Police were advised on Saturday night, Aug. 10, that a hang glider that had launched from the Cap Sante viewpoint had possibly gone down in the water. Police began to check the area with help from the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office who had also asked for assistance from the Coast Guard. A short time later a pickup drove up to the viewpoint and the hang glider was in the passenger seat. The hang glider, a 49-year-old Burlington man, told police that the wind had begun to kick up and he was unable to glide back to the viewpoint. He said that he was forced to land in the Guemes Channel approximately 100 yards off shore. An Anacortes man who was boating in the area retrieved the hang glider after he had been in the water for about one minute. The boater brought the man to shore without the need for medical attention.
Here are some of the other cases Anacortes Police worked on last week.
Friday, August 9
12:39 pm. A circular saw, a power drill in a hard case, and a key were stolen sometime in the past two weeks from a travel trailer parked at a home in the 2300 block of D Avenue. The victim also reported that sometime in the past three weeks someone had entered an unlocked storage shed next to the trailer and stole two gas powered weed whackers. The loss was estimated at approximately $450.
1:48 pm. Someone kicked in the front door to a vacant house in the 1000 block of 34th Street causing an estimated $500 in damage to the door and frame. An interior door was also damaged with the repair cost estimated at $250. Some stale food items and a pair of men’s pants were found inside of the house, but the suspect is unknown at this time.
4:30 pm. An elderly Anacortes woman was scammed out of approximately $2,000 after she received a phone call claiming to be from a “probate court.” The unknown caller told the woman that an insurance policy for her recently deceased husband was “out of date” and would not pay out unless she remitted the money by the close of the business day. The woman then went to a store in Mount Vernon where she purchased two “money packs” and transferred the funds to two separate addresses in Mississippi. The woman later learned that the insurance policy did not exist and she had been defrauded. The suspects are unknown and the US Postal Inspection Division is handling the follow-up investigation.
Saturday, August 10
5:04 pm. Police arrested a 32-year-old man at his home in the 1300 block of O Avenue after confirming the man had a confirmed felony warrant. The warrant stemmed from the man failing to appear in court on a previous possession of a controlled substance charge. The man was booked into the county jail.
Sunday, August 11
12:08 pm. A dine-and-dash was reported at a restaurant in the 2800 block of Commercial Avenue after a woman left without paying for her breakfast. Surveillance video showed the woman looking around suspiciously before getting up and leaving. The thief was described as being in her 30’s, slender with her hair pulled back, and wearing a black jacket and blue jeans.
1:52 pm. A visitor from Connecticut left her iPhone plugged in at a bathroom at Washington Park while the battery charged. When the woman returned approximately 15 minutes later, the phone and charger were gone. The phone was valued at $600. The thief is unknown.
2:34 pm. Someone pried a door open on the field house for the baseball fields in the 1900 block of 13th Street in the past several days. There were visible pry marks on the door and threshold. An interior door that led from the locker room to the batting cages also appeared to have been pried. Pry marks were also visible on some storage closests, but entry into the closets was not successful. Fortunately, nothing appeared to be missing from the building and it was speculated that someone might have broken in to use the batting cages. The repair cost for the interior was estimated at $800 and the exterior door damage estimate is still pending.
11:42 pm. A 48-year-old Utah man was charged with assault after he allegedly punched an Anacortes man in the face at a bar in the 7600 block of State Route 20. The suspect had reportedly taken offense to some derogatory comments the victim had made about a relative of the suspect. The victim had told the suspect that he was entitled to his opinion, but the suspect then approached the victim who was seated on a bar stool and punched him. The two men then grappled on the floor where the suspect punched the victim a few more times before the fight was broken up by other bar patrons. The suspect told police that he “knew he had made a mistake.” He was issued a citation for assault in the 4th degree and released.
Monday, August 12
6:45 am. A woman reported that an 18-year-old man whom she had allowed to live at her home in the 2000 block of 10th Street for the past year had taken her car without permission. The woman also discovered that some cash and two credit cards were missing from her wallet. Several hours later, the victim called police to say that the man had arrived back at her home with her vehicle. Police contacted the man at the home and he admitted to taking the car, cash, and credit cards without permission. The man said that he knew he shouldn’t have stolen the items. The man also admitted using the stolen credit cards to purchase food items at two locations in Anacortes. The man was placed under arrest and taken to the police station where he was later released. He faces potential charges of motor vehicle theft and theft in the second degree.
8:51 am. A resident of the 3900 block of H Avenue reported that her home had been “egged.” One of the thrown eggs broke a double paned window with the repair cost estimated at $250. The victim said that it was the third time her house had been egged in the past few months. The vandal(s) are unknown at this time.
4:27 pm. The owner of a recently renovated home in the 2300 block of E Avenue discovered that someone had stolen a 36” x 28” mirror from the home’s bathroom. The mirror was valued at $200. Several drawers in the home had also been opened. There was no sign of forced entry.
Tuesday, August 13
6:40 am. A resident of the 3900 block of Q Avenue reported his car had been prowled sometime during the night after he discovered both drivers’ side doors ajar in the morning. The victim then discovered that several assorted hand tools, a tool for measuring the compression of an engine, a hard hat, and a partially full bottle of prescription pain medication had been stolen from the vehicle. The victim told police that he thought he had locked the car, but there was no sign of forced entry.
