A passing motorist discovered a Volkswagen on its roof at the edge of the roadway on Heart Lake Road near the base of Mount Erie. The motorist said that he had not seen anyone around the car when he arrived. A witness later told police that 2 women and one man had been standing outside of the car when he drove by and asked if they needed help. The witness said that they told him that everyone was okay and that they did not want his help or him to call 911.
An officer later located the car’s registered owner, 19-year-old Anacortes woman, at her home. After initially saying that she had swerved to avoid a deer and rolled her car, and that no one else had stopped at the accident scene, the woman admitted that she had been lying. The woman then admitted that she had been drinking, driving at an unsafe speed, and had failed to negotiate a turn and rolled the car. The officer spoke with the two 20-year-old passengers that had been in the car and they too initially provided the false deer story before admitting that they had also lied and been drinking prior to the accident. The driver was cited for reckless driving.
Some of the other police cases, as reported by the Anacortes Police Department, include:
Friday, April 10
The owners of a house in the 2300 block of 15th Street discovered that someone had broken the outer pane of an exterior window on their house in an apparent attempt to gain entry into the home. A window screen had also been removed on a different window. No illegal entry into the house was made and the suspect is unknown.
A resident in the 500 block of Hillcrest Drive reported that someone had blown up a “bomb” in her front yard. Officers arrived and discovered the paper remains of a large spent firework scattered around the lawn. The resident said that she had heard the explosion and saw smoke in her yard, but had not seen any suspicious people or vehicles in the area. The woman did say that she was suspicious of a former neighbor as they had not gotten along in the past.
Saturday, April 11
The occupants of a house in the 800 block of 33rd Street returned home to find the front door standing open the house ransacked. Missing from the house was approximately $5000 in a local casino gambling chips, $2700 in cash that was in a jar, and two 9 mm handguns. The guns reportedly belonged to a former roommate at the house who had been “kicked out” a couple of days earlier. Entry into the house had been made by an exterior door being forced open. The matter is under investigation by Anacortes Police detectives.
An Anacortes boy reported that he had set his cell phone down at the skate park and then forgot to retrieve it. He was later able to check the call record and speak with a girl who said that she probably knew who had the phone. The boy requested the return of the phone or he would pursue criminal charges.
A 25-year-old Anacortes man and US Navy employee was reported as a missing person after he was last seen in Seattle after leaving a bar he had been at with two co-workers. The missing man’s car was later found abandoned on I-5 near SR 518 and having three flat tires. A few days later, the missing man showed back up at NAS Whidbey. He informed investigator’s that he had wrecked his car in the Seattle area and then caught a bus to San Diego as he had been embarrassed. He was unharmed and removed as a missing person.
A 67-year-old man was arrested for domestic violence assault after it was reported he had pushed his wife of 39 years down and twisted her legs at their home in the 2300 block of Highland Drive. The woman reported that her husband had been drinking and that they had argued about going to their son’s home. The husband had left the home prior to officer arrival and he was later found at an Anacortes motel where he was taken into custody and then booked into jail.
Sunday, April 12
An Anacortes man reported that the window to his car had been smashed while it was parked in the 1100 block of 35th Street. The victim said that he suspected a man who had confronted him at a bar the previous night as possibly being responsible.
A 19-year-old woman was cited for malicious mischief after she admitted to smashing her former roommates cell phone at a house in the 500 block of 4th Street. The two women had reportedly exchanged angry text messages after the suspect had taken the other woman’s phone.
A dirt bike style motorcycle valued at $2000 was reported stolen from a shed at a home in the 1800 block of M Avenue.
A 23-year-old Anacortes man was arrested for DUI after an officer observed the car he was driving weaving and driving erratically on the highway. The driver smelled of alcohol and performed poorly on field sobriety tests. When he was placed under arrest he became mad at himself and told the officer he knew he shouldn’t have been driving. He provided breath samples that were significantly over twice the legal limit. He was cited and released to a sober friend.
Monday, April 13
Someone entered an unlocked garage in the 1400 block of 11th Street and stole a Santa Cruz brand 15-speed mountain bike valued at $3000 while the victim had been away from home for the weekend.
A car driven by a 50-year-old Anacortes woman ran into the back of another car that was stopped for the light on Commercial Avenue at 22nd Street. The struck car was then pushed into the car in front of it. The offending driver sustained a cut lip. When asked what had happened, the woman told an officer that she had a good weekend and was still “buzzed.” The woman smelled of alcohol and performed poorly on field sobriety tests. She was placed under arrest for drunk driving and since she had bitten through her lip, she consented to give blood samples instead of breath. When asked if she believed that her alcohol consumption had impaired her driving, the woman answered, “hell yes.” Charges for DUI are pending upon return of the blood samples from the State lab.
