old Anacortes woman was taken into custody at the police station after it was learned that she had an outstanding arrest warrant for previous theft and vehicle prowling charges. The county jail was unable to hold her due to being overcrowded and she was released after being given a new court date.
Officers received a tip that a 33-year-old Anacortes man was in the area of the 1300 block of Commercial Avenue and that the man had warrants for his arrest. It was confirmed that the man had two felony warrants for trafficking in stolen property and unlawful issuance of bank checks. The man was found walking in the area and taken into custody on the warrants. He was booked into jail.
A woman returned home to her residence in the 2700 block of R Avenue and discovered that the back door was unlocked. The woman reported that she was sure the house had been secure when she had left earlier. She then checked the house and found that someone had stolen a sweater valued at $30, a Playstation game system, and approximately 250 movie DVD’s that were valued at approximately $5000. The victim also discovered that her bedspread and her sofa had been slashed with a sharp bladed instrument. The victim provided the name of a possible suspect and the case is under continued investigation.
A client of a business in the 1600 block of R Avenue reported that someone had stolen his wallet containing his identification and credit cards from a locker. The victim said that he had left the locker unsecured for about fifteen minutes. Numerous people were in the business during the time of the theft and the suspect is unknown.
Thursday, April 9
A runner on the Tommy Thompson Trail reported that while she was on the railroad trestle a man riding a bicycle called her a derogatory name and then rode away.
Approximately 30 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figurines and 20 Batman figurines with a total value of $400 were reported stolen from a residence in the 4000 block of Commercial Avenue. The victim discovered a broken out window which allowed the thief to unlock the front door and enter the house. Two framed pictures valued at $100 each were also reported stolen.
A man reported his $800 road bicycle had been stolen from where it had been parked behind a building in the 1000 block of 12th Street. The bike had been unsecured at the time of the theft. The bike was later found by a police officer in a parking lot near 22nd Street and O Avenue. The bike was returned to its owner.
A 41-year-old Anacortes man was arrested at his work place in the 2400 block of T Avenue at the request of the Bellingham Police Department. The man had allegedly had an altercation with his girlfriend in Bellingham and there was probable cause to arrest him for domestic violence assault, unlawful imprisonment, and harassment. An Anacortes Police officer transported the man to Burlington where he was released to a Bellingham Police officer for transport to the Whatcom County Jail.
Officers responded to a residence in the 4700 block of Devonshire Drive after a man reported that he had been involved in a dispute with his 15-year-old son. The man reported that he and his son had argued about the boy not doing his homework or chores. The boy reportedly slammed a door with enough force while leaving the house that the door jamb split. The boy was located by an officer walking a short distance away and returned home. The boy was counseled about his behavior.
An unlocked car was prowled while the vehicle was parked in the 1100 block of 27th Street where the owner worked. The owner reported that he was missing a fanny pack that contained his driver’s license and debit card.
An officer stopped a car in the 1100 block of Q Avenue for having expired license tabs. The car stopped in the middle of the lane of travel and the driver was identified as a 40-year-old Mount Vernon woman. The driver had fumbled through her purse and glove compartment looking for her license and vehicle documentation and she smelled of alcohol. She told an officer that she had “one” drink. The driver failed field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest for drunk driving. She was taken to the police station for processing where she provided breath samples that were approximately twice the legal limit. She was cited for DUI and released to her husband.