Police are investigating vandalism at a church and to a city street in the 3700 block of H Avenue. On Sunday, Oct. 7, an officer on patrol discovered an approximate 20-foot depiction of male genitals had been painted on the roadway and an approximate ten-foot arrow pointing towards the genitals had been painted on the church driveway. A smaller depiction of male genitalia was painted on the church sidewalk. Police also found the screen had been removed from a church window and that the window was open. Nothing appeared to have been disturbed inside of the church. Police spoke with a teenaged boy who lived in the neighborhood after he was mentioned as a possible suspect. The investigation is ongoing.
Here are some other cases Anacortes Police worked on last week.
Friday, Oct. 5
11:29 pm. Police responded to a bar located in the 300 block of Commercial Avenue regarding a male patron who had pushed several people in an attempt to start fights and was reported to be in the middle of the street throwing rocks. Police located the obviously intoxicated 25-year-old Oak Harbor resident outside of the bar. The man was evasive and profane in response to police questions and he was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct. It was learned that the man was active Navy and his friend informed police that he was upset because he was being deployed again. While seated in the police car, the man repeatedly slammed his head against the window and asked the officer to “shoot” him. The man was taken to the police station where he intentionally urinated on the wall of a holding cell. He eventually calmed down and was released into the custody of military security after receiving his criminal citation.
11:46 pm. A 21-year-old Anacortes woman was charged with assault and illegal possession of marijuana after she allegedly slapped another woman outside of a bar in the 300 block of Commercial Avenue. A verbal altercation had started between the two women after the suspect took offense to the victim being in the company of the suspect’s ex-boyfriend. Both women appeared to be intoxicated and the suspect admitted that she “may have” slapped the other woman. The suspect also admitted that a small amount of marijuana found in her purse belonged to her. The suspect was released after receiving her criminal citation.
Saturday, Oct. 6
7:13 am. An Anacortes woman reported that her 47-year-old ex-boyfriend had come to her residence in the 800 block of 34th Street in violation of a domestic violence protection order. The Friday Harbor resident had also allegedly sent the woman a series of text messages that also violated the court order. The man also had two warrants for his arrest for previous domestic violence crimes against the woman and he fled prior to officer arrival. Police located the man’s vehicle in the loading lines at the State Ferry terminal, but the vehicle was empty. A witness then advised police that the man was watching them from a nearby trail. Police located the man about 50 yards up the trail and took him into custody. The man was booked into jail on the warrants and a new charge of violating the protection order.
4:32 pm. A 5-year-old boy suffered a small puncture wound to his finger after he was bit by a dog while riding his bike in a cul-de-sac in the 3400 block of W. 6th Street. The dog had run out from a neighboring yard and bit the boy. The dog owner had accidentally left a gate open allowing the dog to run loose. The dog was current on its vaccinations. The dog’s owner faces a possible criminal charge of allowing the dog to run loose and the incident is being followed up on by the Animal Control Officer.
Sunday, Oct. 7
9:02 am. A mailbox at a home in the 4000 block of I Avenue was blown up and totally destroyed. It was believed that a “bird bomb” type explosive device commonly used to disperse nuisance birds was used based upon pieces found at the scene. The damage was estimated at $25.
9:03 am. A 10-foot aluminum hull/inflatable dinghy with an attached 10-horsepower Honda outboard motor was stolen from a boat slip at a marina in the 1000 block of Q Avenue. The dinghy had been tide to the dock next to the victim’s 48 foot sailboat. The boat was stolen sometime during the night while the owner was asleep on his sailboat. The total loss was estimated at $5,500. There are no suspects at this time.
Monday, Oct. 8
12:08 am. A mailbox in the 1200 block of 37th Street was reported to have been blown up after a neighbor heard a loud explosion. The blast also damaged the mailbox post. The victim said that it was second time the mailbox had been blown up in a 2-week period. The repair cost was estimated at $100.
While checking that area for anyone suspicious, police also received a report that another explosive device had been tossed on to the deck of a home in the 2300 block of 42nd Place. Fortunately the deck was not seriously damaged. Another call was then received that a firework had exploded in the driveway of a home in the 3500 block of Marion Way. The suspect(s) remain unknown.
12:51 am. An Arlington man reported that his white 1985 Toyota Corolla was stolen from the day use parking lot at Washington Park. A spare key had been hidden on the car, but no one had permission to take it. The next day the missing car was located parked in the 2200 block of Bradley Drive after a neighbor reported the car as a suspicious vehicle. The car was unoccupied and the neighbor had not seen anyone around it. The car owner responded to the scene but was unable to get the car started. It was then discovered that the spark plug wires had been removed. The suspect is unknown at this time.
2:15 am. A 69-year-old woman was booked into jail on domestic violence assault charges after she allegedly slapped her husband during the course of an argument at their home in the 1300 block of 7th Street. The husband had a bloody scratch and redness on his cheek. The woman had allegedly been mad because the family dog would not move off her side of their bed. The woman claimed that her husband had “assaulted” her by telling their dog that the “dog didn’t have to listen to her.” The woman also reportedly slapped the dog after it growled at her. The woman admitted to slapping her husband but only “because he was going to hit me.” The dog had no comment.
7:36 pm. The owner of a dump truck that was parked in the 400 block of 30th Street reported the truck had been prowled after he discovered the hood was up and the radiator hoses had been stolen. The hood had been unbolted and it appeared that someone had been possibly trying to steal the radiator.
