A woman reported she had seen a job for a personal shopper on Craigslist earlier in the month and had contacted the person who posted the advertisement. She was sent a check for $2,355 and instructed to purchase $1,900 worth of “Money Pack Cards” and she could keep the rest of the money. After she purchased the Money Pack Cards and relayed the information over the phone to the man who hired her, the bank called and told her the check she had deposited was fraudulent. She has not been able to contact the man who posted sent her the check and the advertisement has been pulled from Craigslist.
In a separate case this week, a resident on West 3rd St. reported that she received a call from someone claiming to be with “Google” yesterday who told her there was a problem with her computer and he needed to take control of it to fix it. She then gave the person the ability to access he computer remotely. She told officers that files then started disappearing from the computer followed by a message that she needed to pay $30.00 in order to restore her computer files. Officers discovered the phone number associated with the person who called her is fraudulent and is connected to a well-known Internet scam.
Here are some of the other cases Anacortes Police worked on this week.
Friday, Oct. 11
9:58 am. No one was injured after a garbage truck backing down a street struck a vehicle behind it. The collision occurred in the 4600 block of Devonshire Dr. The vehicle driver reported that he turned eastbound off of Yorkshire onto Devonshire and saw the truck backing up. He meant to place his car in reverse but inadvertently put it in park. The garbage truck struck his vehicle before he could put it in reverse.
2:30 pm. A woman reported that she had been pricked by a used hypodermic needle while she was pulling a toilet liner from a container in a restroom. The incident occurred in a business in the 900 block of 11th St. The woman went to Island Hospital for treatment. Officers responded and located several other needles had been deposited in the liner container.
Saturday, Oct. 12
12:08 am. A citizen reported seeing a red Dodge truck with Texas license plates driving “all over the road” eastbound on Oakes Ave. from the west end. An officer was able to intercept the vehicle as it turned onto Commercial Ave. After observing speed and lane violations the officer stopped the truck and identified the driver as a 33-year-old Texas man. The man showed obvious signs of intoxication and failed physical sobriety tests. He was arrested and taken to the police department for a breathalyzer test. His truck was towed, and he was released to a sober relative after promising to appear in court on the charges.
12:10 pm. A man reported to officers that while he was scuba diving off Cabana Ln. someone stole his scuba bag and tank weights off the beach. The total value of the items was $110.
4:46 pm. A postal carrier was bit by a small grey and white dog in the 1900 block of 11th St. The postman told officers that the dog came up behind him, bit him, and then ran off. Officers are following up with neighbors to identify the dog.
4:47 pm. Officers responded to a domestic dispute call in the 2000 block of 10th St. A 20-year-old man reported his grandmother had been punched and shoved by an 18-year-old man who had come to the residence to visit a family member. The 73-year-old grandmother told officers that a young man who is a step-brother to her granddaughter came to the home and appeared to have been drinking and was acting belligerently. When she asked him to leave, he refused and her grandson than told him to leave and started to escort him from the house. The suspect then punched and shoved her grandson and struck and pushed her away as well. He left when the police were summoned. Officers located the 18-year-old a short distance away and arrested him for assault 4th domestic violence and minor consuming alcohol.
5:24 pm. A 31-year-old Yelm man was arrested for DUI after a clerk at local hardware store reported the intoxicated man had been in the store looking for a spark plug. Officers checked local auto supplies stores looking for the black SUV the man was reported to be driving. An officer located the SUV as it was leaving an auto parts store on Commercial. He observed the vehicle make a turned off of Commercial onto 35th and then on to “Q” Ave. The officer noted the SUV did not stop at the stop sign at 35th and “Q” Ave. nor did it signal a turn. The driver was contacted and showed obvious signs of intoxication. He failed physical sobriety tests and officers located a half empty malt liquor bottle in the cup holder of the car. The driver was arrested for DUI, his car was towed, and after a breathalyzer test was administered he was released to a sober friend.
10:00 pm. A convenience store at Sharpes Corner reported the attempted use of a stolen credit card to officers. The clerk reported that a man came in and use the card for a small purchase of tobacco products. He came in a short time later and tried to purchase $350 in lottery tickets. The transaction was declined by the bank with instructions to keep the card and identify the person using it. The man declined to identify himself and left quickly. Officers learned the credit card had been stolen in Mount Vernon during a vehicle prowl just hours earlier. Officers are reviewing store video in hopes of identifying the suspect.
Sunday, Oct. 13
8:52 pm. A resident in the 12000 block of 32nd returned home after being gone for several days to discover the rear door of the residence had been forced open and several pieces of computer equipment taken. An 18-year-old Anacortes man was subsequently arrested after police linked him to physical evidence at the scene. Officers recovered several laptop computers, an iPad, and jewelry.
Tuesday, Oct. 15
4:30 pm. 75-year-old woman reported that she believed a man who was a guest in her home had stolen her credit card. She told officers that she had allowed a 54-year-old man who was a friend of her son to stay at her home in the 2500 block of Oakes Ave. after he returned from fishing in Alaska last month. She said that today she discovered her bank card missing when she went to buy groceries. After contacting the bank she learned that the card was used at a local business. She had gone to the business and observed her houseguest using her bank card. Officers learned that he also had taken a second credit card and a check from the woman. The man was arrested later in the evening and declined to talk to officers about the incident. On Oct. 16 Officers received a complaint from Wells Fargo Bank that they were investigating the same man for theft of a check in Alaska. They reported that a customer had reported a check was stolen from his fishing boat and later cashed at a bank in Anacortes. The check was in the amount of $62,000. Officers remembered that the suspect in this case had a deposit slip from a local bank in the amount of $62,000 from a local bank on his person when he was arrested the day before.
1:32 pm. Officers were summoned to the Anacortes Middle School as a 13-year-old girl had brought a small amount of marijuana to the school. Officers will be referring the girl to Juvenile Court on charges of possession of marijuana. Officers are investigating how the girl obtained the marijuana.
Wednesday, Oct. 16
A man reported to police that his car had been stolen from outside his mother’s home in the 2900 block of “Q” Ave. He said that a 27-year-old Anacortes man who he is acquainted with broke into his mother’s home, took the car keys and drove off with the car. The man claimed the whole event was captured on surveillance video. Officer’s are looking for the stolen dark blue 1997 Volkswagen Jetta, Washington License number ABT6732.
Thursday, Oct. 17
6:30 am. A resident in the 2200 block of “K” Ave. reported that he had left a packed bag inside his truck overnight as he was leaving for a trip early this morning. He parked the truck in the alleyway. This morning he discovered the back window on the truck had been forced open and the bag taken. The bag contained an I-phone, digital camera, clothing and personal items.
9:30 pm. Officers responded to a collision on 12th at “O” Ave. Witnesses advised that a silver 2005 BMW pulled out of the 7-11 parking lot at a high rate of speed and turned eastbound striking the vehicle in front of it in the eastbound lane. Officers noted the 22-year-old driver appeared under the influence of alcohol. He failed physical sobriety tests, was arrested and taken to the station for a blood alcohol test. He was released to a family member.