Police received several calls calls Tuesday the afternoon (July 1) from local Anacortes businesses. In each case the business received a call from someone claiming to be with Puget Sound Energy. The caller claimed that the business had a large outstanding payment due and threatened that the utility was about to interrupt service if the bill was not paid immediately.
At least two businesses were taken in by the scam caller and actually wired or forwarded close to $1,000 each to the caller. Several businesses caught on to the scam and reported it to APD prior to making any type of payment. Puget Sound Energy and the FBI have been made aware of the scam, which is happening across a wide area in the Western United States with various utility customers.
One Anacortes Officer managed to backtrack the phone number that was calling a downtown business. She got on the phone with a man who admitted that he was a “scammer” and stated that he was going to keep calling businesses, but that he was in Africa so there was nothing that the police could do. The officer asked him to stop calling Anacortes businesses and the caller responded that he appreciated her approach and he would not call anymore businesses in Anacortes. To date, no further complaints have been received
Here are some of the other cases Anacortes Police worked on this week.
Friday, June 27
1:37 am. A late-night restaurant on Commercial Ave called to report a fuel spill. The employee told officers that a driver in a pickup truck had come through the drive-up lane and, while picking up his order, mentioned that his truck was leaking diesel fuel. Inspection of the parking lot and drive-up lane showed a significant diesel spill and the Fire Department had to respond to help clean up the mess. A police Sergeant followed the trail of spilled fuel down Commercial, up 17th Street and to an address on M Ave, where he found the leaky truck. The driver of the truck was contacted. He admitted to knowingly driving the truck with the large fuel leak, and estimated he’d lost 15 gallons of fuel on the roadway over the course of the evening. He was issued an infraction for knowingly driving with a Defective Fuel System and could be found liable for the cleanup costs of the spill.
8:42 am. A woman who resides on 29th Street called to report the theft of medication. She told an officer that she had fallen asleep in her recliner with her apartment door ajar. When she awoke the only thing missing from her apartment was a pill bottle with approximately 45 Vicodin. She asked if the officer could get a prescription refill for her. She was advised that she would need to contact her doctor for a refill.
1:16 pm. A citizen called concerned for the welfare of two dogs in a car in the parking lot of a downtown market. The Animal Control officer checked on the animals and found that they had adequate ventilation and were fine.
11:55 pm. Officers investigating a reckless driving complaint discovered that the driver of the vehicle was attending a party at an address on 27th Court. Upon contacting the residence in question, officers discovered several people ranging from 17-21 years of age who had been smoking marijuana together inside the apartment. Three Anacortes men, two 19 year olds and an 18 year old, were all cited for Contributing to the Delinquency of Minors.
Saturday, June 28
7:10 pm. Officers helped out at the scene of a water main break on Sands Way. The city street crew was called out and responded quickly to handle the problem, which was quickly repaired.
10:07 pm. A 911 call was received regarding a possible fight at Storvik Park. The reporting party said that he could hear yelling and a lot of vulgarities, which had been going on for several minutes. The responding officers found that it was a group of teen agers hanging out in the park, there was no fight. They were counseled on their profanity and volume and then asked to leave the park, which closed at 10 PM.
Sunday, June 29
1:26 pm. Officer responded to an address on Blakely Drive after a domestic assault was reported. They discovered that a mother and son had gotten into argument while they were getting ready to go to a wedding. During the argument the 18-year-old son became extremely disrespectful toward his mother. A physical altercation developed and he spit in his mother’s face, and allegedly shoved her as well. The 18-year-old was taken in to custody and booked in to the county jail for Domestic Violence Assault.
1:30 pm. An officer made a traffic stop on a vehicle after noting that it did not have a rearview mirror or a front license plate (both of which are required in Washington State). He learned that the driver had a restriction on his license which limited him to only operating cars that have an Ignition Interlock Device, which requires the driver to prove his sobriety by blowing in a tube before the car will start. The driver admitted that he knew he should not have been driving a vehicle without such a device, and he was placed under arrest. He was issued a citation with a future court date and elected to wait with his car until a friend showed up to take over the driving.
Monday, June 30
4:02 pm. Two adults and four children called 911 after they became lost hiking in the area around Little Cranberry Lake. Two officers entered the trail system from A Ave and 37th Street and managed to locate the lost group and guide them back out. They were provided with a set of trail maps for future hikes.
