An employee of a gas station in the 1300 block of Commercial Avenue last week reported a “gas and go” in which an older Jeep style vehicle had left without paying for approximately $35 in gas. The clerk was unable to get a license for the vehicle or provide a description of the driver.
Some of the other police cases, as reported by the Anacortes Police Department, include:
Fri., Jan. 30, 2009
A garage in the 1500 block of 8th Street had the words “I Love U” spray painted in red paint on its siding. The incident was one of many related cases of red spray painted graffiti throughout town.
A man living in the 800 block of 35th street reported that a 35-year-old Anacortes man had thrown a beer bottle at him and struck him in the neck. The victim reported that the other man had been upset with him because the victim had pulled the man’s girlfriend off of the victim’s girlfriend when the two women had been involved in an altercation at the house. The alleged suspect reportedly accused the victim of being rough with his girlfriend. The victim had visible redness to his neck. The suspect male left the house prior to officer arrival and the matter is under investigation.
Sat., Jan 31, 2009
An officer saw a car traveling at a high rate of speed on 32nd Street at approximately twice the speed limit. The car failed to stop for the stop sign at D Avenue and began to travel on the wrong side of the roadway and almost struck an oncoming car. The officer stopped the car in the 3000 block of D Avenue, but when the officer exited his patrol car, the other car sped off. The car traveled into the 2400 block of 30th Street at a high rate of speed before turning into a yard and crashing into a deck on the house. The driver then fled the car on foot. After a brief foot pursuit, the officer tackled the driver and was able to get him into handcuffs despite the man actively resisting. The driver smelled strongly of intoxicants and he was identified as a 23-year-old Anacortes resident. The man told the officer he had run because he didn’t want to get a DUI. A small baggy of suspected marijuana was found in the man’s pocket during a search incident to arrest. The man was taken to the police station where he was processed for DUI after performing poorly on sobriety tests. He provided two breath samples that were almost three times the legal limit. The man was booked into jail for investigation of felony eluding, DUI, possession of marijuana, driving with a suspended license, and resisting arrest.
A resident of the 2200 block of 21st Street reported the theft of a $1600 portable electrical generator belonging to his employer from the back of a company pickup parked in front of his house. The man said that the generator was big enough that it would take two men to lift it. The generator had not been secured to the pickup’s bed.
A Ferndale man reported that someone had thrown what appeared to be a Presto log through the rear window of his BMW while it had been parked in a store parking lot in the 1700 block of Commercial Avenue. The damage was estimated at over $700 and the suspect remains unknown.
Witnesses reported seeing two males putting what appeared to be an unconscious woman into a car in the 1000 block of I Avenue. When officers arrived, one of the males ran away. The officers located a 16-year-old Anacortes boy and a 14-year-old girl inside of the car. The girl was extremely intoxicated and vomiting into a sack. The boy and a 17-year-old girl who was discovered sitting nearby also showed the effects of drinking alcohol. The second boy, identified as an 18-year-old Anacortes man, returned to the scene and also showed the effects of being intoxicated. It was learned that the teens had been drinking at the 18-year-old’s house. All of the subjects provided breath samples that confirmed their alcohol consumption. The teens were all charged with underage drinking and the 18-year-old was also charged with furnishing alcohol to minors. He was then booked into jail. The juveniles were released to their parents.
A 17-year-old Anacortes boy was arrested for drunk driving after an officer stopped the car he was driving in the 1100 block 29th Street. The officer smelled a strong odor of intoxicants coming from the vehicle, but both the driver and his 17 year old passenger denied drinking. The driver performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was taken into custody. The driver later admitted to drinking four beers earlier in the night. His passenger was also determined to have been drinking. Officers also discovered a pill bottle in the passenger’s name that contained a small amount of marijuana. The driver was processed for DUI and provided breath samples that were almost twice the legal limit for an adult and 8 times over the limit for a juvenile. The passenger was referred for underage drinking and possession of marijuana. Both boys were released to their parents.
Sun., Feb. 1, 2009
An officer stopped a car in the 2400 block of Commercial Avenue for having expired license tabs. The driver was identified as a 26-year-old Cape Horn woman. The officer smelled intoxicants on the woman and she admitted to having drunk “two beers.” She performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest for drunk driving. During a search of the woman’s purse, the officer located a marijuana smoking pipe and a plastic baggy containing marijuana. The woman admitted that both items belonged to her and that she had smoked marijuana earlier in the day. She provided breath samples that were over one and a half times the legal limit. She was cited for DUI, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was released to a friend.
A 31-year-old Burlington man was also arrested for drunk driving after an officer stopped his car on Highway 20 near R Avenue for speeding and drifting out of its’ lane of travel. He smelled strongly of intoxicants and told the officer he was coming from a downtown bar. The man performed field sobriety tests including taking a portable breath test that was over the legal limit. He was processed for drunk driving and provided two breath samples that were over the legal limit. He was cited for DUI and released to a sober friend.
An officer checked the registration on a van and learned that the registered owner had a suspended driver’s license. The officer later stopped the van in the 1800 block of 12th Street after seeing it weaving out of its lane of travel. The driver was identified as a 19-year-old Anacortes man. Several people under age 21 were also passengers in the vehicle. The driver’s license was suspended and he also showed the effects of drinking alcohol. He was placed under arrest. Officers located several cases of beer inside of the van and it smelled of burnt marijuana. A 20-year-old male passenger also appeared to be intoxicated and he admitted to drinking. He was also placed under arrest. Four teenaged girls in the van were given voluntary breath tests and only a 19-year-old Anacortes woman tested positive and admitted to drinking beer. The woman and the male passenger were cited for MIP. The driver was taken to the police station and processed for drunk driving. He provided breath samples that were almost twice the legal limit for a person under 21 years of age. He was cited for DUI and driving with a suspended driver’s license and released to a sober adult.
