An officer was dispatched to a report of vagrancy in the area of 6th Street and T Avenue on Tuesday, June 13. An Anacortes woman reported a “permanent homeless encampment” that was accumulating a large amount of trash around it. An officer checked the area, finding many boxes, equipment, tools and trash in the grass area on the south side of the road in the 600 block of 6th Street. The officer knew who the items belonged to, and that the man had been warned repeatedly about leaving trash and personal belongings out and that he would be cited for littering if it continued to be a problem. The man received a littering citation via mail after it was determined that he did not clean up the area.
Here are some other incidents that Anacortes Police investigated this week.
Friday, June 9, 2023
A Mount Vernon man reported that the sign was stolen off his business. An officer responded, and the man showed video of a male on a bicycle approach the business, looking at the sign and then unscrewing it with a knife. He then places it on his bike and rides away. The responding officer recognized the man and asked the reporting party if he wanted to pursue charges. The man said he was not sure. The officer provided him with a business card and entered a copy of the video into evidence.
An officer tagged a pickup truck parked in the 900 block of 20th Street for 72 hours. The officers returned later to follow up and found the vehicle parked in the same location with the chalk and window paint still in place. The officer had the vehicle impounded and then tagged another vehicle in the area for 72 hours.
Saturday, June 10, 2023
An Anacortes woman reported that a vehicle was blocking a fire hydrant at the intersection of 6th Street and Market Street. An officer contacted the owner, who moved the vehicle.
An Anacortes woman reported malicious mischief in the 1100 block of 27th Court. She said she parked and removed some items from her car’s trunk and then went inside her daughter’s apartment. She went inside the apartment for about 20 minutes and then heard beeping coming from outside. She then left and went home. The next morning, her husband noticed the letter “D” scratched into the front trunk of the car, about $1,000 worth of damage. The reporting party said she didn’t notice the damage when she went into her daughter’s apartment, and that her daughter had heard from neighbors that residents in the 800 block of 29th Street were heard laughing and bragging about doing the damage. The investigation continues.
Sunday, June 11, 2023
Officers responded to a lost property complaint at a store in the 900 block of 11th Street. The reporting party said cash was missing and requested contact at the store. The Anacortes woman said her husband left his wallet in the restroom and that it had been turned in to the lost and found with $75 missing. Officers could not confirm via security footage if the man who returned the wallet was the only person who entered the restroom after the reporting party’s husband exited. The responding officer contacted the man who returned the wallet the following day, and he denied opening the wallet.
Monday, June 12, 2023
A local restaurant owner reported that a customer was upset over a meal and wanted a refund. The reporting party advised that she attempted to resolve the issue, but the customer kept calling. The responding officer spoke with the customer, and she agreed to try to find the receipt for the food in question.
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
An Anacortes woman reported that she was the victim of an online email fraud. She informed the responding officer that she purchased $1,500 in fraudulent gift cards after responding to an email that showed fake Bitcoin receipts, alleging she had purchased them. She said the email provided instructions telling her to purchase the gift cards to receive her refund. She advised that after learning it was a scam, she contacted her bank and discovered that the funds had already been transferred and that she would not be able to receive a refund. She was instructed to report the incident to IC3.gov.
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
A front desk employee at a local motel reported that a woman had been denied a room and was screaming in the lobby as a result. The employee was reportedly hiding in the back room due to the subject’s behavior. The responding officer arrived and could hear the woman in question repeatedly ringing the service bell and shouting. The officer contacted her, and she was extremely irate at being denied a room and being accused of being a drug user. She yelled over the officers when they asked her to step outside, but she eventually voluntarily left the lobby and continued her behavior in the front parking lot. An otherwise unidentified man offered to pay for a room for the woman elsewhere and was assisted in finding another place to stay. The reporting party said she wanted the woman trespassed from the initial motel, and the responding officers completed the trespass notice.
Thursday, June 15, 2023
Officers responded to a report of a woman stealing large amounts of alcohol from an Anacortes store. The reporting party stated he had video footage of the woman taking about $800 worth of tequila and vodka the previous day. In the footage, she can be seen taking the bottles off the shelves and placing them in her cart. She then goes around the corner and places them in a bag before returning to the liquor aisle to take more. The reporting party provided a witness statement and a voided receipt, and the officer distributed a photo of the suspect to local law enforcement for identification.