8:00 pm. At about 8:00 PM a number of 911 calls came in regarding a rider on a red motorcycle who was riding recklessly in the downtown area of Anacortes. People reported that the rider was doing wheelies, running stop signs and also driving well in excess of the downtown speed limits…some callers reported estimated speeds of 60-70 MPH.
An officer responding to check the area observed the motorcycle run a stop light at 22nd and Commercial Ave and also observed it traveling at a high rate of speed on R Ave. The officer estimated the speed of the bike as 55 in a 25 MPH zone. He made a traffic stop and contacted the 19-year-old rider. The man denied speeding and stated that he was being targeted because people in Anacortes were “too old” and did not like him or his motorcycle. He also contended that since the officer had not gotten him on radar there was no action that he could legally take against him.
After a brief discussion of how the law works and the dangers of his riding behaviors, the 19-year-old was placed under arrest for Reckless Driving and his motorcycle was impounded. He was issued a citation for a future court date and then given a courtesy transport to his place of employment. Several witness statements were gathered from people, and one store also had video of the rider pulling a wheelie as he rode past the front of the business.
Tuesday, July 1
7:56 am. Two mailboxes were stolen from an address on M Ave. The residents awoke to find a sawed-off post where their mailboxes used to be.
12:52 pm. Anacortes Police and Fire Personnel responded to Little Cranberry Lake for a drowning incident after a 55-year-old Anacortes woman was pulled unconscious from the water. Witnesses reported that she had been swimming from the west side of the lake to the east side with her young granddaughter at the time that she went under the water. CPR efforts at the lake restored some signs of life and she was transported to the hospital in Mount Vernon. Unfortunately, she later passed away. Her granddaughter was helped to shore and was not injured.
Wednesday, July 2
1:30 pm. A store owner on Commercial Ave. called at about 1:30 PM to report a theft that had just occurred. She noted a woman in her store who was acting suspiciously and confronted her. The woman denied doing anything wrong, but the store owner did not believe her and went out to the parking area and wrote down the license number of the woman’s car. After the woman quickly drove off, she checked the store’s video camera and observed the woman stealing several things and placing them in to a bag that she was carrying. She contacted the police and Officers also reviewed the video. They immediately recognized the suspect as a 32-year-old La Conner woman who has several recent law-enforcement related contacts. The suspect is currently being sought by APD officers.
6:25 pm. Police responded to a fight call on 30th Street and discovered that 44-year-old intoxicated Anacortes man had been punched in the face after making some rude comments directed at a woman living in a nearby apartment. The suspect was not positively identified, as he had already left the scene. The man who had been punched declined medical attention, and stated that he did not want anyone charged with a crime. He agreed to go back in to his apartment and call it a night.
Thursday, July 3
3:12 pm. An angry customer prompted a call to 911 from a local bank after he made some threatening comments before storming out of the business. Officers contacted the bank employees and learned that the man had checked his balance and become angry when there was only $1.00 in his account. He accused the bank employees of theft and threatened to assault some of the employees. At the request of the bank, officers went to the man’s residence and contacted him. He was provided with a notice barring him from returning to the bank and was advised that his account had been closed and that the balance of the account was being mailed to him.
Friday, July 4
12:04 am. Minutes after midnight, an Anacortes PD Sergeant noticed a pickup truck in front of him that was weaving and tailgating the car in front of it as they traveled down Oakes Avenue. He made a traffic stop on the truck and contacted the driver, who appeared intoxicated. He told the Sergeant that he was driving home from a local bar, and admitted that he’d “had a few.” The driver failed voluntarily Field Sobriety Checks and was placed under arrest for DUI. His truck was impounded and he was taken to the Police Department, where he provided two breath samples that were three times the legal limit for intoxication. The driver was issued a citation for DUI with a future court date and then released to a sober adult.
3:27 pm. Officers responded to assist the Fire Department with a water rescue after a man sailing on his catamaran fell off the boat and in to the water in Padilla Bay. He was able to grab on to the boat, but could not climb back on to the vessel. Luckily, winds blew the boat to shore where he was able to get his footing. He was looked over by AFD personnel for possible hypothermia.
Anacortes Officers responded to approximately 40 fireworks complaints on the 4th of July. This is in addition to the numerous fireworks incidents that officers handled as “on-view” situations. As on prior 4th of July holidays, the focus of the officers was on safety of the public and of property. Some fireworks were confiscated and citations issued, but the main focus of the law enforcement effort was on requesting compliance with the city ordinance and looking out for the safety and of all parties involved.