Mon., Feb. 2, 2009
Postal workers discovered that someone had broken into twenty postal boxes in the lobby area of the Post Office sometime over the weekend. It appeared that some type of pry tool had been used to force open the faceplates on the boxes. It was unknown exactly how much mail had been stolen, but one identified victim said that he had been out of town for two weeks and had been expecting numerous checks from clients for a business he ran. The man reported he was missing all of the mail from his box. Postal Inspectors were also notified and the matter is under continued investigation.
Middle School officials evaluated a 14-year-old student after he displayed symptoms of drug usage. A check of the boy’s backpack revealed a small container of suspected marijuana and a glass smoking pipe that contained burnt marijuana residue. The boy told an officer that the items were not his, but that he was holding them for a friend. The boy was referred to juvenile court for possession of marijuana and also suspended from school.
Tues., Feb. 3, 2009
A resident of the 1500 block of K Avenue reported the theft of a wooden ladder and a contractor’s style wheelbarrow from his yard. The total value of the stolen items was approximately $150.
An Anacortes woman discovered that someone had prowled her Honda Accord sometime during the previous night while it had been parked in the 1100 block of 13th Street. The woman said that one door on the car had not been locked. Reported stolen from the car were a $200 car stereo amplifier, a $300 speaker in a wood cabinet, a pair of audio speakers valued at $50 each, and a blue neon tube that had been mounted inside of the trunk.
A 57-year-old woman reported that her 45-year-old boyfriend had assaulted her at their home in the 6000 block of Sands Way. The woman told officers that her boyfriend had hit her twice while traveling home on the bus from the downtown area. The woman had fresh marks on her face. The woman had no explanation why the man had hit her other than he was “drunk.” Officers then spoke with the boyfriend who admitted that he had hit the woman but only because she had hit him first. The man said that he had been away from home all day and was upset because his girlfriend was drunk. The woman denied having hit the man. The man was determined to be the primary aggressor, and he was booked into jail for domestic violence assault.
An Anacortes High School student reported that her car had been struck and creased on the rear quarter panel while it had been parked in a student parking lot at the school. The girl checked with school security, but there was no video surveillance of the hit and run.
Officers responded to an apartment in the 1100 block of 24th Street after neighbors reported hearing a woman screaming for help. When officers arrived, they could hear a woman screaming for someone to get out of the apartment. A 26-year-old woman then exited the apartment and told officers that she had been arguing with her 32-year-old boyfriend over her wanting to go out for the evening. The woman reported that her boyfriend did not want her to take their two year old daughter with her and that a struggle ensued with mutual shoving and hitting. The woman had fresh abrasions on her arms and face. The boyfriend told a similar version of events and told officers that they should “just take him.” Officers agreed and booked the man into jail for domestic violence assault.
Wed., Feb. 4, 2009
A 22-year-old Anacortes woman reported that she had been assaulted by her 23-year-old ex-boyfriend at a house in the 1500 block of 17th Street. The woman said that she had stopped by the house so the man could see their two children in common, but that the visit had turned nasty when her ex and his sister started to verbally harass her. The woman said that she then went to leave and was putting the children into her car when the man ran outside, knocked her to the ground, and yelled at her to not take the children. The woman said that the man did eventually apologize for knocking her down but that she believed the act had been intentional. Attempts to locate the man (who had active warrants for his arrest) were unsuccessful. A court summons was mailed to the man for domestic violence assault.
Officers responded to a bank in the 900 block of 11th Street after employees reported that a man was being belligerent and refusing to leave. The man had reportedly demanded to use a phone and made threatening remarks and the bank staff wanted him trespassed form the business. Officers then contacted and identified the man as a 25-year-old Bothel resident, but he refused to go outside and speak with officers until he was advised he was risking arrest. The man was advised not to go back into the store/bank or he would be arrested for criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. Police received two more complaints about the man’s aggressive behavior and he was subsequently taken to the bus stop so he could start the trip back to Bothel.
Officers responded to the report of a domestic disturbance in the 2100 block of Creekside Circle. They contacted an 82-year-old man and his 87-year-old wife who said that they were not getting along with each other. The man was upset because his wife had broken a dish and she was upset because she claimed he “didn’t do anything.” The man said he just wanted his wife to leave him alone. The couple was counseled about their behavior and it was determined that no crime had occurred.
A 19-year-old man reported his Kona brand mountain bike had been stolen from the stairwell of an apartment building in the 800 block of 29th Street. The bike was valued at approximately $700.
Thur., Feb. 5, 2009
A clerk at a convenience store in the 1100 block of 12th Street reported that a white male with dark hair and wearing dark clothing had stolen an 18-pack of beer and then ran out of the store. The clerk said that she had been distracted by a second man in the store, but that it was uncertain if the second man had been acting in concert with the thief. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate a matching suspect.
A 61-year-old Anacortes man was arrested in front of his residence in the 1100 block of N Avenue for having an outstanding warrant for a previous theft charge. The man was taken to the police station where he was issued a new court date as the jail would not accept him for booking.
An officer stopped a pickup on State Route 20 near Reservation Road for speeding. The driver was identified by a Texas driver’s license as a 39-year-old man who later told the officer that he was working an oil refinery shutdown. The officer could smell the odor of intoxicants on the man, and the driver said that he was traveling from a local bar to a nearby casino. The man agreed to perform field sobriety tests on which he performed poorly. The man was placed under arrest for drunk driving. The officer found two partially consumed containers of beer inside of the pickup. The man was taken to the police station where he provided two breath samples that were almost twice the legal limit during the DUI processing. He was cited for DUI and was released to a sober co-worker.