911 callers reported shortly after 1 am Wednesday morning that a motor vehicle accident that had just occurred at the intersection of Oakes Ave and Anacopper Mine Road. They reported that a vehicle had come down Anacopper Mine Road, crossed Oakes without stopping, and crashed into a tall hedge of bushes on the north side of the road before bursting in to flame. Two people were seen fleeing from the car. Once the fire was put out, officers were contacted by a man who was the passenger in the car. He described the woman that he had been with and stated that she had been driving. Officers went to the home of the registered owner of the vehicle and found the woman, who was placed under arrest for DUI. She was taken to the police department where she submitted two breath samples measuring .180 and .197 blood alcohol level (more than twice the legal limit).
Saturday, June 21
1:41 am. Officers arrived at an address on Tyler Way after people called 911 and reported hearing screaming coming from the residence. As they arrived, they noted that there was broken glass strewn across the driveway and that a foul word had been written in permanent dye on the garage door of the home. They spoke with a man and woman at the residence and learned that they are married, but are estranged right now and she is living at a separate residence. Investigation revealed that she had shown up unexpectedly at about 1:30 in the morning and had become angry when it was apparent that her estranged husband had been seeing someone else. In a rage, the woman smashed wine glasses and beer bottles as well as some dishware on the front porch. She then used permanent dye to deface the garage door and front porch of the residence. The 30-year-old woman was cited for Malicious Mischief in violation of the Domestic Violence Protection Act and booked in to the jail.
2:55 pm. An officer made a traffic stop on a vehicle on Commercial Avenue after noting that it had a registration tab that expired in June of 2013. He contacted the driver, who claimed that he was just borrowing the vehicle and did not realize that the registration was expired. Things became more complicated when the man’s driver’s license was found to be suspended due to an earlier court judgment. He also had no insurance. He was cited for both offenses and called a licensed friend to come and take over the driving.
5:30 pm. In March of this year warrants were issued for a 38-year-old Anacortes woman who had failed to appear for jail after being sentenced to more than 200 days for several driving convictions including driving while suspended and DUI. On June 21st Officers were trying to find her at her residence when she coincidentally drove up and parked. She was immediately placed under arrest for her warrants, but the officers were also aware that her license was still suspended. Even if she had been legal to drive, she was required to only operate a vehicle equipped with an ignition interlock to prevent her from driving after drinking. Her vehicle did not have an interlock, so she was not only booked in to jail on her warrants, but also cited for the two new offenses as well.
Sunday, June 22
2:38 am. Just after 2:30 in the morning officers stopped to help a couple who were stranded on the side of Hwy 20 with a flat tire. There were some complications when it was discovered that neither of them had a valid license, and the male subject had two warrants out for his arrest. After the officers helped the couple get the tire changed, they took the 51-year-old man from Eastsound in to custody and transported him to the police station. He was later released with a new court date because the jail was too overcrowded to accept him.
Monday, June 23
12:06 am. A few minutes after midnight an officer observed a man on a moped as he rode through a stop sign without stopping. That prompted a traffic stop, and the discovery that the rider, a 38-year-old Anacortes man, had a suspended driver’s license. (No motorcycle endorsement is required for Moped riders, but you do need a valid driver’s license). The driver was placed under arrest and searched. During the search a glass pipe used to smoke illicit drugs was found in his pocket. He was cited for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Driving on a Suspended License, and also issued an infraction for running the stop sign. He left on foot and stated that he would have a friend come and pick up the Moped later.
10:05 am. A 911 report was received regarding a blue Dodge Dakota that was coming in toward town on Highway 20. The driver was reportedly driving at high speeds, cutting off other drivers, and flipping people off. Officers located the vehicle as it turned on to 32nd Street and made a traffic stop. The driver, a 32-year-old Anacortes man, was found to have a suspended driver’s license due to prior traffic arrests and citations. He was arrested and issued a citation with a future court date for driving on a suspended license. His car was left legally parked on the side of the road.
2:05 pm. A property manager called 911 after she discovered that a residence that she managed on 17th Street had been broken in to and heavily damaged. Officers learned that the resident was out of town. Investigation revealed that someone had broken in to the basement of the four-plex and then broken in to one of the apartments. A number of clues and indications were left at the scene and it soon became evident that the 24-year-old son of the woman that lives at the residence was the likely suspect. The suspect does not normally live with his mother and did not have permission to be at the residence. He was quickly located by officers and placed under arrest. At the time of his arrest he admitted that he had broken in to his mother’s home. He denied doing any damage though, and blamed that on a friend of his who was with him at the time. At the time of his arrest the woman’s son was found to be carrying methamphetamine in his pocket. He was booked in to jail for Residential Burglary, Malicious Mischief, and Possession of a Controlled Substance. The friend that he claimed was with him at the time of burglary is still being sought by the police. The resident of the apartment has returned home. So far a number of items have been reported missing and approximately $2,000 of damage has been documented.
Tuesday, June 24
3:14 pm. An officer noticed a person in a car that was not wearing a seatbelt and made a traffic stop. During the course of the traffic stop a routine check revealed that the driver and the passenger in the car each had mutual restraining orders against each other based upon prior domestic relationship issues. The restraining orders were verified through the courts and both people were placed under arrest and charged with violating a court order.
7:53 pm. Officers arrived on 10th Street after receiving calls about a possible fight in-progress in the street. They contacted two men and a woman who admitted that they had been arguing with one another, but denied that anything physical had occurred.
There was a car stopped nearby that had clearly been driven there by someone in the group, but none of the three had a valid license and all of them denied being the driver. During the course of the investigation one of the men refused to identify himself to a Sergeant. After a lengthy explanation regarding his legal obligation to identify himself the man still refused, so he was placed under arrest for Obstruction of a Police Officer. He was handcuffed and searched and found to be in possession of methamphetamine. The meth was taken as evidence and all three subjects were released from the scene. The man with the meth was advised that felony drug charges were going to be filed. None of the three was the owner of the car, and repeated attempts to reach the owner met with no success, so it was towed.
9:05 pm. A resident on Yorkshire Drive called to report fireworks going off in the area. The area was checked by officers, but it was quiet by the time that they got in to the area and the source of the fireworks was not found. As a reminder, by city ordinance, purchase, possession or discharge of ANY fireworks in the city is illegal and officers are issuing citations for $250 per violation. No fireworks of any kind are legal in the city.
Wednesday, June 25
8:21 am. A local car dealership called to report that a car on their lot had been stripped overnight. Investigation revealed that two suspects had placed a vehicle up on blocks; they then stole the wheels and tires, taillight assemblies, and the headrests from inside the vehicle.