Late Friday afternoon, Jan. 25, the son of a former WWII veteran found what appeared to be a live hand grenade at his father’s home in 3000 block of Meridian Court. The son was preparing some items at the home for an estate sale and found the grenade in the garage. Explosive Ordinance Disposal technicians from NAS Whidbey responded to the home and confirmed that it did appear to be an old live grenade. The EOD techs took possession of the grenade and were going to x-ray it back at the Navy base prior to disposal. It was determined that no crime had occurred as the grenade appeared to be a memento of the father’s service in Normandy.
Friday, Jan. 25
9:36 pm. A Fidalgo Island man exited a meeting at a church in the 1000 block of 29th Street to discover that someone had broken out a window to his car that was parked on the side of the building. It was unknown what was used to break the glass and the suspect is unknown.
Saturday, Jan. 26
4:53 pm. A resident of the 500 block of 34th Street heard a loud crash and looked outside and saw a white colored late 1990’s era Dodge Caravan driving away rapidly. Tire tracks at the scene indicated that the van had crossed the roadway and hit and destroyed two wooden 4x4 mailbox posts and damaged the mailboxes. The repair coast was estimated at $100.00. The suspect driver is unknown at this time.
Sunday, Jan. 27
2:17 am. Witnesses reported that a car had crashed into a ditch in the 2300 block of Q Avenue and that a man and woman had walked away from the scene. The registration showed the car was owned by a 37-year-old Anacortes area woman who was found walking nearby with an Anacortes man. The woman admitted to driving the car into the ditch but said that she “had AAA so everything was fine.” The woman also had slurred speech, smelled of intoxicants, and had difficulty maintaining her balance. When asked for her identification, the woman handed the officer her debit card before finally locating her driver’s license. The woman said that she had been drinking “a lot” but that it didn’t matter because she wasn’t driving anymore and that she just wanted to go home. The woman argued with the officer and said that she did not want to return to the accident scene because she knew she “couldn’t drive.” The man walking with her confirmed that he was a passenger in the car and that the woman had been driving when it “slithered” into the ditch. The woman was arrested for drunk driving and during processing she provided breath samples that were over twice the legal limit. She was charged with DUI and released to a sober friend.
2:45 pm. An Oak Harbor woman reported that her car had collided with a black Ford pickup that had pulled out in front of her from a driveway while she was traveling southbound on State Route 20 at Sharpe’s Corner. The woman said that she spoke with the male driver of the pickup who then drove off without providing any information when she told him she was calling the police. The woman took a picture of the truck as it was leaving and police used the photograph to assist in identifying the vehicle owner as a 43-year-old Anacortes man who officers later contacted at his home. The man had a suspended driver’s license and a warrant for his arrest. The man admitted to being involved in the accident and leaving the scene and said that he knew he had been “wrong.” The man was issued a criminal citation for hit-and-run and driving with a suspended license. He was also issued a traffic infraction for failing to yield the right of way in causing the accident. He was released on the warrant as the jail would not take him for booking due to overcrowding.
Monday, Jan. 28
4:04 am. An Anacortes man reported that his Redline BMX bicycle had just been stolen from his front yard in the 1900 block of 11th Street and that he had chased the suspect a short distance before losing sight of him. The suspect was described as an approximate 18-year-old male wearing a dark colored backpack and light colored shirt. Police checked the area for the unknown suspect and the bicycle but did not locate either.
8:54 am. Someone stole a realtor’s lock box from the front door of a residence in the 3900 block of N Avenue. It appeared as though the box had been pried from the door handle on which it had been hung. A back door was also found ajar, but upon initial inspection nothing appeared to be missing from inside of the house.
11:47 am. Police are investigating a theft from a restaurant in the 800 block of Commercial Avenue in which approximately $250 in cash was stolen from a safe. Security camera video showed a woman wearing a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses enter the restaurant before opening time and attempt to open a cash register prior to moving to the area of the safe. Employees provided the name of a former employee as a possible suspect and investigators are attempting to locate and speak with the 23-year-old Anacortes resident.
112:05 pm. A 29-year-old Anacortes man faces possible felony drug possession charges after suspected heroin and a glass smoking pipe with drug residue were found in his pants pockets. The man had been taken into custody as he was a suspect in a previously reported theft and the illegal items were found when he was searched. The man admitted that he was addicted to heroin and used everyday. The man was released after being interviewed and advised that charges were forthcoming.
3:20 pm. An officer stopped a car in the 700 block of M Avenue and arrested the driver after confirming the 43-year-old Anacortes man had a felony warrant for his arrest from a previous trafficking in stolen property charge. The man was booked into the county jail.
Tuesday, Jan. 29
5:25 pm. A 69-year-old Anacortes man was issued a criminal citation for hit-and-run after he allegedly rear ended another vehicle at Christianson Road and State Route 20 and then left the scene. The victim driver, who was uninjured, manged to obtain the license plate of the suspect vehicle and an officer contacted the suspect driver at his home where he noticed fresh damage to the suspect’s vehicle. The man admitted to hitting the other vehicle and leaving the scene and he explained that he didn’t feel safe pulling over to the side of the road and that he hadn’t seen the damage to the bumper of the other vehicle.
Thursday, Jan. 31
4:23 am. An officer contacted two women holding empty gallon milk containers standing at the pumps at a gas station in the 2400 block of Commercial Avenue in early morning hours. The women advised that they were filling the milk jugs with gas because they didn’t have any proper containers. One of the women, a 24-year-old Anacortes resident, had a warrant for her arrest out of Burlington for a previous theft charge. She was arrested on the warrant and taken to the police station where she was later released as the jail would not accept her for booking.
1:42 pm. An officer spoke with a 13-year-old girl at the Middle School after school officials received information that the girl had brought drug paraphernalia to school. School staff then found a smoking pipe with drug residue, an open pack of hand rolled cigarettes, and several lighters in her backpack. The girl told the officer that she didn’t care about the consequences of her actions and admitted that she frequently smoked marijuana. She was referred to juvenile court on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and unlawful possession of tobacco by a minor.
2:46 pm. A 31-year-old Anacortes woman was issued a criminal citation for theft after she was caught shoplifting by employees of a grocery store in the 900 block of 11th Street. The woman had been seen concealing makeup up her sleeve and leaving without paying. The woman told the officer she was going through “tough times” and couldn’t afford to buy the makeup. She was released after receiving her citation.