The Police Blotter

A weekly roundup prepared by the Anacortes Police Department. 

August 8

Officers spoke with a married couple in the 1800 block of Ohio Avenue after the wife called 911 to report her husband had hid her prescription medication.  Officers determined that no crime had occurred and the couple agreed to cease their arguing for the night. 

A 26-year-old Friday Harbor man and a 22-year-old Friday Harbor man were detained by US Border Patrol agents at the State Ferry terminal after a narcotics detection K9 alerted on their vehicle in the secondary inspection area.  Agents then located suspected methamphetamine, prescription pills, and drug paraphernalia inside of the vehicle.  An Anacortes officer interviewed the men with one man saying that he was aware that there was methamphetamine in the car and the other admitting he had addiction issues with illegal drugs.  Both men were released after being informed of pending drug charges. 

Neighbors reported seeing a man looking into windows and acting strangely at an apartment complex in the 800 block of 29th Street.  It was determined that the only windows the man had looked into belonged to his girlfriend’s apartment and that no crime had occurred.  The concerned neighbors were referred to the apartment complex management about having the man trespassed from the property. 

August 9

Officers responded to the 400 block of Commercial Avenue regarding the report of a large fight involving up to 15 people outside of a hotel.  Officers were able to disperse most of the crowd after learning that the fight had started inside a bar and spilled out into the street and had involved a group of local men and a group from out of state that was in town for a wedding.  A 28-year-old Anacortes man was cited for disorderly conduct after an officer observed him kicking and swinging at another man. 

A 30-year-old Anacortes man was cited for disorderly conduct after officers observed him attempting to start a fight with two other males across the street from the first fight.  The man tried to push past the officers and resisted their efforts to arrest him.  The man’s 29-year-old friend was also cited for disorderly conduct and possession of marijuana after he tried to start a fight and interfere with officers efforts to arrest his friend.   All of the arrested men were intoxicated.

A 19-year-old Anacortes man was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia after an officer stopped him for driving erratically in the 1500 block of Commercial Avenue.  The man admitted to drinking a beer earlier and he was arrested for investigation of underage drinking.  During a search of the vehicle incident to arrest, the officer located a marijuana smoking pipe in the glove box.  The man admitted to using the pipe the previous day to smoke marijuana.  He was cited and released. 

A resident of the 1200 block of 15th Street reported that someone had stolen his pickup and utility trailer that contained two lawn mowers, a weed eater, a leaf blower, and other lawn maintenance equipment.  The vehicle and trailer had been parked in the 1500 block of N Avenue with the key left inside.  The vehicle, trailer, and all of the equipment was recovered the next day in the 1200 block of 27th Court after a resident reported he had woken up and found the trailer blocking his driveway.  The gas was missing from the lawn mowers, but the vehicles and equipment were undamaged.  The suspect remands unknown. 

A Pennsylvania woman reported losing her purse after she had put it on the roof of her car and driven away from the State Ferry terminal.  The purse contained her driver’s license, bank cards, and cash. 

A witness reported that a white colored pickup with a canopy struck a city street sign in the 2300 block of 11th Street and then drove away.  The witness said the pickup driver did get out of his pickup and throw the broken sign in back before driving away, and that the driver appeared to be unsteady on his feet.  The missing sign was valued at $200.

August 10

A 16-year-old Anacortes boy, a 20-year-old Mount Vernon man, and a 18-year-old Mount Vernon woman were all arrested for underage drinking after officers received a report of the subjects were drinking beer near a car in the 2300 block of E Avenue.  Officers found open and unopened cans of beer near the subjects and the subjects admitted to drinking.  The two adults were cited and released and the 16 year old was released to a relative. 

An Anacortes woman reported that her 41-year-old ex-boyfriend had borrowed her car without her permission.  The woman said that they had been drinking at her residence and that she didn’t want to drive him home due to her drinking.  The woman said that the man then grabbed her keys and took her car.  The man was stopped in the vehicle near his residence on Michelle Lane.  The man smelled strongly of intoxicants and exhibited the effects of consuming alcohol.  When asked how much he had had to drink, the man answered “Plenty.”  The man was arrested for drunk driving.  He was taken to the police station where he provided two breath samples that were almost four times the legal limit.  The man was cited for DUI but his ex-girlfriend did not want to pursue charges for him taking her car. 

