Police were advised of a possible drunk driver in line at the Guemes Ferry terminal after a woman reported the car behind her in line had bumped her car several times on Wednesday night. It was reported that the “older” male suspect driver appeared to be passed out, but that he would awake occasionally, start his car, and bump the vehicle in front of him. Police arrived and had difficulty waking the man as he did appear to be passed out in the driver’s seat. Officers were able to finally wake the man and he was identified as a 73-year-old Guemes Island resident. The man had difficulty in locating his documentation and he initially handed the officer a dollar bill when asked for his license. The officer asked the man if he believed that the dollar bill was his license and the man answered “yes.” The man also said that he was unaware that he had struck the car in front of him. The man smelled of intoxicants, had watery bloodshot eyes, and had to lean on his car to maintain his balance while exiting. When asked “how much” he had to drink, the man just pointed towards Guemes Island and was silent. After failing field sobriety tests, the man was placed under arrest for drunk driving. A half empty bottle of whiskey was found in his car. During processing, the man provided breath samples that were almost two-and-a-half times the legal limit. The man was issued a citation for DUI.
Here are some of the other cases Anacortes Police worked on last week.
Friday, August 2
10:53 pm. A witness reported a car driving southbound on the northbound lanes of R Avenue. An officer located the car and observed it traveling very slowly after it turned onto State Route 20 and then saw the vehicle weave over the fog line a few times. The car was also very slow to pull over after the officer activated his patrol car emergency lights. The driver was identified as a 53-year-old La Conner man who had slurred speech, lethargic movements, and smelled of intoxicants. The man said that he had three drinks and had a taken some Valium a few hours earlier. The man failed field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest for drunk driving. During processing, he provided breath samples that were approximately one and a half times the legal limit. He was issued a citation for DUI and released to his fiancé.
Saturday, August 3
10:31 am. A navy blue-colored Trek brand bicycle valued at $600 was stolen from outside of an apartment in the 1000 block of 7th Street. The victim said that he had arrived back at his apartment and had run inside quickly and had forgotten to secure the bike for the night.
6:31 pm. An officer stopped a vehicle on Sunset Avenue for speeding and identified the driver as a 31-year-old Seattle man whose eyes were droopy and bloodshot. The officer saw several empty beer cans on the floor of the vehicle, but the driver said that he only had one drink. When asked why he obviously appeared intoxicated, the man said in a slurred voice that he had “just” had the one drink a few minutes earlier. The performed poorly on a few field sobriety tests and then refused to take a portable breath test after saying, “I know I’m over.” The man was placed under arrest for drunk driving but refused to take the breath test at the police station. The man was booked into the county jail on the charge of DUI.
Sunday, August 4
2:04 am. A 35-year-old Burlington man was arrested on the charge of domestic violence criminal trespass (1st degree) after he allegedly entered his ex-wife’s home in the 1900 block of Island View Place without permission and engaged in an argument with her. He then refused to leave. The woman showed police a series of text messages between her and the man in which she communicated that he was not welcome at her home. When asked if he had permission to be at the house, the man told police, “There had been no invitation.” The man was booked into the county jail.
7:34 am. A 21-year-old Anacortes man was issued a traffic citation for reckless driving after an officer saw him lose control of the Jeep he was driving while turning from Kansas Avenue onto W. 4th Street. The Jeep had been traveling a high rate of speed as it entered the turn and it fishtailed, spun 180 degrees, and then left the roadway before coming to a stop near a transformer power station. The driver had a female passenger and there were no doors on the Jeep which increased the risk of possible injury. The driver told the officer that he had trying to “show off” for his passenger.
Monday, August 5
10:53 am. Residents of the 800 block of 33rd Street reported the theft of two pair of noise-canceling headphones valued at $900 each, a Garmin brand GPS system valued at $1,800, and an Apple iPod Nano music player sometime over the previous two months. The victim’s were not certain if the items had been inside of their home or their vehicle and there was no sign of forced entry into either location.
7:48 pm. A woman reported that her estranged husband had come to her home in the 6000 block of Parkside Drive approximately three weeks earlier and assaulted her. The woman said the 36-year-old man had shoved her to the ground, then lifted her and threw her onto a couch, and then put both of his hands around her throat and choked her. The woman said that the man believed she was having an affair with another man. The woman said that man then began to cry and apologized. A witness told police that the woman had been sending the man text messages stating that she was having an affair with another man and that the estranged husband then went to the woman’s home to investigate. The witness said that the woman was “egging the man on” prior to the man pushing the woman down. The witness did not see any other altercation. The matter is under further investigation and police are still seeking to speak with the estranged husband.
