An officer stopped a car on W. 3rd Street after his radar showed the car was traveling 78 miles per hour in the 30 mph zone on Oakes Avenue on Thursday, May 27. The car also made two un-signaled turns. The driver was identified as a 33-year-old Anacortes man who told the officer “fast is fun.” The driver smelled of alcohol, had watery bloodshot eyes, and other signs of intoxication. He was placed under arrest for reckless driving and he was very unsteady on his feet. He failed a field sobriety test and it was determined he was too drunk to safely perform any more tests. The man also had a suspended driver’s license. He was taken to the police station for drunk driving processing and he provided breath samples that were two and a half times the legal limit. He was booked into jail for the DUI and reckless driving charges.
Here are some of the other cases Anacortes Police worked this week.
Friday, May 21
A resident of the 800 block of 34th Street reported a possible burglary attempt at her home. The resident returned home and found it difficult to open her locked back door. She then discovered a side window had the glass broken out and that a chair was wedged under the door handle of the door she was attempting to open. The resident forced open the door and checked the house prior to calling the police. Police arrived and further checked the home, but the resident said that nothing appeared to be missing. The resident said that she had been hearing possible prowlers in the area at night for the past couple of weeks.
The father of a 19-year-old Anacortes woman who had recently been arrested and jailed for assaulting him reported that his daughter had called him demanding to be let back into a house that her parents owned and allowed her to live in. A court order that had been issued when the daughter was released from jail prohibited her from contacting her father, including telephone calls. The daughter was contacted at a home on 10th Street and taken into custody. She said that she believed the court order only prohibited face to face contact. She was booked back into jail for violating the order.
A tip jar containing approximately $30 in cash was stolen from a coffee stand in the 1000 block of 13th Street. A witness had reportedly seen a bushy haired juvenile male take the tip jar and run to a nearby apartment complex. An officer spoke with the mother of a possible suspect, but it was learned that the boy had recently gotten a short hair cut and did not match the suspect description. The thief is unknown at this time.
Saturday, May 22
A witness reported overhearing passengers in a vehicle leaving a grocery store parking lot trying to convince the driver to not drive because he was too intoxicated. An officer located the vehicle as it stopped in the roadway in the 1100 block of Longview Avenue and saw two male passengers exit. The officer approached the still running vehicle and contacted the male driver who smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot and watery eyes. The man confirmed he had just driven from the store but claimed he had not been drinking. The driver, a 21-year-old Fidalgo Island man, performed poorly on field sobriety tests and also had slurred speech. He was arrested for drunk driving and taken to the police station where he refused to take the breath test. He was issued a citation for DUI and released to a sober friend.
A witness reported seeing a man in a vehicle with Utah license plates “shooting up drugs” while parked outside of an apartment in the 1100 block of 24th Street. An officer saw the vehicle leaving the area and stopped it at 24th Street and Commercial Avenue. The driver was identified as a 28-year-old Utah man who claimed he was in town for a funeral. The man denied any drug activity, but his driver’s license was suspended so he was placed under arrest. The man had needle marks on his arm including a fresh needle puncture that was still bleeding and officers could see possible drug paraphernalia in the car. A search warrant was granted for the car and during the search officers located suspected heroin, methamphetamine, and several items of drug paraphernalia. The man later admitted that the drugs were for his personal use. The man was released but faces felony drug possession charges.
Sunday, May 23
An Echo brand gas powered string trimmer and two partially full plastic gas cans were stolen from an open style utility trailer parked in the driveway at a home in the 2400 block of 32nd Street. The loss was estimated at approximately $430.
Officers received a tip that a 28-year-old man was at an apartment in the 1300 block of H Avenue in violation of a domestic violation protection order. The order prohibited the man from being at the home or having any contact with his wife who lived there. The wife allowed police to enter the home but said that her husband was not there. Police smelled the strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from the upstairs part of the home. Officers had previously found the man hiding in a closet, and when they checked the closet this time they found the man hiding in a crawlspace amidst the insulation. The man was placed under arrest and immediately claimed ownership of a baggy of marijuana on top of a mattress lying on the floor. He admitted he had been smoking marijuana a short time earlier. To compound the man’s problems, he also had three warrants for his arrest from previous domestic assault and no contact order violations. The man was booked into jail on charges of violating the court order again, possession of marijuana, and for the warrants.
