A 62-year-old Anacortes man reported a stolen backpack, but thanks to a tracking device in it, he managed to get it back.
The man called on Apr. 1 to report that his backpack had been stolen with an Apple AirTag showing its location in Burlington. The Burlington Police Department contacted the residents at the AirTag’s location, who denied any knowledge of the backpack. The owner later advised that the backpack was returned to him by a pizza delivery person who had found it, kept it in his car overnight in Burlington and then brought it back in the morning. All items in the backpack were accounted for.
Here are some other incidents that Anacortes Police investigated this week.
Friday, March 31, 2023
A local store director called to report that a male subject had attempted to take about $240 worth of items and was sitting in an SUV in the parking lot. Officers responded and located the vehicle as it was leaving. They conducted a traffic stop and contacted the 43-year-old Anacortes man, who said he had forgotten his wallet and gotten some items for his daughter. He admitted to leaving the store without paying for the items and giving them back when confronted by store staff. The officers determined that only two of the items on the list could have been gifts for the man’s daughter. They also determined that he was driving with a suspended license. The responsible officer completed citations for third-degree driving with a suspended license and third-degree theft, as well as a trespass notice for the man.
Saturday, April 1, 2023
Officers were dispatched to a burglary complaint in the 7600 block of Highway 20. A store owner advised that she had just arrived at work to open for the day and found that it appeared the store had been broken into. The door was jammed in and the windows were broken. Officers arrived and observed broken wood and glass strewn about the store. Lottery tickets and cigarettes had been missing, along with some coins from the cash register. The investigation continues.
Officers were dispatched to a disorderly complaint in the 1600 block of 7th Street. Two callers reported a male screaming at the top of his lungs but then walking away. Officers later observed the man at 12th Street and M Avenue. They stopped to talk to him, and he informed officers that he had been working on a truck belonging to another man on 7th Street. He said he went to move it and found the keys missing and that he was yelling to try to get them back. Officers returned to the house on 7th Street and spoke to the owner of the truck and the 50-year-old man’s girlfriend. They said they did not know anything about the keys. The girlfriend said she felt safe at the house with the other man and was afraid of what the boyfriend might do if he came back. The officer advised them on how to apply for a restraining order.
Sunday, April 2, 2023
Officers were dispatched to a report of neighbors yelling in a unit in the 1000 block of 27th Street. Officers contacted the people inside, and a 34-year-old Anacortes woman answered, speaking in a loud voice. She said she was annoyed with the upstairs neighbor being loud and stomping on the floor. She was in the residence with a 45-year-old Anacortes man, who was telling her to close the door. Officers determined that they were not fighting and that no crime had occurred. The woman said she had gone upstairs to tell her neighbor to be quiet. Officers spoke to the reporting party upstairs and reminded her of the thin walls in the building. She agreed to watch the noise level.
Monday, April 3, 2023
Dispatch advised that a local manager was reporting a phone call regarding a theft that had occurred over the weekend. He reported that two boats in their storage yard appeared to have been entered and rifled through. Employees checked video footage and located video of a suspect walking into the storage yard and then leaving with a gas can and a full plastic shopping bag. The manager was provided with a case number, and the responding officer distributed the video in hopes of identifying the suspect.
Tuesday, April 4, 2023
An Anacortes man requested a call referring to a theft that had occurred in the 2200 block of Dover Drive. An officer contacted him, and he said that he heard his dogs barking earlier in the day, and he went outside and found the gas cap of his truck sitting on his front lawn. He found that about five gallons of gas had been taken. He received a case number for his records.
Thursday, April 6, 2023
There was a report of a woman caught on video surveillance checking door handles on a building in the 3000 block of R Avenue. The responding officer was able to identify the subject as a 31-year-old Anacortes woman. The officer contacted the woman, as the reporting party had requested trespass. The officer issued the trespass notice and explained it. She threw it into a bush but retrieved it when instructed.