Police Blotter, Dec. 28, 2012 - Jan. 3, 2013

Police report a quiet New Year's. On Wednesday, a woman drove an electric handicapped grocery cart around Safeway, collected about $300 in groceries and liquor, then drove the cart home.

Friday, Dec. 28

8:54 pm. Police responded to a bar in the 800 block of Commercial Avenue to remove a man who had reportedly been causing problems. The man had been intoxicated when he arrived at the bar and he had been refused alcohol service. The 30-year-old man then tried to pick a fight with another bar patron before being escorted outside by the bouncer. The man was placed under arrest on an outstanding warrant from a previous traffic offense. He was taken to the police station and later released after being given a new court date as the jail would accept him for booking.

Saturday, Dec. 28

9:33 am. A pet door was believed to be the point of entry for a burglary that occurred at a home in the1800 block of 10th Street. Items stolen from the home included a wind-up alarm clock, two potted house plants, a teapot with a silver bottom, and a 100-piece set of collectable silver spoons that was valued at $3,000. The victims provided the name of a possible suspect who formerly lived at the home, but the woman denied any involvement in the crime. Police were allowed to look around her home and there was no evidence of the stolen items.

3:05 pm. A 22-year-old woman was arrested at a home in the 2000 block of 12th Street on an outstanding felony warrant for charges of possession of a controlled substance and theft. While being transported to the jail, the woman admitted to be an active heroin user and that she had no intention of stopping her drug behavior. She was booked into jail on the warrant.

3:05 pm. A 2009 Harley Davidson Sportster was stolen from a driveway in the 800 block of 33rd Street. Police learned that the victim was a month behind on his payments on the motorcycle and that the bank had a lien. However, police could find no evidence that the motorcycle, valued at $8,000, had been repossessed. There are no suspects at this time.

11:10 pm. A 46-year-old Anacortes woman who initially told the officer who had stopped her that she had "not" been drinking later provided breath tests during DUI processing that were almost three times the legal limit. The woman had been stopped on Q Avenue for speeding and rolling through a stop sign. The woman smelled strongly of intoxicants and failed field sobriety tests while continuing to say that she hadn't been drinking. She later claimed that she had "two" glasses of wine. She was issued a citation for drunk driving and released to a sober friend.

Sunday, Dec. 30

7:54 am. Police are trying to identify and locate the driver of a Dodge Caravan that crossed several lanes of highway and struck and damaged a fire hydrant at the Sharpes Corner intersection. It appeared that the van had been trying to turn southbound from the eastbound highway spur when it crossed the center island and crossed the oncoming lanes of travel before hitting the hydrant and pushing it out of the ground. An officer passing by located the accident, but no one was around the van. The van smelled of intoxicants and there were empty liquor containers inside. Investigation revealed that the van had possibly been sold. The van was impounded and the hit-and-run is under further investigation.

4:20 pm. The owners of a house being re-modeled in the 3800 block of Terrace Drive reported it had been burglarized after they returned home and found an exterior door had been kicked in. The kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom all showed signs of having been rifled through. Missing from the home were two bottles of vodka, some cola, and some trash bags. There are no suspects at this time.

Monday, Dec. 31

10:17 am. An unknown burglar entered a home in the 1400 block of Georgia Avenue during the night while the residents were home. One of the residents reported that he had woken up and found an unknown man standing in his bedroom. He later discovered that $85.00 in cash had been stolen from his wallet. Two cans containing loose change were also missing from the man's room. Another resident discovered the screen had been removed from her bedroom window and that there was a dirty footprint on a bed pillow. Entry into the home was believed to have been made through the partially open window.

11:39 am. An Anacortes woman reported that her purse had been stolen while she had been sitting at the bar of a restaurant in the 1200 block of Q Avenue. The woman had left her purse hanging on the bar unattended for a short period. The purse contained the woman's ID, credit cards, a checkbook, and $20.00 in cash. The theft is under further investigation.

12:13 pm. An argument between two dog owners, both Anacortes men in their 60's, escalated into a physical fight at the off-leash dog park on 9th Street. The argument started after words were exchanged when one of the men grabbed the other man's dog after their respective dogs had fought over a frisbie. The physical fight involved kicking and punching, but neither man was injured seriously and neither wanted to pursue charges against the other.

1:20 pm. Officers responded to a reported domestic incident in the 800 block of 37th St. in Anacortes.  A 28-year-old woman told officers that her father in-law and she had argued because he was openly maintaining medical marijuana grow operation in their home in front of his 8-and 9-year-old grand children.  She told officers that her 59-year-old father in law had broken some furniture during the argument and that he was armed with a handgun and has been drinking. He was also a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing firearms.  Officers were able to contact the man at the entrance of the home.  He was arrested for malicious mischief/domestic violence.  A search warrant for the home revealed the man had at least six firearms.  He appeared to be in compliance with the medical marijuana law.  In addition to the original charge, he faces charges of illegal possession of a firearm and reckless endangerment for having unattended loaded firearms in areas where children could access them.

2:01 pm. Cologne, an "e-cigarette", and a lighter were stolen from an unlocked car that was parked at a home in the 3500 block of M Avenue. The victim believed that he had locked the car, but there was no sign of forced entry.

