Officers responded to a possible burglary in progress after witnesses reported seeing people using flashlights and cell phones for lighting at a vacant house in the 800 block of 24th Street. Officers arrived and also saw light inside of the house. They then found a broken pane of glass in the back door and saw that the door lock had been forced open. Officers began searching the house and found numerous items strewn about and the toilets filled to the brim with human waste. One of the bedrooms contained a large stack of clothing, a couple of backpacks, and numerous items of drug paraphernalia. A 31 year old man was found hiding in a crawl space and officers were eventually able to coax a 29 year old woman to come out of hiding in the same crawl space. Both subjects were placed under arrest for residential burglary and the woman also had two warrants for her arrest out of Anacortes for previous driving offenses. The man told police that he and the woman had been in and out of the house for the previous three days as they needed a place to stay and that the back door had been “unlocked.” They were both booked into jail.
Here are some of the other cases Anacortes Police worked on this week.
Friday, August 16
11:00 am. A few dollars in change was stolen from a vehicle parked in the alley behind a home in the 1600 block of 10th Street. The victim reported the vehicle had been locked, but that the windows might have been left partially open due to the warm weather allowing the thief to access the door locks.
12:38 pm. An Oak Harbor man who had been rock climbing at Whistle Lake returned to his towel near the shoreline to discover that someone had stolen his wedding ring. The ring had been left unattended on the towel for approximately two and a half hours. The ring was described as 14 k white gold with a hammered design and was valued at $550.
8:10 pm. Police contacted a 50 year old man at a residence in the 1100 block of 11th Street after it was reported the man was possibly squatting on the property. The man had pitched a tent behind the home with the permission of a tenant, but not the landlord. While the man was being told he needed to pack up and leave, it was learned that he had a warrant for his arrest out of Anacortes Municipal Court for a previous domestic violence assault charge. He was placed under arrest and given temporary lodging in the county jail.
8:17 pm. Police responded to a public restroom building in the 2200 block of R Avenue after receiving information that someone was in the handicapped stall in the woman’s bathroom “doing drugs.” Officers then contacted a 27 year old Anacortes woman and an 18 year old man sitting on the floor in the stall. The bathroom smelled faintly of marijuana but both persons denied any usage. The woman did have a warrant for her arrest stemming from a previous domestic violence assault charge and she was placed under arrest. A search of her purse revealed two small jars containing methamphetamine, cut straws, and a pipe containing burnt residue used to smoke “meth.” The woman admitted that she was a meth user and had used earlier in the day. The jail would not accept the woman on her warrant, so she was released. However, charges were later filed on her for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Saturday, August 17
5:45 am. An officer responding to the report of a possible DUI involving an accident on Marine Drive passed by a car traveling in the opposite direction that had smoke coming out of the area of a front tire. The car stopped and the male driver confirmed that he had been involved in an accident. The driver then said “I’ll show you where” and then began to drive away. The officer then stopped the car so he could check to see if the driver was injured. The driver said he was not hurt but admitted that he had struck a rock while trying to navigate a turn on Anaco Beach Road. The 23 year old man smelled of intoxicants and had slurred speech. The man displayed poor balance and almost fell down when he exited his car. He failed field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. During processing, the man provided breath samples that were three times the legal limit. He was issued a citation for DUI and released to a family member.
2:40 pm. An Anacortes resident reported that a 27 year old Anacortes man had “stared him down” and that the man had allegedly lifted his shirt to reveal a gun in his waistband while at an unknown apartment complex near Causland Park. The alleged suspect also had a warrant for his arrest from a previous drug possession charge. Police located the man in the 1200 block of 6th Street as he was leaving in a vehicle. The man was placed under arrest and when he was searched officers locate a small baggy of suspected methamphetamine in his pocket. The man did not have a gun and denied ever having one, saying that he “could not have one” due to being a convicted felon. He was booked into jail on charges of possession of a controlled substance and the warrant.
9:45 pm. An officer stopped a vehicle driven by a 75 year old Fidalgo Island woman on Glasgow Way after watching the vehicle repeatedly cross over the fog line on Oakes Avenue. The woman had difficulty locating her driver’s license although the officer could plainly see it in her wallet. The woman smelled of intoxicants and when asked how much she had to drink she answered, “Oh honey just a few drinks.” She was placed under arrest after failing field sobriety tests and later provided breath samples that were approximately one and a half times the legal limit. She was issued a citation for DUI and released to a sober friend.
Sunday, August 18
6:25 pm. A woman who was attending service at a church in the 12700 block of Summit Park Road was alerted by another church member that her car alarm was going off. When the woman investigated, she found the passenger side window had been shattered. It appeared that someone had attempted to break the window to gain entry into the car. The damage was estimated at $250.
