Police made several arrests for drunk driving this week, between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Two of the cases involved accidents where a vehicle either flipped over or rolled onto its side.
Friday, December 25
A 62-year-old man was found deceased in the back driveway of a home in the 500 block of 35th Street. The man was found outside a van that he commonly used as his sleeping quarters. The man reportedly had several medical conditions and there was no sign of foul play. The County Coroner responded and the actual cause of death is pending.
A child’s electric “Hummer” style ride-in car valued at $200 was reported stolen from the front porch of a home in the 1000 block of 24th Street.
Saturday, December 26
A resident of a home in the 500 block of 35th Street returned home and found that someone had broken out a window to the back door, unlocked the door, and then entered the house. Whoever broke the window had cleaned up the glass and thrown it into the trash. Five beers were reported missing from the refrigerator. The homeowner provided the name of a relative as a possible suspect and the matter is under further investigation.
An officer stopped a car driven by a 50-year-old Everett woman in the 3200 block of R Avenue after seeing the car spin its tires, fail to stop at a stop sign, make un-signaled turns, and speed. The driver smelled of intoxicants, had slurred speech and bloodshot eyes, and fumbled for and dropped her license. The woman said she had been at a local casino and was driving back to Everett. The woman told the officer that she would do “fine” on field sobriety tests as she only had “one beer” earlier. Guess what? The woman failed sobriety tests and was placed under arrest for drunk driving. The woman was taken to the police station where she refused to sign any paperwork and was verbally abusive towards the officer and made derogatory comments about his family. After speaking with an attorney, the woman provided two breath samples that were almost twice the legal limit. The woman was booked into jail on DUI charges.
A 43-year-old Mount Vernon woman was cited for improper lane travel and unlawful possession of prescription medication after the van she was driving left the roadway on SR 20 and flipped over. A prescription pill was found at the woman’s feet while she had been seated in an ambulance and she admitted it had been in her sweatshirt, but claimed it belonged to a male passenger in her vehicle. The 19-year-old man said that the pill was not his, but he admitted that he had a small amount of marijuana and a marijuana smoking pipe in his pocket. The man removed the items from his pocket and he was issued a citation for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Neither the woman nor the man were seriously injured.
Sunday, December 27
Officers contacted an 18-year-old Anacortes man walking in the 1600 block of 32nd Street after it had been reported he had been pounding on doors in the area. The man smelled of intoxicants, had slurred speech and bloodshot eyes, and had difficulty keeping his balance. The man said he had a “couple of beers” and that he was looking for his girlfriend. The man was arrested and cited for illegal consumption of alcohol and it was also learned that he was on probation with the restriction to not consume alcohol. The man was given a ride home and he informed the officer that he had “inherited” his alcohol problem.
The driver of a pickup lost control of the vehicle at the intersection of A Avenue and Fir Crest Drive and rolled the pickup onto its side and into a fire hydrant. The driver, a 46-year-old Anacortes man, was transported by paramedics to the hospital for minor injuries. The man smelled of intoxicants but claimed he could not remember having anything to drink. He consented to a portable breath test that showed he was significantly over the legal limit. He also submitted to a blood draw and faces possible charges of drunk driving pending results of the blood analysis.
Monday, December 28
A 14-year-old boy was charged with domestic violence assault after he allegedly punched his 14-year-old sister in the wrist and shoulder causing redness and pain at their home in the 900 block of 23rd Street. The boy was reportedly mad because his sister would not move from “his spot” on the sofa. The boy claimed he had only hit her “once.” The boy had also been charged with assaulting his sister on another occasion earlier in the year. Juvenile detention would not accept the boy for booking and the family said that the boy would be going to his father’s house in Bellingham for awhile.
A 23-year-old Stanwood man was detained by US Customs agents at the State Ferry terminal after it was learned that he had five warrants for his arrest out of Skagit County Superior and District courts. The man was returning on the ferry from British Columbia. The warrants stemmed from previous charges that included forgery, DUI, disorderly conduct, and underage drinking. The man was booked into the county jail.
