On Tuesday, March 5, a hit-and-run accident was reported in the 7600 block of State Route 20 with the at-fault driver leaving the scene. The at-fault driver allegedly pulled out from a parking lot after failing to yield the right of way to a pickup traveling south on the highway causing the pickup to collide with the car. The at-fault driver of the car was reported to be a blonde woman wearing a bikini top. The fleeing car was later located parked in front of a house in the 900 block of 8th Street. The car had fresh damage and a bikini top and an open bottle of wine were visible on the floor.
Witnesses in the area saw a woman who appeared to be totally topless exit the car by climbing out of the driver’s door window and then run into the house. Police repeatedly knocked on the door of the house and called the phone number for the 28-year-old female owner of the car but got no response. Police then had the car impounded. The woman’s father later called the police and confirmed his daughter was not injured as the result of the collision. The woman was subsequently issued citations for hit-and-run, failure to yield the right of way, and no proof of insurance.
Here are some of the other cases Anacortes Police worked on last week.
Friday, March 1
2:27 pm. A counterfeit $100 bill was used at a convenience store in the 1700 block of 12th Street. An employee reported that an unknown man who was not a regular customer had purchased approximately $40 worth of items and paid with the phony bill. The man was given his change and the clerk didn’t realize the bill was fake until after the man had left.
11:59 pm. An officer stopped a car in the 400 block of Q Avenue after it ran a stop sign and almost struck the officer’s patrol car. The driver, a 28-year-old Anacortes man, claimed that he had “rolled” through the stop sign, but the officer told him that it appeared he hadn’t even slowed down. The driver smelled of intoxicants, had watery bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and said that he had “a couple of beers.” The man also had a suspended driver’s license for unpaid tickets. The man failed field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest for drunk driving. During processing, the man told the officer that he had some “good beers” and that he thought his blood alcohol content was “around a .10.” He was fairly close as his breath samples were slightly higher. He was issued a criminal citation for DUI and driving with a suspended license.
Saturday, March 2
2:22 am. An officer observed a car travel through the Commercial Avenue roundabout at a high rate of speed and then continue south on Commercial Avenue while traveling in a designated bike lane for approximately a block. The officer stopped that car in the 900 block of 37th Street and identified the driver as an 18-year-old Anacortes man. The man said that he was in a hurry to get home with his girlfriend who was in the passenger seat. The man smelled of intoxicants, had slurred speech, and told the officer that he had “one” beer earlier. He failed field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. When he was searched, the officer found a jar that contained marijuana and a pipe in the man’s pocket. The man admitted to smoking marijuana earlier in the night. During processing, the man told the officer that he was not going to take a breath test or cooperate any further. He then refused the breath test. The man was issued criminal citations for DUI and illegal possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia before being released to his parents.
10:54 pm. Officers responded to a home in the 4300 block of Bryce Drive after a witness reported hearing yelling and glass breaking. Officers contacted a 31-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman in the back yard who both appeared to be extremely intoxicated. The man was shirtless and both people appeared to have been rolling around on the ground. The couple admitted that they had been arguing and the woman said that she had been upset because the man was not paying attention to her. The officers observed a broken exterior window and the woman said that she had smashed the glass with a piece of wood. The man said that he had fallen and ripped his shirt when he tried to prevent her from doing any more damage. The woman was arrested, issued a citation for domestic violence malicious mischief, and taken to her mother’s house where she was released.
Sunday, March 3
12:41 am. An officer stopped a car on M Avenue for traveling 45 mph in the 25 mph zone. The driver, a 44-year-old woman, told the officer that she wasn’t from the area and didn’t know the speed limit or how fast she was traveling. The woman smelled strongly of intoxicants and had slurred speech. When asked for her license, the woman handed the officer a military ID card. The officer then pointed out the woman’s license in her wallet which she then provided to the officer. The woman claimed that she had not been drinking although she stumbled as she exited the car and had poor balance. She performed very poorly on sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. The woman appeared to intentionally avoid providing valid breath samples and she was then taken to the emergency room for blood samples. She faces charges of drunk driving upon the lab results of her blood analysis.
5:04 am. A 22-year-old Anacortes area transient was booked in to jail on felony charges of motor vehicle theft and eluding after leading police on a pursuit through the southern portion of town. An officer had seen a pickup traveling at a high rate of speed southbound on Commercial Avenue and locked it on radar at 67 mph in the 30 mph zone. The officer activated his patrol car lights and siren, but the pickup failed to stop. It then sped through several streets including Fidalgo, 41st, H Avenue, and 29th while failing to stop at several stop signs. Officers were also unsuccessful in using spike strips to stop the truck at 32nd Street and H Avenue. The driver finally stopped the truck at 34th Street and V Avenue and surrendered by putting his hands in the air. He was placed under arrest and appeared very lethargic. He admitted to using heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine within the previous few hours. The man also admitted that he had stolen the pickup from “somewhere near the bowling alley.” Police confirmed with the owner of the pickup that he did not know the suspect nor had he given anyone permission to take it.