Tuesday, August 6
4:10 pm. Police responded to a two-car collision in the 1400 block of Commercial Avenue after a Jeep struck another vehicle from behind. The driver of the at-fault Jeep was identified as a 57-year-old Anacortes woman who smelled of intoxicants and appeared to be intoxicated although she claimed not to have drunk anything “in quite some time.” The woman displayed very poor balance during field sobriety tests and provided a portable breath test that was approximately four times the legal limit. The woman was placed under arrest for drunk driving and taken to the police station for processing where she said, “I can’t walk a straight line even if I was sober” and “I feel like I’m getting drunker and drunker.” She provided breath samples that again were almost four times the limit. She was cited for DUI and released to a sober friend.
5:01 pm. A 35-year-old Anacortes man who is currently confined in the county jail for allegedly assaulting and seriously injuring his girlfriend also faces possible new charges of violating a domestic violence no-contact order after jail staff discovered the man had been calling the woman from the jail. The court order prohibited the man from intentionally contacting the woman.
Wednesday, August 7
8:47 am. An officer checking on an occupied vehicle parked on the shoulder of the road on Anaco Beach Road discovered that the registered owner of the vehicle had a felony warrant for his arrest from a previous drug possession charge. The officer confirmed that the owner of the vehicle, a 28-year-old Anacortes man, was also the occupant in the vehicle. The man was taken into custody on the warrant and booked into the county jail.
1:27 pm. A set of four Toyo brand tires with “Mag” style rims were stolen from where they had been stacked outside of a swap market in the 7600 block of State Route 20. The tires and rims were valued at $2,300. A witness had seen a man measure the tires with a tape measure and then throw them into the back of a 1980’s era white colored Chevy S-10 pickup and then drive away. The suspect was described as a Hispanic male in his 30’s with tattoos on his arms wearing a white t-shirt, jeans, and a ball cap. The suspect’s identity is unknown at this time.
1:29 pm. A teenager who heard the sound of the front door opening and moments later the sound of a closet opening discovered two unknown people standing in the living room at the teen’s home in the 4600 block of Anaco Beach Road. The teen yelled at the two people to get out of the house and the would-be burglars claimed they thought the house was empty before they exited quickly out the front door. They then drove away in a small silver sedan with a spoiler. The burglars were described as both looking like “tweakers” with the male being in his late 20’s, very thin, about 5-11 with shoulder length curly sandy blonde hair. The accompanying female was described as being very thin, in her late 20’s, about 5-06, with shoulder length matted dark brown hair. Fortunately nothing appeared to have been stolen form the house.
7:22 pm. A Port Townsend resident reported that his 1987 Subaru station wagon had been stolen from where he had left it parked while visiting Orcas Island near 10th Street and Q Avenue. The victim said the vehicle had been locked and that he had the key. The victim’s wallet containing his driver’s license and debit card had also been left in the stolen vehicle. There are no suspects at this time.
11:41 pm. An 18-year-old Anacortes man was issued a criminal citation for illegal possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia after a witness reported “juveniles’ smoking marijuana near the laundry room of an apartment complex in the 800 block of 29th Street. An officer found the man and two teenaged female juveniles sitting behind some bushes near the laundry room. The group admitted to smoking marijuana and the man handed over a small baggy containing marijuana. The man admitted that a marijuana smoking pipe at the scene was his. The man also admitted that he used a cylindrical shaped container with white residue found in his backpack to smoke “meth.” The girls were released to a parent.
Thursday, August 8
9:25 am. Police plan to charge a 61-year-old Anacortes woman with hit-and-run after a witness saw the woman back her truck into a car in a parking lot a medical facility in the 1200 block of 24th Street and then leave the scene. The witness said the collision made a very loud noise and caused noticeable damage to the unoccupied victim’s vehicle. The witness followed the suspect vehicle to the Salvation Army parking lot where the witness told the woman she needed to return to the scene. The woman reportedly said “okay”, but then just walked away. Police were familiar with the woman and the witness description matched the woman’s appearance. Unfortunately, the woman and her pickup were gone when police arrived to contact her, but charges are pending.
11:49 pm. An employee of a convenience store/gas station in the 2400 block of Commercial Avenue reported that someone had stolen his Schwinn brand road bicycle from where it had been left parked in front of the business. The bike was valued at $300.