She called and ordered a pizza to be delivered on Thursday night. When she met with the delivery driver she insisted on meeting in a dark area of the parking lot. The driver was suspicious and checked the $100 bill that he had been given, which turned out to be a forgery. The police were contacted and went to the motel and took the woman in to custody. They found that she was in possession of another several hundred dollars worth of forged $100 bills. This investigation is ongoing, as it may be tied to several other incidents of forged currency that have been reported across the county in the past year.
Here are some of the other cases Anacortes Police worked on this week.
Saturday, Feb. 8
12:15 pm. Two officers went to an address on Shannon Point Road looking for a 27-year-old convicted felon who had multiple warrants out for her arrest for theft and assault. They located the woman and took her in to custody. She was booked in to the Skagit County Jail.
6:14 pm. A nine-year-old boy was struck by a car when he was crossing 12th Street near F Ave. just after 6:00 PM. The motorist did not see the young boy due, in part, to blinding lights from oncoming traffic. Fortunately, although the boy did receive deep bruises on his legs, he was not seriously injured. There were no signs of alcohol or drug impairment and no reason to believe that speed was a factor in the accident. An accident report was completed by the investigating officer.
8:07 pm. An officer spotted a man she knew to have warrants out for his arrest walking in the 1900 block of Commercial Ave. She contacted him and arrested him for the warrants and searched him prior to placing him in a police car. The search revealed that the man was carrying several pieces of drug paraphernalia, two vials of liquid that were either liquid methamphetamine or liquid heroin, and a flare gun. The flare gun was unloaded, but the man had a flare with him in his jacket pocket. The man is a suspect in a recent burglary and the flare gun may be stolen property. That is under investigation. The liquid has been sent to the crime lab for positive identification. If it is a controlled substance, felony drug charges will be filed.
Sunday, Feb. 9
1:15 am. A sergeant on patrol in the downtown area spotted a moving vehicle near the new roundabout at 22nd and Q Avenue that he recognized. He recalled that he had recently stopped the vehicle and cited the female driver for driving on a suspended license. He made a traffic stop and found the same 22-year-old woman driving as the last time. The Sergeant also noted that the woman had been drinking and a roadside DUI investigation revealed that she was too intoxicated to safely operate a motor vehicle. He placed her under arrest and transported her to the police station, where she provided two breath samples that were over the legal limit of .08. After being cited for DUI and Driving on a Suspended License, she was released to a sober adult. Her car was impounded.
Monday, Feb. 10
10:14 am. A gas station & store on Commercial Ave called to report that they had been the victim of a fraudster who used false gift cards to make purchases. This is one of several businesses who have recently reported that scammers are trying to make purchases with gift cards. Usually, the initial swipe of the gift card through the card reader results in the sale being declined. The scammer will then encourage the clerk to process the transaction manually, rather than with a card swipe. Manual transactions are not immediately checked through the computer, so it is only well after the sale that the bank notifies the business that the gift card is no good. By then, the suspect is long gone with the goods. At least two suspects have been identified in recent cases and charges are pending against them. There is evidence that the same suspects in the other recent cases were also involved in this reported fraud. The investigation is ongoing.
Tuesday, Feb. 11
1:07 am. During a traffic stop in the 1100 block of Commercial Avenue just after 1:00 AM, an Anacortes Sergeant recognized a passenger in the stopped vehicle as someone he knew to have warrants. The felony warrant was confirmed via dispatch for the 27-year-old Anacortes woman and she was taken in to custody and transported to the Skagit County Jail.
8:31 am. A sharp-eyed neighbor observed a man sleeping on her neighbor’s back porch. She called the police, who contacted the man as he was walking away from the property. He claimed to be waiting for a family member that had not shown up. A records check revealed a warrant for the man’s arrest for Theft and also Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was arrested and taken to the office. Due to overcrowding, the jail would not accept the man, so he was issued a court date and released.
3:35 pm. After receiving information that a 51-year-old Anacortes woman was drinking in violation of her Probation Conditions, a Skagit County Judge issued a warrant for her arrest. Anacortes Officers located the woman at her home on 8th Street and took her into custody. She was so highly intoxicated that she had to be seen at the hospital prior to being booked in to the jail.
Wednesday, Feb. 12
3:34 am. A Sergeant arrested a 41-year-old Anacortes woman that had a Burlington Municipal Court warrant out for her arrest for a Driver’s License violation. He placed her in to custody and searched her before placing her in his car. During the search he located heroin and methamphetamine in her purse. She admitted that she regularly injects and smokes heroin and methamphetamine. Officers also found that she was in possession of syringes, a glass smoking pipe, a burned spoon and other drug paraphernalia. Due to overcrowding, the jail would not accept her for booking, so she was issued a court date and released. The drugs and other items were retained as evidence and felony drug charges are to be filed.
9:55 am. After receiving a call from a concerned citizen about a woman who seemed disoriented in the 900 block of 4th Street, an officer checked the area and contacted the woman. After a brief discussion it was clear that she was in need of medical attention and that she was not able to care for herself. So, the officer gave her a ride to the Emergency Room and stood by with her until she was put in contact with the ER staff.
Thursday, Feb. 13
4:34 pm. Officers were dispatched to the area west of the High School known as “Smiley’s Bottom” after a subject was seen riding a dirt bike through the area on the practice fields for the school. The officers found the motorcycle rider, who agreed not to ride in that are any more. There was no damage done to the field area.
4:58 pm. A woman reported to the police that a vintage brass lamp worth about $400 was stolen from her unlocked car while it was parked in the 1400 block of Commercial Ave.