A 58-year-old man was charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm after he allegedly shot a pistol into the floor of his home in the 1400 block of 15th Street on Thursday night, Oct. 31. A relative in the home had called police because the man was acting “differently” after taking some medication. When police arrived, an officer could see the man inside of the house holding a pistol. The man complied with police requests to lay the gun down and officers then spoke with the man. After initially saying that he had not discharged a gun, the man admitted that he had shot at a “large spider” that he had seen on the floor. He also admitted to consuming a few glasses of wine with his medication. Consistent with family members saying they had heard one loud “pop” from the man’s bedroom, the man said that he had shot the pistol one time and that he had no intention of hurting anyone or himself. Police located the pistol in the bedroom and seized it as evidence. The man told police that he “would not remember any of this in the morning.”
Here are some of the other cases Anacortes Police worked on this week.
Friday, Oct.25
12:43 pm. A matte black custom low-rider style mountain bike with an elk hide seat cover was stolen from the back yard of a residence in the 1100 block of 17th Street during nighttime hours. The bike was valued at $50.00.
7:18 pm. An Anacortes woman reported that she forgot her purse at the public library and that the library staff helped her locate it when she returned later in they day. However, the woman discovered that several prescription medications and some small personal items were missing. It was unknown who stole the items from the purse. The loss was estimated at $100.00.
11:26 pm. An officer watched a woman wearing a black cat costume walk out of a house where a party was occurring in the 1000 block of 19th Street and stumble into the passenger seat of nearby car. The officer then heard something bang against the window of the car and the woman arguing with a man inside of the vehicle. An 18-year-old man in the car admitted that he had been arguing with his 19-year-old girlfriend and that he had slammed his hand against the car. The man said that he was upset because he was angry his girlfriend was at the party. There was no damage to the car and the woman also said that they had just been arguing. However, the woman had slurred speech and admitted that she had “a few drinks.” She volunteered to take a breath sample that confirmed she had a lot to drink. She was issued a citation for underage drinking and released at the scene.
11:33 pm. Witnesses reported seeing a man and a woman arguing in a parking lot behind a restaurant in the 500 block of Commercial Avenue and that the man punched the woman in the face knocking her to the ground. Police located the woman and saw that she had a split and bloody lip. The woman said that she had been arguing with her husband and that he had hit her, but she repeatedly said that she did not want to press charges against him. The woman had been drinking and was given a courtesy ride home. Police then located her 40-year-old husband walking on 33rd Street. The man admitted that he had been arguing with his wife and that he had just “pushed” her. He was placed under arrest and booked into jail on domestic violence assault charges.
Saturday, Oct. 26
6:32 pm. Two bicycles were stolen from the driveway of a home in the 1100 block of 34th Street in the past week. One bicycle, a red colored Redline BMX style bike valued at $100.00, is still missing. However, the officer recognized the description of the second bike as one that had been recovered as found property two days earlier. The victim went to the Police Department and positively identified the found bike as belonging to her son. The bike was released to the family.
9:38 pm. A chaperone at a teen dance in the 1200 block of 7th Street saw what appeared to be an alcohol flask in the seat of a pickup belonging to an 18-year-old Anacortes man attending the dance. An officer arrived to speak with the teen and saw that his face was flushed and he smelled of intoxicants. The teen opened the flask and the officer smelled the strong odor of intoxicants. The teen had poor balance and slurred speech but he denied drinking. He was issued a criminal citation for underage drinking and advised he was not welcome back at the dance.
Sunday, Oct. 27
1:58 am. Police received the report of a suspicious male walking in the 2000 block of I Avenue. Officers contacted an intoxicated 28-year-old Fidalgo Island man and determined that he had not committed any crime. However, the man did have an outstanding warrant for his arrest from a previous DUI and reckless driving charge. He was placed under arrest and later released after being given anew court date as the jail would not accept him due to overcrowding.
2:49 pm. A 23-year-old Mount Vernon woman was arrested on theft charges after she allegedly stole numerous containers of beer, a bottle of whisky, and a dozen roses from two Anacortes grocery stores with a total value of approximately $175.00. A clerk at one of the stores had stopped the woman outside of the store after she wheeled out a cart containing two 30-packs and two 12-packs of beer she had not paid for. The woman then left driving a van that police located and stopped on State Route 20. The woman had a suspended driver’s license and a warrant for her arrest from a previous suspended driving offense. Officers saw more beer, the bottle of whisky, and the roses inside of the van and the woman eventually admitted to stealing the items from the second store. A 34-year-old Mount Vernon man was identified as the passenger in the van and he was arrested after it was confirmed that he had two warrants for previous charges of DUI and reckless endangerment. The woman received a citation charging her with theft and both were given new court dates for their warrants before being released.
4:38 pm. A 71-year-old man was booked into jail for violating the terms of a domestic violence protection order that prohibited him from being at a home in the 2000 block of 39th Street. The order prohibited the man from being within 1,000 feet of the home or contacting his sister who lived there. A neighbor had heard arguing and when police investigated they spoke with the sister who informed officers her brother was downstairs. The man was located in a bedroom and arrested without incident.