A 26-year-old man was arrested at a home in the 1500 block of Burrows Court for violating the terms of a domestic violence no-contact order. The order prohibited the man from contacting a 24-year-old woman at the home or being at the residence. Officers saw the couple together inside of the home through a sliding glass door and then contacted the man at the front door. The man said that he knew he was not supposed to be at the home, but that he “had nowhere else to go.” He was booked into jail.
Monday, May 24
Officers were dispatched to a tavern in the 1900 block of 21st Street regarding an assault complaint. A 21-year-old bar patron reported that he had gone behind the bar when the bartender yelled at him for his actions. The man said that a female friend of the bartender then “got in his face” and began to yell at him that he needed to listen to the bartender. The man said that the friend then grabbed a pool cue and struck him across the ribs which caused visible redness. The friend, a 26-year-old Anacortes woman, was contacted walking away from the bar. The woman admitted to confronting the man for not listening to the bartender, and she admitted that she “sorta hit him with a pool cue.” The woman was placed under arrest and issued a citation for assault. She was then released as the jail would not accept her for booking.
A 9-foot Nordic inflatable boat valued at $500was stolen from where it was moored at a slip at a marina in the 1000 block of Q Avenue sometime last month. Also missing was a 9.9 horsepower Mercury outboard motor that was attached to the boat. The motor was valued at $2,200.
A woman who was walking her Jack Russell terrier reported that a Pit Bull mix dog had run out of the yard of a home in the 1300 block of 32nd Street and attacked her dog. The owner of the Pit Bull then reportedly pulled her dog off of the terrier. The Pit Bull had not been leashed or fenced in when it ran out of its yard. The Pit Bull was taken to the dog pound for temporary quarantine and the Animal Control Officer is following up on the incident.
Officers responded to an apartment complex in the 1100 block of 24th Street regarding the report of a hit and run and a possible burglary. A witness had seen a man loading numerous items from a storage locker into a pickup and then watched the pickup hit a parked car as it left the parking lot. An officer stopped the pickup a short time later when it returned to the apartment complex and identified the driver as a 36-year-old transient with an extensive criminal history. The witness positively identified the man as the person she had seen although he denied doing anything wrong. He did admit that he might have struck another vehicle. The man was not a tenant of the complex and officers discovered two storage lockers had been forced open. One tenant confirmed her locker had been entered and that numerous tools and other items were missing. The items were not in the pickup when the man returned to the complex. The man was booked into jail for investigation of burglary and the matter is under further investigation.
A 15-year-old boy was booked into juvenile detention after he allegedly assaulted his mother at their home in the 800 block of 28th Street. The boy had allegedly been arguing with his girlfriend when his mother told him to calm down. The mother told the boy that he was acting just like his father which resulted in the boy allegedly grabbing his mother by her shirt and pushing her to the ground. The mother got up and tried to walk upstairs, but the boy allegedly grabbed her by the leg which caused her to fall. The mother was not injured. The boy was found in the courtyard of the apartment complex and placed under arrest. He denied having “hurt” his mother. The boy also had a warrant for his arrest for failing to appear in court on a disorderly conduct charge.
Tuesday, May 25
An officer recognized a 27-year-old Anacortes man driving in the 6000 block of Parkside Drive as having two valid warrants for his arrest from previous drug offenses. The officer stopped the vehicle and arrested the driver. A 25-year-old male passenger in the vehicle also had a warrant for his arrest from a previous DUI charge. Both men were booked into jail on the warrants.
