Police Blotter, December 30, 2016 - January 5, 2017

The New Year’s holiday brought the drinkers out. One driver was charged with hit-and-run involving a stop sign.

Friday, December 30

An Anacortes Police Officer was concluding a traffic stop on SR 20 near Sharp’s Corner when a driver failed to yield to him and was pulled over a short distance away. The driver told the officer that she was in town to pick up friends and celebrate the New Year’s holiday and she thought she could drive friends on occasion, despite having an occupational driver’s license restriction. She was cited for the violation and released from the scene with a licensed driver behind the wheel.

Saturday, December 31

An Anacortes Police Corporal on patrol on N Avenue arrested a 45-year old Friday Harbor man known to police to have a warrant out of Island County. The man was contacted in his van and was aware of his warrant. He was taken into custody and turned over to Island County Deputies.

Just after 8PM on New Year’s Eve, an Anacortes Police Sergeant was driving northbound in his patrol vehicle in the 600 block of Commercial Avenue when a black SUV driving the opposite direction drove into his lane causing the Sergeant to swerve to avoid a collision. He then stopped the vehicle near 8th and Commercial and spoke with the 44-year old driver from Moxee, Wash. She was informed of the reason for the stop and asked if she had been drinking. She said she had not, though her eyes were watery and bloodshot and she smelled of alcohol. The driver took voluntary roadside tests, performing poorly and exhibiting poor balance. A portable breath test yielded results of over the legal limit to safely operate a motor vehicle and the woman was taken into custody on DUI charges, then released later to a sober adult.

Sunday, January 1

A taxi driver flagged down an Anacortes Police Sergeant on patrol just before 2AM on Sunday. The driver told the Sergeant that an older blue pickup was driving southbound on O Avenue in the wrong lane and nearly hit another vehicle. An officer located a vehicle matching the description at a gas station on 12th Street and the vehicle was observed by the Sergeant while speeding on M Avenue and swerving over the center line. The 56-year old Anacortes driver seemed unaware of his poor driving behavior and smelled strongly of alcohol and his face was flushed. When asked about alcohol consumption that evening, the driver initially stated he had had two beers that evening, the last one being 45 minutes prior to the traffic stop. A voluntary roadside test did not go well for the driver. He had a hard time following instructions and admitted that he would not do well on certain parts of the test requiring that he demonstrate proper balance. A breath test resulted in samples over twice the legal limit to safely operate a motor vehicle. He was taken into custody, transported to APD for processing, and later driven home and released.

Around noon on New Year’s Day, an APD Officer took a theft report from a resident on 11th Street. The reporting party stated that 4 packages containing gift cards and theater tickets had been stolen from their front porch sometime over the previous several days. There are no suspects.

On New Year’s morning, an Anacortes Police Officer on patrol in the 2400 block of D Avenue observed a car parked on the side of the road and a male carrying what appeared to be a long piece of plastic. As the car drove away, the officer noticed that the car did not have a rear bumper or a rear license plate. There was also a road sign that had been knocked down near the area where the vehicle was stopped and tire tracks in the grass. The officer pulled the vehicle over and spoke with the 25-year old driver who initially denied any involvement in the collision despite damage to his vehicle consistent with the accident scene. Further conversation with the man yielded further information about the driver who admitted he had struck the sign the night before after losing control of his car on icy roads. He was cited for hit and run, unattended property.

Monday, January 2

A 48-year old Everett driver was cited for driving with license suspended and issued an infraction for speeding on Monday morning. The man was pulled over by police that morning for driving his pickup 12mph over the posted 30mph limit northbound on D Avenue near the intersection of 18th Street. A passenger took over the responsibility of driving from the scene after the suspect driver was released.

A 47-year old Anacortes man recognized by police was stopped on Commercial Avenue at noon on Monday after a driver’s check revealed that he had a suspended driver’s license. He was stopped and cited at the scene for 2nd Degree Driving With License Suspended after agreeing to appear in court later in the month.

A Marion Way resident called police on Monday afternoon to report that a blue felt board was delivered to his home on December 30th but had been stolen by someone before he got to it. There are no suspects.

An Anacortes Police Officer was assisting a Swinomish Tribal Police Officer on a traffic stop on S. March’s Point Road on Monday afternoon when he recognized one of the passengers from previous contacts. The passenger was a 22-year old woman from Anacortes who had two warrants for her arrest out of Anacortes and Burlington. She was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Skagit County Jail where she was booked on her warrants.

Wednesday, January 4

A white sedan driven by a 40-year old Anacortes man was pulled over on the 1200 block of L Avenue on Wednesday morning after an APD Officer ran a check of the vehicle’s registration that returned expired as of February 2016. The driver readily admitted to the officer that he had a warrant for his arrest and was taken into custody without incident. Further investigation revealed that he had a suspended driver’s license as of February 2016 for failure to appear on an unpaid ticket. He was cited for 3rd Degree Driving With License Suspended and Failure to Transfer Title Within 45 Days. He was later released from the scene.

On Wednesday morning, a local business owner called police to report that someone had sprayed green paint on two hubcaps of the family car while it was parked in the 1000 block of 34th Street. There are no suspects at this time.

Approximately $250 worth of tools and fishing gear were stolen from an unlocked garage on Skyline Way sometime in the afternoon or evening of January 1st. The home owner called police to report the incident on Wednesday evening, though she had no idea who may have been responsible for the theft.

Thursday, January 5

An Anacortes Police Officer arrested a 17-year old Anacortes girl at her home on 17th Street on Thursday afternoon. The girl was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Skagit County Juvenile Detention Center on her warrant out of the Skagit County Superior Court.

A $400 radar detector and a $20 pair of sunglasses were reported stolen from a vehicle on Kingsway Drive on Thursday afternoon. It is unknown who is responsible for the theft or when it occurred.

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.