A life-sized painted plywood mural of a film projectionist was stolen from the exterior wall of Anacortes Cinemas this past week. Bill Mitchell, the mural’s artist, discovered that the mural had been stolen sometime during the week. The mural was valued at $500.
Some of the other police cases, as reported by the Anacortes Police Department, include:
Friday, August 28
Someone forced open the window of a car belonging to an Anacortes woman that was parked at Whistle Lake and stole a jacket, a cell phone, and a purse from inside. The purse contained the victim’s ID and debit card. The victim cancelled her ATM card and her phone service to the missing phone.
An officer checked on a pickup that was stopped and running on the side of State Route 20 near Reservation Road after he had noticed the vehicle earlier and discovered it had not moved. The officer smelled the strong odor of intoxicants coming from the open driver’s window and found two men inside who appeared to be passed out. The passenger appeared to have vomited onto a shirt his head was resting on. The officer had difficulty waking the driver who was subsequently identified as a 31-year-old Mount Vernon man. When asked repeatedly for his driver’s license, the driver eventually located his wallet in his pocket and tried to hand the officer a twenty dollar bill. The driver’s speech was extremely slurred and he stumbled and leaned on his vehicle when he was asked to exit it. The man was unable to stay balanced to perform field sobriety tests, but he did provide a portable breath test sample that was almost two and a half times the legal limit. He was arrested for being in physical control of a motor vehicle while being under the influence. The driver was taken to the police station and processed. He was cited and released to a sober friend.
Saturday, August 29
An officer stopped a car for speeding in the area of Commercial Avenue and 32nd Street. The driver was identified as a 20-year-old Anacortes man who smelled of intoxicants and stated he had a “couple of beers.” The man showed other signs of intoxication and performed poorly on field sobriety tests. The man was arrested for drunk driving. During a search of the vehicle incident to arrest, the officer found a small scale with marijuana residue, two small baggies of marijuana, and several empty sandwich bags in a backpack. The driver admitted the items were his and that he smoked marijuana, but that he did not sell it. The man was processed for DUI and provided breath samples that were over the legal limit. He was cited for DUI and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He was then released to a sober adult.
An Anacortes woman reported that her 49-year-old ex-husband had been violating the terms of a no-contact order by driving by her home, calling her, and calling the woman’s daughter and asking her to pass on messages. The order stipulated that the man was to have no contact with his ex-wife and to stay 300 feet away from her home. The man came to the police station later in the day and he was cited for violating the court order.
A man from Blaine reported that someone had pulled the rubber molding from off of his Ford pickup while it had been parked near a hotel in the 400 block of Commercial Avenue. There are no known suspects.
A 22-year-old Anacortes woman was arrested near Sunset Avenue and Anaco Beach Road after it was confirmed that she had a warrant for her arrest out of Whatcom County for a previous theft charge. The woman was booked into the Whatcom County Jail.
A 34-year-old Samish Island man was arrested for drunk driving after it had been reported he had been sitting in his running car at a business in the 1100 block of 12th Street with his head bobbing up and down as if he were about to pass out. The man was slumped at the wheel and smelled strongly of intoxicants when the officer made contact. The man had clumsy movements, bloodshot eyes, and slurred speech, but he told the officer he hadn’t been drinking. The man performed poorly on filed sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. The man then said that he needed to use a restroom because he had a “few beers.” The man was processed for DUI and provided breath samples that were almost twice the legal limit. The man complained that the arrest might cause problems with the agreement on his previous DUI arrest. The man said that he didn’t think drinking and driving was “such big a deal.” He was cited for DUI and released to a sober friend.
Sunday, August 30
A Jeep Cherokee parked at the Whistle Lake parking lot was prowled and a stereo valued at $400 was stolen. The victim, a Port Townsend resident, was also missing her purse that contained her driver’s license, a debit card, and her cell phone. The victim believed that she had left her car locked, but there was no sign of forced entry.
A 10-year-old Anacortes girl admitted to stealing money from a tip jar and bottles of soda from a cooler at a business in the 2300 block of Commercial Avenue. The girl had been contacted by police after security camera video confirmed she had taken the items. When the girl emptied her pockets, it was discovered that she had several gift cards and a bracelet that she admitted she had stolen from two different Anacortes grocery stores. The property was returned to the businesses and the girl was released to her mother. Due to her age, no criminal prosecution was planned, but the girl’s mother was looking at other methods of accountability for her daughter’s behavior.