Tuesday, Oct. 9
1:38 am. A 19-year-old Anacortes woman was arrested and issued criminal citations for illegal possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia after an officer contacted her while she was walking in the 600 block of 34th Street in the middle of the night. The woman admitted that she had a marijuana smoking pipe in her purse and she handed it to the officer. She was placed under arrest and the officer then located two baggies of marijuana and a package of “Juicy Jay Wham Bam Watermelon” rolling papers inside of her purse. The woman was released after being issued her citations and she offered to pay the officer $10 to get her ‘weed” back. The offer was declined and she was lectured about trying to bribe a police officer.
7:25 am. A red and gray colored boy’s Mongoose bicycle was stolen from the front yard of a home in the 1300 block of 9th Street. The bike was valued at $200.
10:20 am. A car parked in a gravel lot in the 8300 block of Summit Park Road was prowled. The front passenger window had been left down a few inches and that was just enough space for someone to reach inside and unlock the door. Stolen from the vehicle were an iPod, a pair of driving gloves, and a pair of sunglasses. The total loss was estimated at $270.
1:07 pm. A witness reported seeing an unknown man walk into his neighbor’s back yard in the 1000 block of 16th Street and then re-emerge carrying a sack that he didn’t earlier have. The man then walked away from the area. Police were unsuccessful in locating the man, but then checked the exterior of the home and found a door ajar with its glass broken. Police checked the interior of the house and found several drawers and the closet had been rifled through in a bedroom. Police are waiting for the homeowners to provide a list of stolen property. The witness said the alleged burglar was a man wearing very distinctive clothing described as slacks, a tweed jacket, and a green colored “newsboy” style cap.
3:53 pm. Police responded to Heart Lake Park after it was reported that a pickup had struck the entrance gate. The pickup was still on scene, but no one was located in the area. Approximately an hour later, the 18-year-old registered owner of the pickup attempted to report the truck had been stolen. The man’s story and timeline of his activities that day were suspicious to the officer and the man eventually admitted that he had been lying and that he had been driving the pickup at the time of the accident. The man said that he had lost control of the vehicle while turning into the park and slid on the gravel. He said that he fled the scene because he “didn’t want to get caught.” It was determined that excessive speed was a factor in the accident and the man was issued citations for hit and run and negligent driving.
7:38 pm. A 16-year-old boy was arrested at his home in the 1100 block of 17th Street on an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court on a 1st degree criminal trespass charge. He was booked into juvenile detention.
Wednesday, Oct. 10
7:33 am. Police received a tip that an 18-year-old man who had a warrant for failing to appear in court on felony drug charges was at a home in the 1900 block of 24th Street. Officers were invited into the home and arrested the man as he stepped out of the bathroom. The man had a backpack in his possession that police searched and inside they found baggies of marijuana, assorted pills, suspected heroin, suspected methamphetamine, and assorted drug paraphernalia. The man was booked into jail on the warrant and faces new felony drug possessions charges.
8:30 am. An employee of a business in the 8600 block of South Marches Point Road arrived at work and discovered that the padlock had been cut off the portable office trailer. The office had been entered and rifled through, but nothing appeared to be missing. The employee told officers that the business had been the victim of a number of small unreported incidents in the past few weeks involving damage to the property and gas being siphoned from a company vehicle.
2:38 pm. Someone vandalized a house under construction in the 3900 block of Cottage Place by spraying a continuous line of orange paint up and down across the exterior of the home. Numerous pieces of siding will have to be replaced and the damage was estimated at $1,000.
3:51 pm. A Garmin brand GPS device and a Jabra brand Bluetooth were reported stolen from a pickup parked at a car dealership in the 12600 block of Thompson Road. The vehicle had been locked and it appeared that entry had been made by inserting a screw driver into the driver’s door locking mechanism. There are no suspects at this time.
Thursday, Oct. 11
2:33 pm. A Schwinn brand “chopper” style bicycle was stolen from the front bike rack at the Middle School. The bike is distinctive by its thick back tire and chopper style front fork. The bike had been locked to the bike rack at the time of theft and the lock was also missing. The bike was valued at $250.
9:53 pm. Police responded to a convenience store in the 1100 block of 12th Street after an employee reported that an intoxicated belligerent man had stolen some items and then driven away in a white Jeep Cherokee. Police used the license information to locate the vehicle in the driveway of a home in the 5100 block of Sunset Avenue and noted that the engine was still very warm. Officers then spoke with a 47-year-old man at the house who confirmed that he had just driven home from the convenience store. The man said that he was “pretty sure” that he had paid for a hot dog and other food items at the store but that he didn’t remember. The man smelled strongly of intoxicants, his speech was slurred, and he swayed while standing. He declined to perform field sobriety tests and he was placed under arrest for drunk driving. The man was taken to the police station for processing, where he was uncooperative and belligerent. He eventually provided breath samples that were well over twice the legal limit. While being driven to the jail, the man called the officer derogatory names and told him that he would “have his job” and that he would “have to work for the US Forest Service.” He was booked on charges of DUI and theft in the third degree.
10:31 pm. A woman residing in the 1500 block of J Avenue heard someone in her driveway and looked outside and saw a subject lifting the door handles of 2 vehicles parked in the driveway. The suspect opened an unlocked door on the family’s pickup at the same time the woman’s boyfriend ran out of the house and chased after the suspect. The boyfriend caught the suspect about a block away and discovered that the suspect was an approximate 15-year-old girl. The girl began screaming to be let go so the boyfriend released her and returned home. The girl had not had time to steal anything and she was described as having pulled back hair and wearing a black and white horizontally striped shirt.