A resident in the 1400 block of 24th Street returned home on Saturday, June 1, after being away for several hours to discover his home had been burglarized. Thieves had broken the window in an exterior door, allowing them entry into a garage and house. The missing items included two tablet style computers, an iPad, and some prescription medication. The victim was able to use an “App” to track the location of his iPad to a home in the 500 block of “O” Ave. Police were familiar with the occupants of the house and were able to recover some of the stolen items there. A 15-year-old boy was arrested at the home and charged with Investigation of Residential Burglary. He has been arrested for similar offenses in the past. Officers located other stolen property in the home that linked the boy to recent vehicle prowls. A second suspect was identified and arrested in the 2000 block of “N” Ave. a short time later. The second suspect, a 16-year-old Anacortes boy also has previous arrests for burglaries and vehicle prowls.
Here are some of the other cases Anacortes Police worked on last week.
Friday, May 31
12:55pm. Someone prowled an unlocked pickup parked in a grocery store parking lot in the 900 block of 11th Street. The contents of the pickup were rifled through and the unknown thief stole an iPhone, a checkbook, and some medication.
5:12 pm. An unknown keyed and damaged the passenger side of a car that was parked in the 2900 block of V Avenue. The repair cost was estimated at $500.
8:17 pm. A 2 foot by 2 foot heavy decorative steel propeller was stolen from where it was propped up on the side of a business in the 1000 block of 7th Street. The propeller was valued at $500.
Saturday, June 1
10:02 am. Police responded to the report of a domestic disturbance at a home in the 4700 block of Yorkshire Drive. It was learned that the married couple was arguing about who would get custody of their dog in their pending divorce. No crime occurred as the dispute was only verbal.
4:20 pm. A black and gray unknown brand mountain bike was stolen from behind an apartment complex in the 1100 block of 24th Street. The victim said that she kept the bike “hidden” at the complex. The value of the bike and the suspect are both unknown.
4:40 pm. An 18-year-old Anacortes man was charged with misdemeanor theft after he was caught shoplifting approximately $90.00 worth of food and beverage, including three bottles of rum, at a grocery store in the 900 block of 11th Street. Employees had detained the man outside of the store when they saw him exit without paying. The man admitted to a police officer that he had stolen the items but that he was “doing it for someone else” and that he would “take the fall for it.” The man also said that his parents were going to be very upset that he stole the items.
8:05 pm. The groundskeeper of a private development on Creekside Lane discovered that the lock had been cut off of the gate of a RV storage area. A lock box was also stolen off of a gate to the complex. The loss was estimated at $100.00.
Monday, June 3
1:39 pm. Three decorative glass floats were stolen during the night from the patio area of a home in the 700 block of Q Avenue. The loss was estimated at $160. One of the floats was later found at an apartment in the 1100 block of 34th Street where an officer was helping with an eviction. The float was returned to the victim.
10:17 pm. An officer stopped a vehicle on Commercial Avenue for speeding. The driver’s movements were slow and sluggish and he looked for his license. The driver, a 37-year-old Anacortes man, had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and smelled of intoxicants. The driver said that he had “two or three” drinks and he implored the officer to just let him drive home as he had “just been fired” from his job and could not afford a drunk driving arrest. The driver failed field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. He was taken to the police station where he repeatedly cursed and blamed the officer for his predicament. The man said that he “had not hurt anyone” and had “just been driving fast” when he was stopped. The breath test showed that in addition to driving fast the man’s blood alcohol level was over twice the legal limit. He was issued a criminal citation for DUI and released to a sober friend.
Tuesday, June 4
1:51 pm. Police responded to the report of a hit and run accident that occurred at a pharmacy in the 900 block of 17th Street after witnesses saw an elderly woman back her car into an outdoor plant display and cause an estimated $500 in damage. The car then drove away with the driver appearing not to have realized she hit anything. Witnesses said that the sound of the display being struck was loud enough to cause all of the occupants inside of the business to exit to see what had occurred. Approximately 40 plants that were in the display were knocked over and damaged and a piece of the suspect vehicle’s broken taillight was found among the plants. Surveillance video and a store receipt of the suspect driver led police to contact a 77-year-old Anacortes woman at her home. The woman told police that she was unaware that she had hit anything. The broken taillight piece also matched the damage on the woman’s car. The business did not want to pursue hit and run charges against the woman, but she was issued a traffic infraction for improper backing
3:50 pm. An Anacortes resident called police to report that he believed coyotes in Washington Park were eating all of the deer since he had seen fewer deer in the park in the past couple of weeks. The resident then said that he was worried the coyotes would start eating children when the deer were all gone. The man was advised that the deer traveled at their own discretion in and out of the park and that there had been no incidents of coyote aggression towards children in the park.
Thursday, June 6
3:18 pm. An Anacortes woman reported that her 44-year-old ex-husband was violating a no-contact order at her home in the 1200 block of 20th Street after he allegedly was parked at the end of the block staring at her house. Police contacted the man who was indeed watching his ex-wife’s house but he claimed that he was outside of the 100 foot distance stipulation in the order and that he was just watching the house so his ex wouldn’t place his “stuff” into a garage sale. The order also stipulated that the man could not keep his ex under surveillance and he was placed under arrest. Since the man smelled of intoxicants, displayed other classic signs of intoxication, and subsequently failed field sobriety tests, he was also arrested for being in physical control of a motor vehicle while under the influence. He refused to take the breath test at the police station. He was booked into jail on charges of violating the no-contact order and physical control.