3:17 pm. A woman living in the 3200 block of D Avenue reported that she had locked her 25-year-old son out of the house due to his intoxicated and aggressive behavior. Police arrived and saw that the man was indeed highly intoxicated and agitated and kicking the bumper of a car. The man reportedly became enraged after his mother had asked him to pick up some cans of soda he had spilled in the driveway. The man allegedly slammed open a bathroom door with enough force to strike a towel rack and punch a hole in the drywall and damage the door. The son also allegedly ripped a cupboard door from its hinges and off a cabinet. Officers observed the fresh damage and placed the son under arrest for domestic violence malicious mischief. He was booked into jail.

6:17 pm. A 20-year-old woman was taken to the emergency room for evaluation and treatment after she called 911 to report that she had cut her wrists at a home on Michelle Lane. Police arrived and the woman admitted that she was depressed and had been cutting herself with a razor blade. The woman had numerous minor cuts inside of her forearms. The woman had recently been released from a mental health hold in Island County for allegedly threatening to jump off the Deception Pass Bridge.

11:34 pm. Police were dispatched to the area of a grocery store in the 900 block of 11th Street regarding the report of four intoxicated teenagers who were asking people to buy them cigarettes. Police contacted three girls and one boy, ages 13 to 15, who all showed signs of having been drinking alcohol. The 14-year-old Anacortes boy also had a bottle of rum hidden near his waistband. The boy said that he "knew his rights" because he had been arrested for being a minor in possession several times. Security camera video also confirmed that the boy had stolen the bottle of rum from the store despite the boy's denial. Another bottle of liquor the boy had stolen was found hidden in one of the girl's backpacks. All four teens were arrested and were referred to juvenile court on charges of underage drinking (MIP.) The boy was also charged with theft.

Wednesday, Jan 2

8:10 pm. Officers responded to a complaint of a stolen handicapped electric grocery cart from a grocery store in the 900 block of 11th St. They located the cart about 7 blocks south of the store. The cart was being operated by a 27-year-old Anacortes woman who reportedly told officers she was just using it to get home.  In the basket of the cart officers located over $300 worth of shoplifted items including two bottles of liquor.  The stolen cart was valued at $5,000. The woman was booked into Skagit County Jail on investigation of theft in the 1st degree.

Thursday, Jan. 3

12:28 am. An officer stopped a car in the 2400 block of Commercial Avenue for having expired tabs. The officer smelled the strong odor of marijuana coming from inside of the vehicle and the driver was identified as a 19-year-old Anacortes woman. The woman had a warrant for her arrest out of Burlington for theft. The woman was informed that she was under arrest, but she refused to exit the car and said that she wanted to "talk about it." Efforts to reason with the woman were unsuccessful and she was pulled out of the car and handcuffed. Police discovered flakes of marijuana in the woman's clothing when she was searched. The woman refused to grant consent for the officers to search the car, the car was impounded and officers applied for a search warrant. The woman was taken to the police station and later released after the jail would not take her for booking due to overcrowding. The search warrant was later served and two bottles of beer, a partially-full bottle of vodka, and a marijuana smoking pipe were located in the vehicle. The woman was issued a court summons charging her with being a minor in possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.

1:43 am. A 46-year-old Oak Harbor man was booked into jail on charges of two counts of felony assault and reckless driving after he allegedly intentionally rammed his vehicle into the side of a pickup occupied by his 33-year-old ex-girlfriend and a 52-year-old man who was driving the pickup on South March Point Road towards to a local casino. The arrested man had reportedly sped out of a park-and-ride lot after seeing his ex pass by in the pickup. He then accelerated to catch up with the pickup, pulled alongside of it, and then struck the pickup two or three times causing it to crash into a ditch in the 8800 block of South March Point Road. The pickup was extensively damaged and the couple suffered minor injuries. The arrested man claimed that he only "wanted to speak" with his ex-girlfriend and that the "air draft" between the two vehicles caused the pickup to lose control and crash into the ditch.

In an approximate 25 minute time period, police investigated three separate "one vehicle" accidents in which vehicles slid off the icy roadway on State Route 20 just east of reservation Road. Fortunately none of the involved drivers were injured.

7:22 am. The 24-year-old Anacortes woman lost control of her Ford Explorer as she turned eastbound onto State Route 20 from R Avenue and accelerated on the icy roadway. The Explorer crossed into the westbound lanes of the highway and was struck by a westbound vehicle driven by a 68-year-old LaConner woman. The LaConner woman was transported to the hospital with chest pain. The Anacortes woman was ticketed for driving too fast for conditions.

11:51 am. A 27-year-old Oak Harbor man was arrested and charged with theft after an employee saw him shoplifting at a store in the 900 block of 11th Street. The man had been seen placing two packaged cheesecakes, soda, and dried fruit inside of his coat and then leaving the store without paying. The man admitted to stealing the items as he had "lost" his wallet some time ago and had no money. He was issued a citation for theft 3rd degree and released.

12:42 pm. A burglary was reported at a storage facility in the 8800 block of S. Marches Point Road. The facility staff discovered that the lock was missing from one locker being rented to an Anacortes couple. It appeared that the lock had been forced off the hasp. Stolen from the locker was a wooden jewelry chest containing miscellaneous jewelry including a ring valued at $2,000, a Mickey Mouse clock, and a Coleman-brand flashlight. The break-in was believed to have occurred during a two week time period in December. There are no suspects at this time.