An approximate 30 yard area of grass and landscaping was burned in the incident on Saturday, June 20. The boy had fled the scene after tossing off a backpack he had been wearing, but several witnesses were able to identify him. The backpack was located and contained numerous firecrackers, rockets, and other assorted fireworks. The boy was found hiding at an apartment in the 800 block of 29th Street and taken into custody. The boy admitted to lighting the firework and causing the fire. As the boy was already on probation, he was booked into juvenile detention on charges of illegal possession and discharge of fireworks.
Some of the other police cases, as reported by the Anacortes Police Department, include:
Friday, June 19
A car parked in front of a house in the 1500 block of 10th Street had its hood, roof, and trunk dented by what appeared to be someone walking on it. A small trailer parked next to the car was also tipped over. Damage to the car was estimated at $500.
A 26-year-old Oak Harbor man faces a number of criminal charges after his pickup struck another vehicle occupied by an Anacortes woman and her two children at the intersection of 32nd Street and Commercial Avenue. The woman suffered an arm injury and the male driver fled the scene. A witness followed the man to a business in the 600 block of 30th Street where an officer located his pickup. The man had fled on foot and officers were unable to locate him but did learn that he worked at a different business in the area. Officers could smell the odor of alcohol and marijuana inside of the pickup and the vehicle was impounded. The man went to the police station the next day where he admitted to driving the pickup and fleeing and hiding from the police. The man also admitted to drinking and said that he had fled because he didn’t want to get arrested again for DUI. Exact charges have not been decided at this writing.
An Anacortes woman reported that the imprisoned father of her son had sent her some legal documents from prison and that she believed the behavior violated a protection order she had against the 27-year-old man. The court order apparently allowed for the mailing of certain legal documents, but the City Prosecutor is reviewing the case to determine if a violation occurred.
Saturday, June 20
A 16-year-old Anacortes boy riding a skateboard on Sunset Avenue sustained minor scratches on his knees when he swerved into the roadway and struck the side of a van that was passing by. The driver of the van stopped, but the boy said he was unhurt. Witnesses confirmed that the boy had been skating downhill at a fast speed going back and forth across the entire roadway and that the boy swerved into the van.
A 54-year-old Anacortes man left a residence in the 2400 block of 30th Street after being locked out by his ex-wife. The man also currently lived at the house, but his ex-wife reported he was trying to “break in.” When an officer stopped the man driving in the area of 12th Street and D Avenue he noticed the man’s eyes were watery, his speech slurred, and that he smelled of intoxicants. The man kept trying to give the officer bank cards when asked for his license. The man admitted to having “a few beers” at a local church festival. The man performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest for drunk driving. He was cited for DUI after providing breath samples that were significantly over twice the legal limit.
Sunday, June 21
An officer stopped at a car at 32nd Street and H Avenue for having a defective taillight and brake light. The driver smelled of intoxicants, had clumsy movements, and exhibited other classic signs of intoxication. The driver’s license was also suspended. The driver said that he had “a beer” but provided a portable breath test that was over twice the legal limit. The man was arrested and processed for drunk driving and he provided two breath samples that again were over twice the legal limit. He was cited for DUI and released to a sober friend.
An iPod valued at $125 was reported stolen from an unlocked car parked in front of a house in the 2900 block of Oakes Avenue.
Officers responded to the report of a loose pit bull that had charged aggressively at a woman walking a dog on A Ave. near Forest Park Lane. The dog then retreated to a house in the 2400 block of Forest Park Lane. Officers found the dog unsecured at the front of the house and the dog barked aggressively at them. Officers spoke with the dog owner who was away from the house in another town and confirmed that the dog had been previously deemed a potentially dangerous animal. Officers informed the owner that the dog should not be running loose. As the owner was not home, the dog was taken to the pound. The Animal Control Officer will be following up with the incident.
Someone damaged a plastic bird feeder at a house in the 2300 block of 32nd Street. It appeared that the feeder had been struck by a BB type projectile. The owner said that she had heard a loud bang similar to a gunshot or a firecracker the previous night.
Monday, June 22
Several wooden balusters were kicked out of a decorative railing at a business in the 2500 block of Commercial Avenue. The damage was estimated at $300 and there were no known suspects although the owner said it was a reoccurring problem.