A witness reported seeing a man punching and kicking a woman after knocking her down in the area of 38th Street and M Avenue.  The man was then seen kicking the woman’s car as she attempted to drive away.  A 29-year-old Anacortes man was found walking in the 1100 block of 32nd Street and he admitted to arguing with his girlfriend, but he denied hitting her.  The woman was contacted in the 1400 block of 38th Street and she had visible scratches and redness around her face, neck, and shoulders.  The rental car she was driving had fresh dents to the hood and passenger side doors.  The woman admitted to arguing with her boyfriend, but said that her injuries had been caused by doing yard work.  The man was arrested for domestic violence assault and malicious mischief and booked into jail. 

August 11

A man living in the 800 block of 26th Street reported that someone had punctured the tire to his pickup while it had been parked for sale in front of his residence.  Replacement cost for the tire was $159.

An officer spoke with ten and twelve year old brothers after a witness reported that she had seen the boys writing on the wood surfaces of playground equipment at Storvik Park.  The boys denied doing any wrongdoing, but they were in possession of marking pens that were consistent with the markings and one of the markings contained the boy’s name.  The boys were released to their father and encouraged to clean off the writing after being informed of possible criminal charges. 

A witness observed a 40-year-old Anacortes man take a $60 kids swimming pool from inside of a drug store in the 1500 block of Commercial Avenue without paying for it and then put it in the back of his pickup and drive away.  A check on the license for the man’s vehicle led to an officer contacting him at his residence in the 500 block of 35th Street.  The man matched the witness description and he admitted to stealing the pool.  The man was placed under arrest and an officer discovered two new bottles of male sexual enhancement tablets in his vehicle.  After initially lying, the man admitted he had also stolen the pills.  The man was cited for theft and obstructing.

August 12

A 24-year-old Anacortes man was arrested for drunk driving after an officer stopped the vehicle he was driving in the 1300 block of 12th Street.  The officer observed the man’s vehicle swerving in its’ lane of travel and almost hit a parked car.  The man smelled strongly of intoxicants, had slurred speech, and performed poorly on field sobriety tests.  He was taken to the police station where he provided two breath samples that were over twice the legal limit.  He was cited for DUI and released. 

A woman residing in the 1600 block of L Avenue reported that someone had written a racial slur across the exterior of her front door.  The woman said that she had heard someone up on her front porch around 2:00 AM the previous night, and that when she got up the next morning she discovered the word written on her door.  The woman did not know why anyone would write the slur on her door. 

An Anacortes woman reported that someone had stolen her purse from her unlocked car while it had been parked at Storvik Park.  The purse contained the woman’s wallet, identification, credit cards, cash, and jewelry. 

A resident of the 2400 block of Highland Drive reported that he had left his garage door open and that someone had entered his two unlocked vehicles parked in the garage.  Taken from the vehicles were approximately $700 in cash, sunglasses, and a variety of CD’s and DVD’s. 

A Guemes Island man reported that someone had driven his car without permission after a friend told him he had seen the man’s car being driven around Anacortes while the man had been out of the area.  The man then discovered that his vehicle had been moved to a different parking space from where he had left it parked near the Guemes Ferry terminal and that the steering column and ignition had been damaged. 

A woman in the 1300 block of 19th Street reported that someone had used a black colored pen to write on the side of her car.  Several other cars in the area were also marked with the black pen.  The vehicle owners were able to wash off the markings.

Employees of a grocery in the 900 block of 11th Street requested that a 64 year old Anacortes man be trespassed from the store as it was believed that he had been shoplifting.  The man was contacted outside of the store where it was discovered that he had just stolen approximately $50 of meat and beer.  The man told an officer that he had stolen the items because he was trying to feed himself and his friends.  The man was cited for theft and released.   

August 13

A resident of the 2000 block of M Avenue reported that his neighbor’s dog had entered his back yard and attacked his cat that was outside on its harness.  The cat suffered several bite wounds and received stitches at a local veterinary.  The dog owner was contacted and she was cited for her dog running at large. 

