The Police Blotter, Dec. 19, 2009

Details in this week’s Police Blotter...

Friday, December 11

An Anacortes woman reported her wallet had either been lost or stolen in the previous two days.  The wallet contained the woman’s identification, credit cards, and $1,600 in cash.  The woman did not know if she had misplaced the wallet or if it had been stolen from her vehicle.  She was encouraged to cancel her credit cards. 

An officer stopped a car in the 1700 block of Q Avenue for speeding and drifting into the opposite lane of travel.  The driver was identified as a 59-year-old Anacortes woman who smelled of intoxicants and had slow slurred speech.  The woman said that she had “one” glass of wine and she consented to field sobriety tests on which she performed poorly.  She was placed under arrest for drunk driving and transported to the police station where she provided breath samples that were significantly over the legal limit.  She was issued a citation for DUI and released to a sober adult.   

Saturday, December 12

A man checking on his sailboat at a marina in the 1000 block of Q Avenue discovered that the canvas around the cockpit had been unzipped.  In checking further, the boat owner discovered that someone had entered the boat and stolen a color monitor to a navigational radar unit.  The victim said that the entire radar would have to be replaced at a cost of $3,000.  A VCR and a GPS unit were also tampered with, but not damaged or stolen.  Two winter coats valued at $100 each were also found stolen from a stateroom on the boat.  There are no suspects at this time.    

An officer stopped a car in the 800 block of 22nd Street for having a defective brake light.  The driver was identified as a 60-year-old Anacortes man.  The officer smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the car as well as smelling marijuana on the man’s driver’s license and vehicle registration.  When asked about the odor, the driver admitted that he had “a couple of baggies” of marijuana in the car as well as a smoking pipe.  The officer located the baggies of marijuana and the pipe inside of the car and the man was placed under arrest.  The driver admitted to smoking marijuana just prior to the officer stopping him.  He was issued a citation for illegal possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and released at the scene.  The marijuana and pipe were seized as evidence. 

Sunday, December 13

A 53-year-old Anacortes woman was arrested for drunk driving after an officer stopped the car she was driving in the 1200 block of M Avenue for rolling through a stop sign, not using her turn signal, and improper lane travel.  The driver told the officer she was headed home from a downtown bar and that she had “two beers.”  She smelled of intoxicants, had watery bloodshot eyes, and slightly slurred speech.  The woman failed field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest.  During processing, the woman provided breath samples that were over the legal limit.  She was cited for DUI and released. 

A 43-year-old Anacortes man is suspected of not paying for his $70 bar tab that had accumulated over a few days at a bar located in the 400 block of Commercial Avenue.  The man had told the staff that he was a writer for a nationally published magazine and was in town working on a story.  The credit card that the man had provided came back “declined” and the credit card company told the employee to “seize” the card.  When confronted with this, the man said that he would go to his car and come with cash to pay his bill.  The man failed to return.  The investigating officer recognized the name on the credit card as a man with previous criminal activity and the bar staff confirmed the man’s identity by viewing his picture.  When the officer went to the man’s last known address, the officer was informed that the man had been evicted for not paying his rent.  The officer then issued a court summons for the man on theft charges. 

A 22-year-old man called 911 and reported that he had cut his wrist, taken several prescription pills, and was having suicidal thoughts at a home on Hickory Drive.  Police arrived and found a small laceration on the man’s wrist.  The man, who had also been drinking, asked to be taken to the hospital.  The man was transported by paramedics to the hospital for evaluation and treatment.   

Monday, December 14

A resident of the 8300 block of Summit Park Road discovered that an approximate 20 foot section of chain link fence at the front of his property had been destroyed.  The resident said that he had heard a vehicle hit something outside of his house the previous evening but had not checked at the time.  Snowy road conditions might have played a factor.  The offending vehicle is unknown and repair costs for the fence were estimated at $750.00 to $1,000.     

A “gas and go” was reported at a station in the 1300 block of Commercial Avenue.  The driver of a white delivery van pumped approximately $45 worth of gasoline before driving off without paying.  The clerk obtained a possible license number for the van, but it did not match a white van. 