The Wrangell, Alaska, Police Department asked the Anacortes Police to contact a 19-year-old Anacortes woman after it was discovered that the woman had mailed a package to Alaska that contained a small amount of marijuana, a fake urine kit, and coffee and tea. The woman admitted to an Anacortes detective that she had mailed the items to her boyfriend although he allegedly had not asked for any marijuana. The woman said that the fake urine test had just been a “joke.” The woman said that her behavior had been “stupid” and she was advised that she could face possible criminal charges.
A Parks Department employee reported that he had witnessed an unknown older man trimming branches off property belonging to an energy company near Washington Park. An officer was able to identify the man because the Parks employee recognized the man’s dog. The officer spoke with the man who confirmed that he had trimmed the branches because they had grown over a small bus shelter. Although it was determined there had been no criminal intent, the man was advised to contact the energy company about issues with trees on their property.
Tuesday, June 23
Officers responded to the emergency room after it was reported a 45-year-old Anacortes man was being verbally abusive to the staff. A nurse said that the man had been very vulgar and profane towards her while he was being treated. The man had two warrants for his arrest out of Seattle, but the local jail would not accept him for booking. An officer calmed the man and he was transported back to a local motel where he lived.
Police received multiple calls about a transit bus that had an emergency sign flashing “Call Police.” The driver was contacted and confirmed that things were fine and that he had just accidentally hit the emergency button.
Wednesday, June 24
An officer checking for vandalism at the baseball fields at Volunteer Park at around 1:00 AM located 3 teenaged males in a darkened dugout. The officer smelled alcohol and saw opened containers of beer at their feet. Two of the boys were 17-year-olds from Anacortes and they both smelled of alcohol and had flushed faces. One of the two boys also had slurred speech, clumsy movements, and was obviously intoxicated. The third teen identified as an 18-year-old from Anacortes had not been drinking. The 17-year-olds were placed under arrest and both admitted to drinking earlier and in the dugout. They were referred to juvenile court on underage drinking charges and released to their parents.
A 34-year-old Anacortes man allegedly argued with his 88-year-old grandmother at their home in the 1500 block of 9th Street after the grandmother learned that the man had missed an appointment with his probation officer. It was determined that no crime had occurred and the probation officer was looking to contact the man.
A 58-year-old Anacortes man wearing pink spandex shorts was suspected of riding his bicycle in a reckless manner on the railway trestle on the Tommy Thompson Trail. A woman walking on the trail said that the man almost ran her down and that he had yelled at and almost hit an elderly man who was pushing an elderly woman in a wheelchair. The cyclist reportedly almost hit a child on the trail who was walking with his parents. Police believe the cyclist is a man that they have had similar complaints on in the past of reckless riding and profane abusive language towards trail users. Police contact with the man and possible criminal charges are pending.
Family members of a 68-year-old man discovered him deceased at his home in the 1100 block of 24th Street. The man had medical problems and there was no evidence of foul play.
Thursday, June 25
A 17-year-old girl was contacted at a home in the 800 block of 35th Street after she had told a friend that she was thinking about killing herself. The girl was depressed but would not elaborate to police. She did agree to go to the hospital for evaluation.
Unknown burglars entered a locked shed behind a home in the 1100 block of 4th Street and stole a foldable kayak, an inflatable boat, a bicycle, two pontoons from a fishing platform, a garbage can, and assorted kitchen ware. The total value of the stolen items exceeded $4500.
A Bellingham woman reported that an unknown male passenger in a car had thrown a tape measure at her car while she was stopped in the 2000 block of O Avenue. The woman’s car sustained two small dents to the passenger side. The woman described the man and a woman in the other vehicle and said that she believed that they and their car were similar to people and a vehicle that she had been involved in an altercation with in Mount Vernon two weeks prior. Efforts to locate the vehicle and people were unsuccessful.
A witness reported a man and a woman arguing in the middle of the roadway on Oakes Avenue near Kansas. An officer located a 22-year-old Mount Vernon woman walking in the area. The woman was holding an open can of alcohol and was obviously intoxicated. When the officer asked her what had been going on, the woman responded with a barrage of profanity. The woman walked back into the road while continuing to swear at the officer. She also claimed that she was a “gangster” and “hardcore.” The officer took the woman into protective custody as she did not appear to be in the condition to walk safely. The woman was placed into the back of a patrol car where she repeatedly struck her head against the plexiglass screen. The woman was treated for a self-inflicted head cut at the emergency room and subsequently booked into jail on disorderly conduct charges. The male, a 24-year-old Sedro-Woolley man, was also located walking and was uncooperative when questioned about what had occurred. The man was cited for disorderly conduct due to reports of him also walking in the road obstructing traffic and throwing a traffic cone across the roadway.