A woman living on Clyde Way reported that her husband had been screaming at her about marital issues and that he had then chased her through their house and assaulted her. The woman said that when she attempted to call 911, her husband ripped the phone jack from the wall. The woman said that her husband had grabbed her and shoved her against a wall which caused her pain. The woman said that she managed to run outside and call the police from a cell phone, and that her husband then fled in a car. Officers were unable to locate the man that night, but he faces possible assault and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence charges.
Monday, August 31
A man working on the phone system at a business in the 1800 block of Commercial Avenue walked away from his company-owned laptop computer for a few minutes to retrieve some parts. When the man returned, he found the computer was missing. The man had no suspect information.
A bottle of prescription medication was reported stolen from inside of a purse that had been left in an unlocked car in the 3900 block of A Avenue. Nothing else from the purse appeared to be missing and no one suspicious was seen near the car.
A gym bag containing women’s clothing, an iPod, and a pair of sunglasses was reported stolen from a locker at an Anacortes health club. The victim had used a small padlock to secure the locker, but the padlock was also missing.
A 27-year-old Anacortes man was cited for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia after an officer stopped the car he was driving for having a burned out headlight. The officer smelled the strong odor of marijuana coming from inside of the vehicle, and when asked about the smell, the driver handed the officer a baggy of marijuana that had been behind the seat. The man was placed under arrest and a marijuana smoking pipe was also found inside of the car. The man was released after being issued hi citation.
A Renton resident who was filling his gas tank at a gas station at SR 20 and Christianson Road got distracted by his infant child and drove off from the pumps with the hose still attached to his gas tank. A small amount of gasoline spilled from the broken hose, but the driver located an emergency shut off switch for the pump and the spill was kept to a minimum.
Tuesday, September 1
A 50-year-old Anacortes man was sent a court summons for theft charges after he allegedly drove away from a gas station in the 1300 block of Commercial Avenue without paying for approximately $17 in gas. A clerk told the man he could not leave until the gas was paid for, but the man drove away anyway.
Employees of a business in the 500 block of Commercial Avenue reported that on two separate occasions they discovered their dumpster had been filled with trash not belonging to the business. Mail belonging to an Anacortes couple was found in the trash on both occasions, and police contact with the couple is pending.
Over $8,000 worth of property was reported stolen from a pleasure boat moored at a marina in the 1000 block of Q Avenue. The boat had been left unlocked. Stolen items included a 3-horsepower motor, two GPS units, fishing gear, a portable generator, marine electronics, a laptop computer, a digital camera, and assorted tools.
Approximately $100 worth of tags attached to stuffed animals were stolen from a gift shop in the 900 block of 15th Street. The tags were valued by the unknown thieves because they could be used to access games using a computer.
A 56-year-old Anacortes man was arrested for drunk driving after a witness observed the man’s vehicle weaving in the roadway and almost go into a ditch a couple of times. An officer stopped the vehicle in the 1000 block of Q Avenue. The officer had to rap on the driver’s window to get his attention and the driver smelled strongly of intoxicants and had slurred speech and clumsy movements. The man said that he had “one” drink, but after performing poorly on field sobriety tests, he said that he had “several” drinks. The man was arrested and the officer found 17 cans of beer and a mug full of beer in the man’s pickup. The man was processed for drunk driving and provided breath samples that were almost three times the legal limit. He was cited for DUI and released to a sober family member.
A 15-horsepower Yamaha outboard motor and fuel tank were stolen off an inflatable dingy on a 45-foot boat moored at a marina in the 1600 block of 5th Street. The motor had not been locked onto the dinghy. The motor and fuel tank were valued at $1500.
A 38-year-old Anacortes man was arrested at his home in the 1900 block of Bay Place after officers confirmed a warrant for his arrest for a previous DUI offense. The warrant had a 90 day jail commit. The man was booked into jail.
A man driving his vehicle in the 2700 block of R Avenue heard a loud noise and stopped and discovered a dent in his passenger door. It was unknown what caused the dent, but the driver surmised it might have been a “bored kid with a slingshot.” The damage was estimated at approximately $700.
Wednesday, September 2
Two vehicles that were parked next to each other were prowled at Whistle Lake. A pickup had a window smashed out and two Apple brand iPods and an in-dash stereo were stolen. The other vehicle showed no sign of forced entry, but the owner was missing a wallet containing his ID and a cell phone from inside.