An officer stopped a pickup driven by a 46-year-old Friday Harbor man in the 2300 block of R Avenue for weaving over the center line. A witness had also reported the vehicle as a possible DUI after following the erratically driven truck into town. The driver had watery bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol although he said that he had not been drinking. The driver fumbled for his license and was unsteady on his feet while continuing to say that he hadn’t been drinking. The driver failed field sobriety tests and then said that he had been drinking during the previous two days. He was arrested for drunk driving and taken to the police station. He provided breath samples that were approximately three times the legal limit. He was cited for DUI and transported to the ferry to be a “walk-on” passenger.
A car parked on the north side of the high school sustained approximately $750 in damage after it was hit by an unknown vehicle during school time hours.
The owner of a vehicle parked at the Senior Center returned to his car and found that it had been struck and scratched by an unknown vehicle. The damage was estimated at $500.
Wednesday, May 26
An Oak Harbor man discovered that a radio controlled truck he had left at a friend’s house in the 1100 block of Longview Avenue had been pawned at a Mount Vernon pawn shop. The truck was valued at approximately $490. Records showed that the truck had been pawned by the man’s 23-year-old friend. Police are looking to speak with the “friend” who faces possible criminal charges.
A security guard reported a trespasser had crawled under a building in the 100 block of Commercial Avenue and not come out. Police then searched under the building and found a 33-year-old transient sleeping. The transient said that he was from the “Congo” and had been in the U.S. on a student visa for 9 years. The man said that his passport and legal papers had all been previously “stolen.” The Border Patrol was contacted and an agent later arrived and took custody of the man to determine his immigration status.
The Swinomish Tribal Police assisted Anacortes Police in arresting a 59-year-old Hope Island man for investigation of burglary and motor vehicle theft. A passerby had discovered the yard gate at a building supply company in the 1900 block of Commercial Avenue was knocked down and appeared to have been struck by a vehicle. Investigation revealed that a chain had actually been attached to the gate and it had been pulled down from the inside. Anacortes Police learned that Swinomish Police had arrested the suspect about an hour earlier for driving drunk on the reservation in a pickup registered to the building supply company. The suspect did not work for the company nor did he have permission to be driving the pickup. He also did not have permission to be inside of the locked gated yard where the pickup was stored. The suspect had been initially released on the DUI charge but was arrested again at his home upon discovery of the new crimes. He was booked into jail for the previously mentioned charges and also for malicious mischief as it was estimated that the repair costs for the gate and fence would exceed $5,000.
Thursday, May 27
A 38-year-old woman was arrested at a home in the 1700 block of 32nd Street on an outstanding warrant for failing to comply to report to jail on a previous drug charge. She was booked into the county jail.
A 54-year-old Anacortes man was arrested for allegedly violating no-contact orders with two different people on the same day. A resident of the 1500 block of 7th Street reported the man had called him on the phone in violation of a court order and told the victim he was “going to fight” him. The man then allegedly went to an adult care facility in the 1100 block of 27th Street where he yelled at the staff and demanded to see his mother. A court order prohibited the man from being on the facility property or contacting his mother. The man was located walking in the 3300 block of Commercial Avenue and arrested. He admitted to violating the orders and told the officer that both of the victim’s were “going down.” He was booked into jail.
Friday, May 28
Officers responded to a domestic dispute at an apartment in the 800 block of 23rd Street involving a woman and her 22-year-old boyfriend after a neighbor had heard yelling and a woman calling for help. The woman answered the door and said that “northing” was going on. Officers entered the apartment and spoke with the boyfriend who appeared to be intoxicated. He said that the couple had argued, but no physical assault had occurred. The man did have a felony warrant for a previous drug offense and he was placed under arrest. He was booked into jail on the warrant.
A high school student reported that $180 in cash had been stolen from his locker in the athletic locker room two days prior. Security video showed a 17-year-old boy as the only student who entered the locker room during the time of the theft. An officer then interviewed the boy who admitted to looking through several lockers before finding the victim’s wallet and stealing the cash. He further admitted that he had already spent some of the money to buy a pair of pants and food. The officer then went to the boy’s home where $100 of the cash was recovered. The money was returned to the victim and the suspect boy was referred to juvenile court on theft charges.