A 3-year-old child who had been left unattended in a parked vehicle in the 500 block of Commercial Avenue inadvertently put the vehicle into gear and rolled it into the rear end of another parked car causing over $3,000 in damage to the other vehicle on Saturday, Jan. 30. The child’s mother, a 30-year-old Anacortes woman, then returned to the car, scolded the boy, and then quickly fled the scene. When she drove away, her vehicle pulled the bumper off the other car and also struck a third parked car. A witness obtained her license number and the woman was contacted at her home. The woman told an officer she had fled the scene out of “fear” as well as not having a valid driver’s license or insurance. The woman was cited for hit and run, driving without a valid license, having no insurance, and leaving a child unattended in a parked running vehicle.
Here are some of the other cases Anacortes Police worked on this week.
Friday, January 29
A laptop computer valued at $400 was stolen from an unlocked vehicle that was parked in the 1700 block of 39th Street. The victim reported that the computer was a rental and that he could not afford to pay the finance charges. The victim said that he had placed the laptop in his car the previous day with the intention of returning it to the rental company. There are no suspects at this time.
A 49-year-old Anacortes man was booked into jail on investigation of burglary after the owner of a business in the 200 block of Commercial Avenue saw the suspect inside of the business removing items from a shelf after closing time. Police contacted the suspect outside of the business carrying a large tub filled with electronic security and surveillance equipment taken from inside. The suspect was a former employee of the business who allegedly had not returned his key and did not have permission to be inside of the business or take anything. The suspect invoked his right to an attorney and declined to answer questions.
An officer contacted a 58-year-old La Conner man who had been reported prowling around a dumpster behind a business in the 900 block of 10th Street with his pants unzipped. The man was extremely intoxicated and had a grocery cart full of beer and other items from a nearby grocery. The man refused to identify himself to the officer and said that he “didn’t care” if he had taken the grocery cart and items as the “jail wouldn’t take him.” The man was informed he was under arrest and briefly struggled with the officer while making threatening statements. The man also had 2 warrants for his arrest from previous theft and failure to disperse charges. The jail did agree to take the man and he was booked on theft and obstructing charges in addition to the warrants.
Saturday, January 30
An officer stopped a car driven by a 24-year-old Anacortes woman in the 1100 block of 12th Street after confirming that the woman’s driving status was suspended. The woman smelled of intoxicants and said that she had “one large mixed drink.” The woman failed field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. She was transported to the police station where she said that she had “two” mixed drinks. She provided two breath samples that were just under twice the legal limit. The woman was cited for DUI and driving while suspended and released to a sober adult.
A Honda motor scooter valued at $500 was stolen sometime over night from where it was parked in the 500 block of Commercial Avenue. The victim said that the scooter had been secured by a lock and chain to a pole. The scooter was later located by some passersby dumped in the bushes on Fidalgo Bay Road. There are no suspects at this time.
An officer stopped a car in the 800 block of M Avenue for having defective brake lights. The driver was identified as a 48-year-old Conway woman who smelled strongly of intoxicants. The officer also observed an open can of malt liquor in the center console. The woman failed field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest and transported to the police station. The woman also had a suspended driver’s license for a previous unpaid ticket. The woman declined to take a breath test. She was issued a citation for DUI and driving with a suspended driver’s license.
Sunday, January 31
Officers contacted 4 men who were walking in the 1700 block of Commercial Avenue after a witness reported he had seen the men drinking alcohol in a nearby vehicle. The men smelled of alcohol and 2 initially lied about their dates of birth and ages. One of the men was determined to be 18 years old and he had 2 cans of beer in his pocket. He was cited for underage drinking. A 19-year-old man appeared to be intoxicated, admitted he had drank 2 beers, and said he “didn’t see what the big deal was.” He was also arrested and issued a citation for underage drinking. A 22-year-old man admitted that he had initially lied about his identity as he had 2 warrants for his arrest and did not want to get caught. He was issued a citation for obstructing and was released on the warrants as the jail would not accept him for booking. The fourth man had not been drinking.
A woman’s 27-year-old estranged husband allegedly walked into the woman’s apartment in the 800 block of 30th Street without her permission and found another man sleeping inside. The woman reported that she and her husband were going through divorce proceedings. The estranged husband then allegedly attacked the other man and hit him several times in the head and broke a door off a hallway closet. The estranged husband was located at his place of employment in Burlington and placed under arrest. He was booked into jail on charges of assault, criminal trespass, and malicious mischief.
