Anacortes Police were dispatched to a vehicle fire on SR20 near the viewpoint at about 1:15am Wednesday morning.
The responding officer was traveling eastbound and noticed a person reaching into a vehicle that was engulfed in flames on the westbound side of SR20. Upon arrival on scene, the officer contacted a young male and both parties moved a safe distance away from the vehicle that was beginning to pop due to the hot fire.
The 21 year old told Police that he was driving down the road and pulled over when he realized something was wrong with the vehicle. In speaking with the officer, the subject was slurring his speech and smelled of alcohol. He later admitted to consuming alcohol that evening. The driver then took voluntary roadside tests and performed poorly, nearly losing his balance at times and having a hard time following instructions. He was taken into custody for DUI and transported to APD for processing. A breath test yielded results of nearly three times the legal limit to safely operate a vehicle. The subject was later released from APD to a family member.
Here are some other cases Anacortes Police worked on this week.
Saturday, January 23
An Anacortes Police Officer on patrol on Saturday afternoon observed a sedan traveling on March’s Point Road with no front license plate. The Officer contacted the 53-year old Mount Vernon man driving the vehicle and further investigation revealed that his license was suspended and he had an ignition interlock requirement, though there was not an interlock installed on his vehicle. The driver was cited and released on Driving With License Suspended 1st, No Ignition Interlock, and booked and released on a DWLS 1st warrant. Additionally, the 54-year old passenger in the vehicle was determined to have a warrant for Criminal Trespass out of the Skagit County District Court and he was booked and released on his warrant.
Tuesday, January 26
An Anacortes resident living on 30th Street contacted Police to report that someone had slashed the front tire of his vehicle early Tuesday afternoon. Neighbors in the area were interviewed by the responding Officer and none of them noted anything suspicious.
Wednesday, January 27
A young woman was seriously injured when she attempted to cross 12th Street on K Avenue at approximately 6PM on Wednesday evening and was struck by a passing vehicle. Anacortes Police responded to the scene and spoke with the driver and a witness and determined that the driver was not at fault in this incident. The woman was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center to be treated for her injuries.
An Anacortes Police Officer on patrol in the 3100 block of Commercial Avenue contacted a 26-year old Anacortes man driving a vehicle with a missing rear taillight. The driver was found to have a suspended license since April 2013 for failure to appear on unpaid tickets. He was cited and released at the scene for Driving With License Suspended.
A 60-year old Arlington man was arrested on a DUI charge on Wednesday evening following reports of driving erratically on the State Route 20 spur. An Anacortes Police Sergeant responded to the area of SR20 and Fidalgo Bay Road and observed the driver of a pickup pull into and drive away from a home in the area, striking a mailbox and post in the process and crossing the centerline of the road three times before being pulled over a short distance down the road. The driver took several minutes to search documents requested by the Sergeant. The driver then provided a voluntary breath sample which yielded results above the legal limit to safely operate a motor vehicle. The subject was then taken into custody and transported to APD where he was processed and released with citations for DUI and Hit and Run.
An Anacortes resident called 911 to report that his father’s pickup had been stolen from the 1000 block of 15th Street early Wednesday evening. At approximately 9PM, the vehicle was reported stolen. At approximately 10:20 PM an Anacortes Police Officer was dispatched to a church on Saint Mary’s Drive per the report of someone doing donuts. The officer arrived and discovered the stolen pickup unoccupied. The owner was informed of the situation and agreed to retrieve the vehicle at a later time. There are no suspects in this case.
Thursday, January 28
An Anacortes Police Officer on patrol in the 1700 block of 12th Street got a radar reading of 41mph in the 30mph zone on a pickup early Thursday morning. The officer performed a traffic stop and spoke with the 46-year old Mount Vernon man driving the vehicle. Further investigation revealed that the driver had a suspended license since December 2015 for failure to appear on unpaid tickets. He was taken into custody and released from the scene with citations for speeding and 3rd Degree Driving With License Suspended.
A resident on Highland Drive contacted Anacortes Police on Thursday morning to report two separate acts of malicious mischief. The first incident was the theft of a $20 decorative item from her front yard and the destruction of an additional item sometime in the previous several weeks. The second incident occurred the previous evening when someone had attempted to remove an item from her yard and may have been scared off by the dog barking inside. There are no suspects in these incidents.
A 54-year old Bellingham man and a 60-year old Anacortes man were arrested by Anacortes Police on Thursday evening on South March’s Point Road. An officer on patrol in the area observed two males on foot leaning into a vehicle and hurriedly going back to their vehicle when they noticed the officer. The two men got into their vehicle and were contacted while driving a short distance away on March’s Point Road. The 60-year old subject was driving the vehicle and stated that he had a suspended license. Further investigation revealed that the vehicle had a sale date of November 2015, but a new owner was not listed. The driver was taken into custody for Driving With License Suspended and failure to transfer vehicle title within 45 days. The APD K-9 was deployed on the exterior of the vehicle and hit on an area near the driver’s door. With permission from the driver, an APD Officer searched the vehicle and located several drug paraphernalia items as well as two Methadone pills and a small amount of methamphetamine. Ultimately, the driver was cited for Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substance Act, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and 3rd Degree Driving With License Suspended. Additionally, the 54-year old passenger was taken into custody on a misdemeanor warrant and charged with Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substance Act and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Both subjects were released at the scene.
Note: Anacortes Police Department policy is to not include names or addresses of businesses or individuals that call 911 for police assistance, though this information is a matter of public record.