An officer stopped a car in the 2600 block of Oakes Avenue due to the driver not wearing a seatbelt.  The officer smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside of the car and identified the driver as a 29-year-old Bellingham man.  When asked about the odor, the driver admitted that there was a marijuana smoking pipe in the car and he handed the pipe to the officer.  The driver was then placed under arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia.  The driver then told the officer that there was a container of marijuana and a scale inside of a backpack in the car.  The driver said that he used the scale to weigh marijuana when he bought it so he wouldn’t get “ripped off.”  The officer then located and seized a plastic container with baggies of marijuana inside and a scale.  The driver was issued a citation for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.  

Tuesday, December 15

A boat prowl was reported to a 41 foot tug boat that was in a dry storage yard in the 3200 block of R Avenue.  A caretaker for the boat discovered a door had been unlocked and items inside if the boat had been tampered with.  The molding around a flat screen television had been pried off and a speaker unscrewed, but the thief had been unsuccessful in removing the television.  The boat owner will be checking the boat to determine if anything had been stolen.  

Wednesday, December 16

The mother of a 14-year-old girl reported that her daughter had returned to their home in the 800 block of 23rd Street extremely intoxicated and had been vomiting.  The mother did not know where the girl had been or who brought her home.  Police responded and found the girl quite lethargic and initially unable to verbally respond to questions.  The girl smelled strongly of alcohol and later said that she had “three beers.”  The girl was transported to the emergency room for evaluation and later booked into juvenile detention as she violated the terms of her release from previous offenses by consuming alcohol.  She also received a new charge of underage drinking. 

Approximately $4,300 in hardwood flooring material was stolen from a residence under construction site in the 2800 block of 17th Street.  There was no sign of forced entry into the home and nothing else appeared to be missing. 

A 50-year-old Anacortes man was arrested at his home in the 4500 block of Queen Ann Way at the request of the Mount Vernon Police Department.  The man was suspected of using fraudulent prescriptions in an attempt to obtain drugs at a Mount Vernon pharmacy. 

Anacortes Police arrested a 35-year-old Anacortes man for investigation of two counts of armed robbery shortly before midnight on this date.  At 5:37 PM a motel in the downtown area reported an armed robbery had just occurred and gave a description of the suspect to the police.  Based on the description of the robber, officers believed it was the same man who robbed a local convenience store on December 5th. 

Detectives had been distributing surveillance photos from the first robbery to area businesses and had already identified the suspect but had been unable to locate him. 

After the second robbery was reported, officers canvassed neighboring businesses and discovered the suspect was employed as a janitor within a block of the motel and had finished work shortly before the robbery occurred.  An arrest warrant and search warrant were secured and detectives discovered the weapon, money, and other pieces of evidence in the man’s apartment and vehicle.  The suspect told police that he was down on his luck and needed extra money for Christmas.

An officer contacted a 19-year-old Anacortes man at the emergency room where he was being treated for a possible head injury after he initially claimed that he had been assaulted by an unknown man on 12th Street.  The man showed the effects of drinking alcohol and the officer was suspicious that the man was not being truthful.  The officer spoke to the man in private and he admitted that he had been drinking with a friend and that they had gotten into a fight and exchanged punches.  The man said that he had also told the false story to his girlfriend who had then insisted that he go to the hospital.  The man did not want to pursue charges regarding the fight, but he was issued a citation for underage drinking. 

Thursday, December 17

An 11-foot Boston Whaler boat with an attached 15-horsepower Yamaha motor was reported stolen from a dock at a marina in the 1600 block of 5th Street.  The boat had been tied up to a dock the previous day and the victim was positive the boat had not just floated away.  The loss was estimated at $2,500. 

A 24-year-old Anacortes man walked into the police station and turned himself in for having three warrants for his arrest.  The warrants were for previous charges of DUI, negligent driving, and possession of drug paraphernalia out of Anacortes Municipal Court.  The man was booked into jail on the warrants. 

Friday, December 18

A resident of the 3600 block of W. 4th Street reported that his 42-year-old ex-girlfriend was pounding on his front door, ringing the doorbell, and refusing to leave.  An officer contacted the woman who appeared to be intoxicated and gave her a ride home.