A Specialized mountain bike valued at $350 was reported stolen from in front of a restaurant in the 1300 block of Commercial Avenue while the owner had been inside having lunch. The victim had seen an unknown teenaged male with long blonde hair jump on the bike and ride away.
Tuesday, December 29
An officer stopped a pickup driven by a 30-year-old Fidalgo Island woman in the 1300 block of Commercial Avenue for failing to use her turn signal. The woman smelled of intoxicants and said she had two glasses of wine earlier. The woman had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and told the officer she “hadn’t been driving” but was “just parking” her pickup to have a friend pick her up. The woman declined to do field sobriety tests, but based upon the officers observations she was placed under arrest for drunk driving. She was taken to the police station where she provided breath samples that were over twice the legal limit. She was cited for DUI and released to a sober relative.
A car parked in the day parking area at Washington Park had a window smashed out while the victim’s, a couple from Mount Vernon, were taking a walk. Missing from the car was a woman’s purse that contained her ID, a checkbook, a debit card, a cell phone, and approximately $50 in cash. Records showed that the unknown thief then used the stolen debit card at two convenience store locations in Anacortes. The matter is under further investigation.
Officers responded to the report of a hit and run in the 3300 block of W. 3rd Street in which a parked car had been struck and then pushed into another parked car damaging both vehicles. The fleeing vehicle was reported to have been a dark colored SUV without an auto dealer’s license plate. A neighbor of the victim’s then checked the area and located a possible suspect vehicle at a home in the 3800 block of W. 6th Street. The vehicle had extensive fresh damage to its front end and paper plates from a local car dealer. Officers contacted a 65-year-old man at the home who admitted to driving the vehicle and said that he had not been injured. The man was very unsteady on his feet, smelled strongly of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes and heavily slurred speech, and later admitted to having several beers at a local casino before driving home. The man failed field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. He was taken to the police station where he provided breath samples that were over two and a half times the legal limit. He was issued a citation for DUI and hit and run and released to his wife.
Wednesday, December 30
A resident of the 3800 block of Sutton Place who was leaving for work discovered the dome light to his car was on and that his vehicle had been prowled. Approximately $10 in change was missing from the car which had been left unlocked in the driveway.
Someone entered a locked office area at a care facility in the 1100 block of 27th Street and stole $200 in cash from a desk and approximately 30 music CD’s from the various offices. Also reported missing was approximately five dozen cookies and an unknown quantity of canned goods that had been planned to be given to a local shelter. It was believed that a key had been used to make entry into the office area.
A 47-year-old Anacortes woman was arrested for DUI after an officer observed her vehicle speeding westbound on Oakes Ave. from D Ave. After stopping the vehicle the officer observed the woman showed signs of intoxication. She failed field sobriety tests and was transported to the station for a blood alcohol test.
Thursday, December 31
A 26-year-old Lake McMurray man was arrested for DUI after an officer observed him driving erratically on Commercial Ave. The officer observed the man's truck traveling at 40mph in the 25 zone and cross the center and fog lines. The truck also went through the roundabout at 10 miles over the posted 15 mph limit. After stopping the truck, the officer noted the man had bloodshot watery eyes and smelled of alcohol. The man told officers he had been drinking with friends at a downtown establishment. After failing field sobriety tests he was arrested and transported to the station for a blood alcohol test.
A 23-year-old Anacortes man was arrested out of a vehicle in which he was a passenger in the 1100 block of Commercial Avenue for having two outstanding felony warrants for his arrest. The warrants stemmed from previous criminal charges of 2nd degree assault and malicious mischief. The man was booked into the county jail.
Officers arrested a 23-year-old man at his residence in the 1000 block of 6th Street after confirming that he had six outstanding warrants for his arrest. While taking the man into custody in his bedroom, officers noticed a marijuana smoking bong in plain view. The man admitted to using the bong to smoke marijuana but claimed it belonged to a friend. The bong was seized as evidence and the man received a citation for possession of marijuana. The man was later given new court dates and released on the warrants as the jail did not have sufficient space to book him.