A car left parked at Whistle Lake had a window forced open and several items inside belonging to two Oak Harbor teens were stolen. A Sony CD player and faceplate were removed from the dash. One teen was missing a cell phone and an iPod and the other was missing the faceplate to a Sony Xplod and his wallet. The wallet contained the teen’s driver’s license and almost $300.00 in cash.
A 24-year-old woman was contacted by police at the emergency room after she reported she had been assaulted the previous evening by a co-worker she had been dating. The woman did not know the alleged assailant’s last name or address. The woman reported that she and the man had argued at her apartment in the 1100 block of 24th Street and that he had then allegedly grabbed her and pushed her onto the floor and held her down in an effort to “control” her. The woman claimed that she was held down for between 15 to 30 minutes, and that the man only left after she was able to break away, grab a knife, and threaten the man. The woman had gone to the hospital due to feeling neck pain the next day, but she had no visible marks on her. The woman admitted to slapping the man across the face prior to him grabbing her. Police contact with the man is pending to obtain his version of events.
Thursday, September 3
A man sleeping on his boat moored at a marina in the 1000 block of Q Avenue awoke to find an unknown male standing on the deck. The boat owner asked the man what he was doing, and the prowler apologized for disturbing the boat owner. The prowler then jumped onto the dock and walked away. Police checked the area but were unable to locate the prowler who was described as a white male in his mid 20’s wearing a dark jacket and jeans.
The pastor of a church located in the 1600 block of 29th Street discovered a large rock had been thrown through the window of an exterior door to an office. It appeared that the rock had been picked up from nearby landscaping. There was no indication that anyone had attempted to enter the building. Damage to the window was estimated at $150.
Employees of a marine business in the 3000 block of Oakes Avenue reported the theft of some scrap aluminum and several marine and automotive batteries from a locked warehouse on the property. The employees had seen a former employee of a marina tenant rummaging around on the property the previous day although the man was no longer working there. The victims did some checking and discovered the suspect, a 60-year-old Mount Vernon man, had sold the stolen items at businesses in Burlington and Mount Vernon. Police are looking to speak with the suspect and the investigation is ongoing.
The skipper of a boat moored at a marina in the 1000 block of Q Avenue reported that one of his crewmen had assaulted him after they had gotten into a disagreement over a labor issue. The skipper said that he had make a derogatory comment to the crewman who reacted by picking up a stool and hitting the skipper in the head repeatedly. The skipper suffered lacerations to his head and face. The crewman, a 43-year-old South Carolina resident, was found hiding on a nearby boat and taken into custody. The crewman said that the skipper had grabbed him by the throat first, and that he had only hit the skipper with the stool in self defense. The crewman had no marks that indicated he had been grabbed. He was booked into jail for assault.
A 39-year-old Anacortes man was arrested for drunk driving after he was stopped on Commercial Avenue shortly before midnight for driving without headlights. The man smelled strongly of intoxicants although he claimed he hadn’t been drinking. When the officer mentioned the odor, the man then said that he had “a couple.” The man performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. He was processed for DUI and provided breath samples that were above the legal limit. He was cited for DUI and released to his mother.
Friday, September 4
An officer stopped an SUV in the 1100 block of 11th Street after watching the vehicle weave over the center line on O Avenue and observing it had a defective brake light. The driver was identified as a 38-year-old Anacortes man who had slurred speech, watery bloodshot eyes, and the strong smell of alcohol on his breath. The man told the officer he had drunk “a beer or two.” The man failed field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest for drunk driving. The man was transported to the police station where he provided breath samples that were significantly over the legal limit. He was cited for DUI and released.
A 27-year-old woman reported that her estranged husband had broken into her home in the 1300 block of H Avenue and allegedly stole some items. The woman said that she and her husband were both on the lease, but that he had not moved in yet. The woman said that she had gone out the previous night and returned home and passed out. When she woke up in the morning, her husband was in the home yelling at her. The woman said that her husband had cut an appliance cord, ripped up their wedding pictures, and taken a television and game system while she had been sleeping. The man was contacted at his place of employment and he said he had been at the home to pick up some items for work. He said that his wife had accused him of taking some items, but he claimed they were left at the residence. The man had a fresh cut on his lip that he said he got when his wife slapped him when he was leaving. Based upon his apparent injury and their relationship, the woman was arrested for domestic violence assault and booked into jail.