Police found a pickup truck on Heart Lake Road that apparently hit a tree, then rolled over, but no one was around. The search is on for the driver. That’s just one case in this week’s Police Blotter.
Police are trying to locate and identify the driver of a pickup that was involved in an accident on Heart Lake Road near the lake on Friday, Dec. 11. It appeared that the pickup had struck a tree and then rolled, but no driver or anyone with information about the accident was located in the area. The interior of the pickup smelled of alcohol, and an empty bottle of rum was found inside. Officers located some paperwork inside of the vehicle belonging to a 26-year-old Sedro-Woolley man who had a felony warrant for his arrest. A check of the license plate number showed the pickup belonged to a woman in Vancouver, Wash. So far, police efforts to contact the man and the owner of the pickup have been unsuccessful.
Friday, December 4
A witness reported seeing a car collide with a parked vehicle in the 2000 block of I Avenue and then flee the scene. The witness recognized the driver of the fleeing vehicle as a 17-year-old Anacortes boy. The boy was contacted at his school and taken into custody for investigation of hit and run. The boy admitted that he had been distracted by playing with the heater controls of his car when he struck the other vehicle and that he had hidden his car at a friend’s house. The boy’s car was located and impounded as it smelled of marijuana and officers intended to apply for a search warrant. The boy faces charges of hit and run and possible drug charges pending the results of the search warrant.
A 16-year-old Anacortes boy called the police to turn himself in on an outstanding felony warrant for his arrest from a previous burglary charge. The boy was then contacted on Commercial Avenue, taken into custody, and transported to juvenile detention.
An Anacortes woman had her wallet stolen from her purse while attending a party at a business in the 600 block of Commercial Avenue. The wallet contained the victim’s identification, credit cards, and approximately $50 in cash. Numerous people were in and out of the business due to an arts event and there is no suspect information at this time.
Saturday, December 5
Steinman’s Grocery was robbed at gunpoint. See separate story. No new leads as of this writing.
Sunday, December 6
The owner of a home in the 1100 block of 17th Street discovered that someone had forced open the back door. The house had recently been vacated by a renter and there did not appear to be anything missing or damaged within the home. The wood and lock to the back door were damaged and repair costs were estimated at $50.00.
A 25-year-old Anacortes man was arrested for having an outstanding warrant for a previous reckless driving charge after an officer stopped the car he was driving on Commercial Avenue for following the vehicle in front of him too closely. The man was taken to the police station and released after being given a new court date since the jail would not accept him for booking due to overcrowding.
Tuesday, December 8
An officer monitoring traffic in an alley near the 800 block of Commercial Avenue due to power lines being down saw a vehicle enter the alley and then drive around a barricade that was being used to block traffic. The officer waived the vehicle to a stop as it traveled down the alley and identified the driver as a 56-year-old Anacortes man. The man told the officer he was going “home” although he was traveling in the opposite direction from his house. The man smelled strongly of intoxicants, had bloodshot eyes, and had slow sluggish movements. The man said that he had “one beer”, but he performed poorly on field sobriety tests. He was placed under arrest for drunk driving and taken to the police station for processing. He provided breath samples that were under the legal limit and he was released. The case was forwarded to the Prosecutor for a charging decision as the man could still potentially be charged with DUI.
A 15-year-old boy was referred to juvenile court on charges of domestic violence assault and possession of marijuana after he allegedly punched his father in the face after the two had argued about the father finding marijuana in his son’s clothing at a home in the 1600 block of 15th Street. The parents had confronted the boy about smoking marijuana and lying to them. The boy fled the house after punching his father. A small amount of marijuana was turned over to the police as evidence. Officers searched for the boy, but were unable to find him that night. The charging paperwork was later sent to the court.
Wednesday, December 9
A friend of a 43-year-old Anacortes woman reported that the woman told her that she sometimes felt like “taking a bottle of pills” and overdosing. Officers contacted the woman who admitted that she was depressed, but that she had no intention of hurting herself. The woman said that she would be contacting her doctor that morning for assistance.
A wallet was turned over to police after it was accidentally left behind at an Anacortes business. Employees of the business became suspicious because the wallet contained numerous driver’s licenses and identification cards showing the same man using different names. Officers traced the man to an apartment in the 3600 block of Michelle Lane after being provided with the license number of the car he was driving. A man matching the driver license pictures answered the door and he told officers he did not have identification, although he verbally identified himself. The man was placed under arrest for investigation of forgery. Officers located another wallet in the man’s pocket that contained several more identification cards with the man’s picture, but again with different names. The man was advised of his rights but declined to answer any questions concerning his true identity. The man was booked into jail for investigation of forgery as a “John Doe.” Officers obtained a search warrant for the man’s room and seized numerous birth certificates and identifications in different names, identification making materials, two laptop computers, and a diary detailing the man’s life on the run. Officers also located what appeared to be a legitimate ID that identified the man as a 44-year-old from Arizona. The man’s identity was confirmed by the jail staff through his fingerprints. It was discovered he had warrants for his arrest from Maricopa County Arizona for eleven counts of child molestation and failing to comply with his release conditions. The man had also been featured on the television show “America’s Most Wanted” in 2008 after fleeing custody in Arizona. The man was also being held in jail on charges of being a fugitive from justice.
A 44-year-old Anacortes woman was cited for failure to yield the right of way when she made a left turn and crossed in front of another car traveling the opposite direction on Q Avenue at 6th Street and caused the two vehicles to collide. The driver of the other car, a 24-year-old Anacortes woman, suffered a possible neck strain. The offending driver had soreness to her ear as a result of her airbag deploying.
A witness reported seeing a car weaving on State Route 20 spur as it headed towards Anacortes and provided a license number for the car. An officer located the car traveling approximately 5 miles per hour and driving on the wrong side of the road in the 2300 block of 33rd Street. The officer activated his emergency lights but the vehicle failed to stop and continued to weave on both sides of the road before finally stopping near the driver’s home. The driver was identified as a 46-year-old woman who was slumped over in the driver’s seat. The woman tried several times to roll down her window and eventually just opened her car door. The driver smelled strongly of alcohol, had very slurred speech, and very lethargic movements. The woman almost fell when exiting her car and fumbled through her wallet for her license before handing the officer her debit card. The woman dropped her wallet and almost fell on her face when she bent over to pick it up. The woman failed field sobriety tests while mumbling unintelligibly. She also resisted being handcuffed while being taken into custody for drunk driving. The woman was taken to the police station where she provided breath samples that were approximately three and a half times the legal limit. She was cited for DUI and released to her husband.
Thursday, December 10
A State Ferry employee conducting a security sweep of a ferry after it had unloaded in Anacortes discovered a 23-year-old Friday Harbor woman trying to hide in a stall in women’s restroom by standing on the toilet. The woman claimed that her ride had not shown up and that she was trying to get back to Friday Harbor. The ferry staff told police that it was not the first time that the woman had tried to avoid paying the fare to ride the ferry. As the incident was not reported to police until a few days after it occurred, the woman was issued a court summons for theft.
A 16-year-old Anacortes girl walked into the police station and turned herself in for being a runaway and having a “youth at risk” warrant for her arrest. The girl’s parents were notified and she was booked into juvenile detention.