A Bellingham woman reported a vehicle prowl to her car while it had been parked in the area of Sharpes Corner.  The woman discovered her driver’s door lock had been damaged and that she was missing her car stereo, a digital camera, climbing gear, and two backpacks.  The value of the items is unknown at this time. 

An Anacortes woman reported that someone had smashed out the passenger side window of her pickup and stole a GPS unit valued at $500.  The vehicle had been parked at a Little Cranberry Lake trailhead on A Avenue. 

A 20-year-old Anacortes woman was cited for failure to yield the right of way after the car she was driving collided with a motorcycle driven by a 49-year-old Anacortes man at the intersection of 32nd Street and R Avenue.  The motorcycle had been traveling south on R Avenue and the car had been stopped for the stop sign on 32nd Street.  The driver of the car said that she did not see the motorcycle when she pulled out because her view of the motorcycle had been blocked by another car traveling south.  The motorcyclist suffered a fractured knee.   

A woman reported finding a purse in the 1400 block of 13th Street.  Identification in the purse showed that it belonged to a LaConner resident.  When the LaConner woman was contacted, she told the officer that her purse had been stolen from her unlocked car that had been parked at the Fidalgo Pool.  Also missing from the car was a portable DVD player valued at $150. 

A pickup towing a 28-foot boat on a trailer jackknifed on State Route 20 east of R Avenue.  The boat broke loose from the trailer and the pickup, trailer, and boat all skidded off the roadway.  No other vehicles were involved and the pickup driver was uninjured.  The pickup and the boat sustained extensive damage. 

A woman living in the 1200 block of 5th Street reported that she had argued with her husband after he had called her fat and told her to get a job.  The woman said that she then threw a glass of water on her husband which resulted in him shoving her against a wall.  The woman said that when she tried to call 911, her husband disconnected the phone. The woman suffered a scratch to her shoulder.  The husband later went to the police department where he confirmed the comment made to his wife and that she had thrown water on him.  The man admitted to pushing his wife but claimed she had tripped on some toys when she fell against the wall.  The man was placed under arrest for domestic violence assault and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence.  He was booked into jail. 

A 14-year-old Anacortes girl reported the theft of her scooter while she had been swimming at the Fidalgo Pool. 

An 18-year-old Hope Island man reported that someone had stolen his cell phone from an unlocked locker while he was at the Fidalgo Pool.  The man said that he called his cell phone number, and an unknown man answered before hanging up.  The victim then cancelled his cell service.   

August 14

Employees of a business in the 1000 block of 12th Street reported that someone had driven a vehicle through the barrier tape and pylons that had been used to block the alleyway to protect fresh blacktop that had been overlaid on the asphalt.  The vehicle left tire impressions that damaged the finish of the blacktop.  The repair cost of the restoration is unknown at this time.

An employee of a business in the 2500 block of Commercial Avenue reported finding mail addressed to the business lying in the weeds on the property.  Some of the mail was discovered to have been postmarked three weeks prior.  The employee reasoned that someone had been tampering with the business’ mailbox. 

The owner of a business in the 3100 block of Commercial Avenue reported the theft of $600 in a bank bag from the business.  The money had been inside of a safe and there was no sign of forced entry into the business.  The business owner said that he would be investigating the matter with his employees. 

Three renters of a house in the 2300 block of 24th Street reported the house had been burglarized.  The men said that the doors to the house had been left unlocked while they were at work and that when they returned home they found their belongings had been rifled through.  Missing from the house was a notebook style computer, an MP3 player, a digital camera, an I-pod Nano, a Microsoft Zune, and a small amount of cash.  The total loss was valued at over $2,500. 

A resident of the 3600 block of Portage Lane reported that the stands to several mailboxes at a condominium complex had been damaged. 

An Anacortes man reported that his 34-year-old wife had driven a car into the side of a wall in the 1000 block of 2nd Street.  Initial information led officers to believe that the woman had intentionally driven the car into the side of the building after arguing with her husband.  The front of the vehicle was heavily damaged and the airbags had deployed, but the woman was not on scene.  The woman was located inside of a nearby pub and she claimed that she had been making a turn and lost control of the vehicle before striking the wall.  The woman said the collision had been an accident and she provided a breath sample that showed she had not been drinking.  There was no damage to the wall and the woman was uninjured.