Monday, Oct. 28
10:48 am. Someone stole a dump truck tailgate from a job site in the area of W. 6th Street and Ohio Avenue. The tailgate had temporarily been removed from the dump truck and stored on a pile of scrap metal at the site. The victim later discovered that someone had stolen the tailgate and the scrap metal. The tailgate was valued at $1,000.
11:29 am. A car driven by a 64-year-old Anacortes woman exited a parking lot in the 1400 block of Commercial Avenue and struck a 21-year-old Anacortes man who was riding a bicycle on the sidewalk of northbound Commercial Avenue. The driver of the car admitted to being distracted due to talking on her cell phone. The cyclist suffered pain to his ankle and leg and was transported by paramedics to the emergency room for treatment. The woman was issued a ticket for failure to yield the right of way.
2:45 pm. A 16-year-old boy was booked into juvenile detention on charges of domestic violence assault after he allegedly dumped a bowl of hot soup on his foster mother at a home in the 1000 block of 16th Street. The woman suffered minor scalding to her chest. The boy had reportedly been angry after the woman told him to quiet down as he had been making excessive noise in the kitchen. The boy then intentionally knocked the bowl of soup from the woman’s hands causing it to spill on her. The boy told police that it had been an accident.
10:02 pm. An unknown male tried to use three fake five-dollar bills at a convenience store in the 1900 block of Skyline Way to pay for some items. The clerk used a “counterfeit pen” to check the bills and discovered that they were phony. However, the clerk returned the bills to the man. The man told the clerk that he had recently been paid cash for a job he had performed and that was when he came in possession of the fake bills. The man then paid for his purchases with a real twenty-dollar bill and left the store. The clerk then watched the man throw one of the phony fives into a garbage can outside of the store. The clerk retrieved the crumpled bill and called the police. The clerk did not know the man and police are working on identifying him.
11:42 pm. An officer recognized the passenger of a car that had been stopped for a traffic violation on State Route 20 as a 39-year-old Anacortes man who had several warrants for his arrest out of Mount Vernon and Anacortes, including a felony warrant for forgery. The man was placed under arrest on the warrants and when he was searched police found a syringe and a glass smoking device that both contained suspected drug residue. The man was booked into jail on the warrants and also received a new charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Tuesday, Oct. 29
5:00 pm. The owner of an art studio in the 700 block of Commercial Avenue reported that between $100.00 and $200.00 in cash had gone missing from the cash drawer of the business in the previous few days. There was no sign of forced entry into the business. The owner said that she trusted her employee and that she had no idea who would have stolen the cash.
Wednesday, Oct. 30
2:34 pm. A white enameled cast iron claw-footed bath tub valued at $1,000 was stolen from the backyard of a home in the 1100 block of 9th Street in the past few weeks. The victim said that it would have taken more than two people to move the tub due to its weight. There are no suspects at this time.
7:07 pm. A 23-year-old Hope Island woman was arrested for shoplifting at a grocery store in the 900 block of 11th Street. The woman rolled a grocery cart out of the store filled with diapers, laundry detergent, and cola without paying for the items that totaled over $250.00. The woman claimed that she needed the items for her kids and she didn’t have any money to pay. The grocery store employee recognized the woman as someone who had shoplifted at their store in Mount Vernon a few months prior. She was issued a criminal citation for theft and also trespassed from the store.
10:18 pm. Two Anacortes woman, age 18 and 19, were charged with theft after they were caught shoplifting numerous cosmetic products at a grocery store in the 900 block of 11th Street. The women also had items in their possession that were believed to have been stolen form a pharmacy in the 1500 block of Commercial Avenue. The women said that the theft had been spontaneous and that they had just wanted some items that they could not afford. They were issued criminal citations and released.
Thursday, Oct. 31
9:20 am. The script for five medication prescriptions was stolen out of the glove box of a car owned by an Anacortes woman. The victim had made several stops in town during the timeframe of the theft after visiting her doctor and said her car could have prowled at any of the locations. There was no sign of forced entry into the car and there are no suspects at this time.
4:41 pm. An employee of a Commercial Avenue business reported that an intoxicated man had entered the business asking about the location of a car wash and that he left driving a station wagon. An officer then saw the man exiting his car at a car wash in the 3200 block of Commercial Avenue. The man was identified as a 45-year-old Alaska resident who had a flushed face, bloodshot eyes, and poor balance. The man smelled strongly of intoxicants but said that he “wasn’t sure” when asked if he had been drinking. He then said he had “a few beers.” The man failed one field sobriety test then refused to do anymore. He was placed under arrest for drunk driving and taken to the police station where he provided breath samples that were over three times the legal limit. A records check revealed that the man had been convicted previously of two other DUI’s. He was booked into jail on charges of DUI and his car was impounded.