9:50 am. Unknown vandals smeared human feces across the window and hood of a vehicle parked in the 3500 block of N Avenue. A roll of toilet paper was also left hanging on the antenna and feces was also smeared on the driver’s door handle. It also appeared that someone had urinated on one of the tires. The victim had no idea why someone would vandalize his car.
11:59 am. Someone attempted to steal an unlocked car that was parked in the 900 block of 24th Street. The victim discovered that the dash board cover had been pulled off and the ignition wires exposed in an attempt to “hot-wire ”the car. The unknown suspect also used the garage door opener to access the victim’s garage, but nothing appeared to have been stolen.
5:27 pm. A 20-year-old man was arrested without incident at a home in the 700 block of Q Avenue on an outstanding Skagit Superior Court felony warrant for previous charges of burglary and possession of a controlled substance. He was booked into the county jail.
6:28 pm. An off-duty officer recognized two Anacortes women, age 25 and 20, walking into a business in the 1500 block of Commercial Avenue and alerted on-duty officers as the women each had misdemeanor warrants for their arrest. Both women were placed under arrest and a new package of laundry detergent fell out of the 25-year-old’s jacket. The older woman’s purse was then searched and the officer found unopened packages of body spray, deodorant, and a toothbrush that were determined to have been stolen from a nearby grocery store. The older woman was issued a citation for theft and was booked into jail on her warrants. The jail would not accept the younger woman on her warrants due to overcrowding and she was released after being given a new court date.
Monday, March 4
8:29 am. An Anacortes woman reported that her purse had been stolen off of a table at a restaurant/bar in the 200 block of T Avenue the previous night. A citizen brought the purse to the police station the next day after finding it under a park bench at Washington Park. The contents of the purse were all accounted for with the exception of $100 in cash. The purse was returned to the victim.
9:06 am. Someone forced open the door to a drop box at a real estate office in the 3000 block of Commercial Avenue and stole an unknown amount of checks from the box. Since it was near the first of the month, there should have been a significant amount of rent checks in the box. There are no suspects at this time.
12:46 pm. A counterfeit $100 was discovered after it had been passed at a drug store in the 900 block of 17th Street. Closer inspection of the bill showed it to be a ”washed” $5.00 dollar bill. The matter is under further investigation.
1:01 pm. An Anacortes woman reported fraudulent usage of her credit card after she discovered five fraudulent transactions that totaled $1,000 for the purchase of video games made on-line. The victim was in possession of her credit card and had no idea who the unknown suspect obtained her credit card information.
Tuesday, March 5
3:27 pm. Police are looking to speak with a 65-year-old Anacortes man after he allegedly wrote 16 checks to a business in the 2800 block of Commercial Avenue over the course of a week that all were returned for insufficient funds. The checks totaled $235 and, with the bad check fees, the man owes the business $635. The matter is under further investigation.
Wednesday, March 6
11:37 am. A warehouse in the 600 block of 30th Street was burglarized sometime since last October. The owner reported that several items were stolen that included a Honda 9.9 horsepower outboard motor, a Miller welder, a 40-gallon compressor, grinders, cordless drills, and 300 brass rings that weighed 4-5 pounds each that were used to weight fish nets. The weight of the rings would have been between 1,200 and 1,500 pounds. It was believed that a door had been forced open to gain entry.
10:24 pm. Police were advised that two Anacortes boys, age 17 and 12, were at a home in the 900 block of 23rd Street and wanted to turn themselves in as they both had warrants for their arrest. The older boy’s warrant was for illegal possession of marijuana and the younger boy’s warrant was for 4th degree assault. Police arrested the boys at the home and they were both booked into Juvenile Detention.
Thursday, March 7
12:00 pm. A Mercury 9.9-horsepower outboard boat motor was stolen off of a dinghy that was being stored at a marine facility in the 700 block of 30th Street. A mounting bracket for the motor was also broken. The motor was valued at $2,400.
6:00 pm. Police were notified of a possible drunk driver heading into Anacortes from a local casino. Casino staff reported that they had seen the male driver “passed out” at a slot machine and that the man had ignored their requests not to drive before leaving the casino. An Anacortes officer passed by the man driving his vehicle on R Avenue and then contacted the 29-year-old Anacortes resident after the man parked and walked into a bar in the 2800 block of Commercial Avenue. The man went outside to speak with the officers and they noticed that he was unsteady on his feet, had watery bloodshot eyes, and had an overwhelming odor of intoxicants on his breath. The man said that he had “one beer’ and “one shot” at the casino. The man failed field sobriety tests, was placed under arrest, and he told officers that he “already had two” previous DUI arrests. The man’s car smelled strongly of marijuana and during processing he told police that he had been smoking marijuana in addition to having “two beers and a shot.” The man provided breath samples that were approximately 2½ times the legal limit. He was issued a citation for DUI.
Friday, March 8
8:42 am. An officer recognized a 22-year-old Anacortes man standing on the corner of 22nd and J Avenue and was aware that the man had an active warrant for his arrest out of the Department of Corrections for failing to report for a urinalysis. The man was placed under arrest and released into the custody of a DOC officer for later booking into the Snohomish County jail.