A woman living in the 800 block of 29th Street reported that her 31-year-old boyfriend had text messaged her saying that he was at her apartment looking for his keys and wallet. The woman returned home and found her furniture had been overturned, drawers emptied, and knives had been stuck into the walls. The woman also reported that her boyfriend had said he wanted to die. The man had left prior to officer arrival, but he was arrested the next day for domestic violence malicious mischief when he returned to the woman’s apartment. During the arrest process, the man kicked at officers and slammed his own head into a wall saying that he should have killed himself the previous day. While being transported to the jail, the man attempted to wrap the seatbelt around his neck. The man was booked into jail and a mental health evaluation was also requested.
A gold Rolex watch was reported missing from a home in the 2100 block of Creekside Lane. The watch could have been taken anytime in the past two years and the circumstances of its’ disappearance are unknown.
Tuesday, April 14
A burglary was reported to a house in the 1400 block of 38th Street. The victim reported that someone had entered his garage through an unlocked door and stole a scroll saw valued at $150 and a one hundred piece tool set valued at $200.
A man reported that he and his 18-year-old wife had argued at their home in the 2100 block of 23rd Street and that she had left on foot. The man said that the woman had thrown a telephone down a staircase, slammed a bedroom door causing the doorframe to break, and shoved him because she was mad he had taken her car keys due to her having been drinking. The woman was located walking in the area and she admitted to slamming the door and pushing her husband. She also admitted to and showed the effects of drinking alcohol. She was cited for MIP and booked into jail for domestic violence assault.
Wednesday, April 15
A woman reported that her 55-year-old ex-boyfriend was threatening to break her windows at her home in the 1900 block of Commercial Avenue. The woman also reported that the man had shoved her in the chest and that he had been drinking and just driven away. An officer observed the man pull his vehicle into a parking lot a couple of blocks away. The man’s speech was slurred, his movements clumsy, and he smelled of alcohol. His license was also suspended. The man performed poorly on field sobriety tests and he was placed under arrest. Due to having three prior DUI convictions in the past few years, officers obtained a search warrant for the man’s blood as part of the DUI investigation. The man was booked into jail for domestic violence assault and also faces charges of DUI and driving while suspended.
An employee of a business in the 3200 block of T Avenue discovered that all four tires on his pickup had been slashed while it had been parked in an employee parking lot. The front windshield had also been smashed. The victim said that he was suspicious of a co-worker who blamed him for a disciplinary issue at work. The damage to the pickup was estimated at $750.
Thursday, April 16
A woman reported seeing an unknown man carrying items out of her neighbor’s house in the 1800 block of Down Jones Way. The homeowner and an officer arrived and found the front door to the house had been forced open and several drawers inside the house had been opened. The homeowner said that she was missing a laptop computer, some gold coins, a pair of binoculars, and a box containing assorted jewelry. The suspect was described as a Hispanic male in his mid 20’s that carried the items to an older white “beater” Ford Ranger pickup driven by another Hispanic man in his 20’s. The investigation is ongoing.
The owner of a 1987 Chrysler Conquest reported that the car had been stolen from the 900 block of 26th Street sometime in the past few days. The car was reported to be not drivable due to electrical problems. The car is now listed as a signed stolen vehicle.
An officer responded to a parking lot in the 900 block of 11th Street after it was reported that a man had been standing next to a dark colored pickup exposing himself. An officer stopped the vehicle a short time later but the 31-year-old driver denied doing anything wrong. The witness had only been able to describe the suspect as a “man wearing a hat” and the officer was unable to contact the witness to obtain additional descriptors.
A resident of the 2200 block of 14th Street reported that a car driven by a young woman talking on a cell phone had struck a planter in front of the victim’s house and then drove away without contacting the victim. The car caused approximately $100 in damage to the planter. The suspect vehicle was described as a gray Audi with a partial license of 884.
A 21-year-old Everett man was cited for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia after an officer stopped the car he was driving and smelled burnt marijuana. When the officer mentioned the odor, the driver said, “Well I smoked a joint awhile ago.” The driver handed the officer a small baggy of marijuana that was next to his seat and the officer also located a smoking pipe and some rolling paper. The man was released after signing his citation.
Officers responded to a residence in the 500 block of O Ave. after a woman reported that her 23-year-old boyfriend had pulled her hair and pushed her in the face while they had been arguing in bed. The boyfriend was reported to be intoxicated and had left the house prior to officer arrival. The boyfriend was located in a nearby alley and he admitted to pulling the woman’s hair, but he denied pushing her face. He said that he had just been holding the woman down on the bed while he yelled at her. The man was booked into jail for domestic violence assault.