Monday, August 19
2:43 am. A 30 year old Montana woman was charged with possession of a controlled substance, criminal trespass, and possession of drug paraphernalia after police contacted her and a 42 year old Fidalgo Island man at Little Cranberry Lake after posted park hours. An officer found the woman’s purse on the ground near her car and saw that a pill bottle had fallen out and was in plain view. The pill bottle was in a man’s name and contained several prescription pain pills that were not hers. The woman admitted to being an addict and she consented to a search of her purse that revealed a few items of drug paraphernalia. The man was also charged with criminal trespass and making a false statement after he gave a false name and lied about his identity.
Tuesday, August 20
12:38 am. A resident of the 1200 block of 20th Street heard noises in her garage and then noticed that her neighbor’s motion light had activated. When she went to the garage to investigate, she saw the outline of a person wearing all black crouching on the floor. She left the garage to call 911 and when police arrived moments later the prowler was gone. Police contacted a man wearing dark clothing walking in the 1000 block of 20th Street pulling a suitcase. The man denied having been in anyone’s garage and he allowed officers to check his suitcase which only held his clothing and a few personal items. The woman later reported that the only thing that appeared to missing from the garage was an old skill saw.
11:32 am. A 76 year old Anacortes women drove up and over the parking curb at a gas station/convenience store in the 1900 block of Skyline Way and struck a picnic table where a 23 year old Mount Vernon man was seated. The table was pushed against the building and crushed and the man suffered minor injuries and was transported to the ER for treatment. The woman then attempted to drive away from the scene, but a witness removed the keys from her car. The woman told police that she had been trying to park but had “missed the brakes.” The woman smelled of intoxicants and said that she had “three beers” that morning. She had slurred speech and failed field sobriety tests. She was arrested for drunk driving and later provided breath samples that were almost three times the legal limit. The woman was issued a citation for DUI and released.
4:43 pm. A 36 year old Mount Vernon woman who was at the police station on an unrelated matter was arrested on an outstanding felony warrant out of Snohomish County. The woman was booked into jail on the warrant.
5:22 pm. A woman who had been shopping downtown and left her car parked near 3rd Street and O Avenue returned after about twenty minutes and discovered that someone had stolen her iPad from the car. The woman believed she had locked her car, but there was no sign of forced entry. The iPad was valued at $688.00.
Wednesday, August 21
4:46 pm. Police were dispatched to a grocery store in the 900 block of 11th Street after it was reported that a man had loaded a cart full of groceries and then left without paying. Officers contacted the 54 year old Lopez Island man and the store manager in the store parking lot. The man initially claimed that it had “slipped his mind” to pay because he had to leave for a “family emergency.” He then admitted that he was lying and had stolen the food because he was “starving.” The stolen items totaled approximately $640. He was issued a citation for theft in the third degree and also trespassed from the store.
6:05 pm. A second shoplifting was reported at a grocery store in the 900 block of 11th Street after another man left the store without paying for an item. Police contacted the 45 year old transient walking a few blocks away who matched the suspect description. The officer saw the man throw a bottle into the bushes and the officer then retrieved the unopened bottle of whiskey. The man admitted that he had stolen the whiskey from the store as he was homeless and didn’t have any money to pay for the item. The man was cited for theft and trespassed from the store.
8:53 pm. A 13 year old boy was referred to juvenile court on domestic violence assault charges after he allegedly used both hands to push his aunt in the chest causing her to fall backwards at an apartment complex in the 900 block of 23rd Street. The boy had allegedly “flipped out” after a relative’s dog had urinated on him and the boy then threatened to hurt the dog. The boy then reportedly got in his aunt’s face when she went to talk to the boy’s mother about his behavior. The two argued and the boy then pushed the woman. The boy admitted to pushing his aunt and said that he had been embarrassed that the dog had urinated on him.
9:19 pm. Officers responded to a possible burglary in progress after witnesses reported seeing people using flashlights and cell phones for lighting at a vacant house in the 800 block of 24th Street. Officers arrived and also saw light inside of the house. They then found a broken pane of glass in the back door and saw that the door lock had been forced open. Officers began searching the house and found numerous items strewn about and the toilets filled to the brim with human waste. One of the bedrooms contained a large stack of clothing, a couple of backpacks, and numerous items of drug paraphernalia. A 31 year old man was found hiding in a crawl space and officers were eventually able to coax a 29 year old woman to come out of hiding in the same crawl space. Both subjects were placed under arrest for residential burglary and the woman also had two warrants for her arrest out of Anacortes for previous driving offenses. The man told police that he and the woman had been in and out of the house for the previous three days as they needed a place to stay and that the back door had been “unlocked.” They were both booked into jail.
Thursday, August 22
10:21 am. A Londoner brand “beach cruiser” style bicycle was stolen from the alley behind a tavern in the 400 block of Commercial Avenue. The bike was valued at $50.00.
8:19 pm. Someone stole a laundry basket and several articles of woman’s and children’s clothing from the shared laundry room at an apartment complex in the 800 block of 30th Street. The victim had placed the clothing in a dryer and then left for about a half hour. The loss was estimated at $60.00.