1:46 pm. A light green colored Diamondback-brand mountain bike valued at $600 was stolen from behind a hardware store in the 1700 block of Q Avenue. The bike had been parked behind the business as the victim was an employee.
5:21 pm1. A yellow and black Cannondale brand mountain bike was stolen from near the intersection of 11th Street and N Avenue. The victim had left the bike unattended for approximately an hour and when he returned the bike was gone. The bike was valued at $600.
9:48 pm. The rear license plate was stolen off a Subaru station wagon that was parked behind a home in the 2700 block of Commercial Avenue. There are no suspects at this time.
Wednesday, August 14
1:38 am. Police contacted a 20-year-old Anacortes man in the 2200 block of R Avenue and placed him under arrest after confirming that the man had a felony warrant. The warrant stemmed from a previous residential burglary charge. The man was booked into the county jail.
10:27 am. A plastic carrying bag containing makeup and a Kodak digital camera was stolen out of an unlocked pickup parked in the 2100 block of Commercial Avenue. The loss was estimated at $100.
10:39 am. A woman reported that a 39-year-old Anacortes man had just stolen her green “Gary Fisher” bicycle valued at $1,000 from her home in the 1200 block of 4th Street. The woman further reported that the man had stolen a BMX bicycle from her the previous day. Police located the man a short time later near 12th Street and O Avenue. The man was riding a bike, but it did not match the description of either of the two reported stolen bikes. The man denied stealing anything from the woman. However, the man did have a felony warrant for his arrest from previous charges of forgery and theft and he was placed under arrest. When the man was searched, police found a pouch containing syringes, a small butane torch, a burnt spoon, and a lighter. The man admitted he was a heroin addict and that he used the items to inject the drug. The man was issued a criminal citation for possession of drug paraphernalia and then booked into jail on the warrant.
2:52 pm. Anacortes Police responded to a home in the 300 block of Haddon Road after receiving information that a 19-year-old man who had a no-bail felony warrant was sleeping on the property. Officers located the man and placed him under arrest without incident. He was booked into the county jail.
4:44 pm. Someone stole an envelope containing $500 from the purse of an employee at a medical facility in the 1200 block of 24th Street. The purse had been stored a work station. The theft is under further investigation.
8:23 pm. A 62-year-old man was arrested for domestic violence malicious mischief after he allegedly used a broom handle to break two windows at an apartment in the 2000 block of N Avenue. The man had been arguing with his neighbor after the neighbor confronted him about an alleged affair. The man’s live-in girlfriend then locked him out of their apartment due to her fear that the man’s anger would boil over towards her. The man then used a broom handle to break two exterior windows in an attempt to enter the apartment. Police arrived and saw the man running from the scene and located him a short time later hiding between two bushes in a neighboring yard. The man claimed that he had “accidentally” broken the window while pounding on it in an effort to get his girlfriend to let him in. Witnesses confirmed that the man appeared to have intentionally broken the windows. He was booked into jail.
9:28 pm. A 23-year-old woman was booked into jail on domestic violence assault charges after she allegedly pushed her husband during the course of an argument at their home in the 4100 block of R Avenue. The man was reportedly intoxicated and the two had been arguing about their relationship after returning from a night out in Seattle. The woman admitted to pushing her husband when he was trying to walk past her and she said that she had been the more “aggressive” one during the argument.
11:00 pm. A 22-year-old Anacortes man was issued a traffic citation for negligent driving in the 1st degree after he lost control of the vehicle he was driving and bounced off the concrete barriers and then into the guardrails on the eastbound lanes of the State Route 20 Spur. The vehicle hit the concrete barricades with enough force that three of them moved about a foot. The man’s car was significantly damaged but he was not seriously injured. The man claimed that he had hit a puddle of water and that he may have hydroplaned. The man admitted to drinking but provided a portable breath test that was under the legal limit. The accident was determined to have resulted from a mix of inattentiveness, excessive speed, and alcohol.
Thursday, August 15
10:18 am. Police responded to the report of a highly intoxicated woman who was vomiting into trash cans and creating a scene at a medical facility in the 1200 block of 24th Street. Officers contacted the 54-year-old woman and while speaking with her learned that the woman had missed court that morning and had a warrant for her arrest from a previous DUI case. She was booked into jail on the warrant.
12:28 pm. Someone entered an unlocked garage at a home in the 8200 block of S. March’s Point Road and stole the motor to a string trimmer. A vehicle in the driveway had also been entered and the contents scattered about.
6:20 pm. A 38-year-old Anacortes woman was arrested for violating the terms of a no-contact order after she went to her parent’s house in the 600 block of Hillcrest Drive. The order prohibited the woman from having any intentional contact with her mother and barred her from being on the property. The woman admitted to going to the house but only because she wanted to “check her mail.” The woman was booked into jail for the court order violation and also faces charges of domestic violence residential burglary for allegedly going to her mother’s home the previous day and stealing a cell phone.
Friday, August 16
8:13 am. An Anacortes woman contacted her cell phone provider about upgrading her service and was informed that there were some overdue amounts and penalties on her account. The woman was unaware of any reason for the penalties and when the carrier investigated they discovered that her Social Security number had been used to create accounts in four other names. The fraudulent accounts appear to be from out of state and phone carrier’s fraud team is investigating.