A 58-year-old Anacortes woman was issued two citations for theft after she admitted to an officer that she had stolen approximately $200 in groceries, including five cases of beer and six sub sandwiches, from a store in the 900 block of 11th Street. The woman also admitted to stealing beer and food items from the store the previous week from an earlier reported theft complaint. The woman had been seen by an employee pushing a cart full of unpaid items out the door and then loading them into a vehicle in the parking lot. She was later contacted by police at an apartment in the 2100 block of Commercial Avenue where she admitted to the thefts.
The owner of a pickup reported the rear license plate had been stolen off of the vehicle. The owner said that the theft had either occurred at his residence in the 2200 block of 25th Street or while he had been visiting friends in Mount Vernon.
A 20-year-old Sedro-Woolley man was cited for theft after he was viewed on security camera video taking money from a tip jar on the counter at a cafe at the State Ferry terminal. The man stole the money while the clerk was out of sight and then used it to purchase food at the counter. The clerk was suspicious of the man and the video clearly confirmed her suspicions.
A 31-year-old woman was transported to the hospital for evaluation and treatment from a home on W. 4th Street after she intentionally cut her own arm to the point of needing stitches. The woman said that she was not suicidal but was upset that she had to go to court the next day. She said that she had cut herself to “let the pain out.”
Monday, February 1
An initially unidentified man was caught on security camera video wandering the halls and trying door handles inside of the high school during the middle of the night. The man did not appear to cause any damage or take anything from inside of the building. It was believed the man had entered the school through an unsecured exterior door. The man left the school prior to his discovery. Two days later, a citizen who had been shown a picture of the suspect recognized the man as being in line behind him at a store checkout line. Police then contacted a 32-year-old Bellingham man in the 1500 block of Commercial Avenue who matched the description of the suspect in the video including wearing a unique hat. The man was placed under arrest and he admitted to being inside of the school. The man said that he had argued with his girlfriend who lived a block from the high school and that he had walked away to cool off. The man said that he entered the high school to get out of the rain after trying several doors and finding one unlocked. He was booked into jail on investigation of burglary.
A 33-year-old man was taken into custody at his home in the 2700 block of Oakes Avenue for having two outstanding warrants for his arrest from previous driving offenses. The man was then turned over to an Island County Sheriff’s deputy as he was a felony suspect is writing bad checks on Whidbey Island.
Tuesday, February 2
Officers responded to the report of a fight in progress at an apartment in the 1100 block of 24th Street. Officers arrived and heard a man and woman yelling at each other from inside of the apartment with the woman saying that she had been hit by the man. The man was then heard asking the woman if she wanted to know “what is was really like to be punched.” A 20-year-old man then stepped out of the apartment and officers saw a bloody scratch on his face. Officers contacted the man’s 21-year-old girlfriend inside and saw that she had a bloody nose and was spitting blood. The woman claimed that their child had head butted her, but then said that she had been struck in the face by her boyfriends arm as he was “trying to move her out of the way.” The man claimed the hit was accidental, but he was booked into jail for domestic violence assault.
Police are investigating the report that a patient at a medical facility in the 1200 block of 24th Street had $1,000 taken from his jacket in an exam room while he was be treated in another room. The investigation is ongoing.
A 30-year-old Anacortes man was cited for possession of marijuana after an officer stopped the car he was driving for speeding on D Avenue and smelled the strong odor of marijuana inside of the vehicle. When asked about the smell, the man removed two baggies of marijuana from his pocket and handed them to the officer. He was released after receiving his citation.
A 49-year-old Burlington woman was issued a citation for violating a no-contact order after officers responded to a house in the 4400 block of Bryce Drive and learned she had been at the home meeting with her 21-year-old daughter. Officers later discovered a domestic violence protection order was in affect that prohibited the mother from having contact with her daughter. The mother left prior to the officers learning of the order, so she was mailed a citation.
Friday, February 5
A small sailboat appeared to have dragged its anchor and drifted into the breakwater at a marina in the 2400 block of T Avenue. A registration check showed the boat was owned by a 23-year-old Fidalgo Island man. The owner was contacted and said that he would respond and move the boat out to deeper water where it could be anchored again.