Police Blotter, January 15 - 23, 2016

A 63-year old Anacortes man was arrested Saturday, Jan 16, on DUI charges by Anacortes Police on Saturday morning and transported to his residence after being processed at APD. An Anacortes Officer had contacted the man after receiving a report of a man leaving the hospital who may be intoxicated and was now driving away. Based on the vehicle description, Officers contacted the driver a block away. The driver stepped out of the vehicle and exhibited watery eyes and slow, slurred speech. Investigation at that time also revealed that the subject was driving with a license that had been suspended since October 2014. Further, the subject offered a voluntary breath sample which yielded a result of over the legal limit to safely operate a motor vehicle and smelled strongly of alcohol. He was transported to the APD for processing and released with a copy of his citation for DUI and Driving With License Suspended 3rd Degree.  

Here are some other cases Anacortes Police worked on this week.

Friday, January 15

An Anacortes Police Officer was dispatched to a grocery store on Commercial Avenue at approximately 1AM per the report of a stolen backpack and bicycle from outside the store. Investigation on scene revealed that the victim had left the items unsecured outside while he went inside to purchase groceries. There are no suspects in this incident. 

An Anacortes resident on O Avenue contacted Police late Friday evening to report that a female unknown to him was sleeping in a truck parked next to his residence. Officers arrived on scene and spoke with a 30-year old transient female known to them. The subject complied with officer commands to exit the vehicle and left the area after being served with a notice not to return. 

Saturday, January 16

APD was advised of a dead rat that had been left in the roadway in the 3800 block of Commercial Avenue. The rat was disposed of. 

A representative from a commercial location on 5th Street contacted APD on Sunday evening to report approximately $400 in damages to a gate sometime over the weekend. Investigation on scene revealed that the gate had been bent backwards and broken off the hinges. There are no suspects at this time. 

Sunday, January 17

A restaurant on Commercial Avenue contacted Police on Sunday evening to report that there was a male in the facility who refused to leave and was yelling at other patrons. Officers arrived on scene and spoke with an intoxicated male who was on his way out the door. The 30-year old was served a notice not to return and left the scene without incident. 

An Anacortes Police Sergeant on patrol in the 500 block of 4th Street observed a silver sedan traveling past him at 37 mph in a 25 mph zone. The Sergeant initiated a traffic stop on V Avenue and spoke with the 18-year old Anacortes woman driving the vehicle. At the time of contact, the Sergeant could smell an odor consistent with marijuana and asked the driver and female passenger to step out of the vehicle due to the vehicle smelling of marijuana. The driver allowed the Sergeant to search the vehicle and the search yielded several items of paraphernalia, flakes of marijuana, and hash oil. The driver admitted that many of the items belonged to her. She was taken into custody and cited for Unlawful Possession of Marijuana and speeding. She was then released from the scene.  

Tuesday, January 19

APD took a stolen motor vehicle report mid-day on January 15th. The owner reported that her minivan had been taken from the 800 block of 30th Street sometime overnight. Then, at approximately 4AM on Tuesday, Anacortes Officers were dispatched to an agency assist to help Swinomish Tribal PD Officers with a traffic stop on the stolen vehicle near the Twin Bridges. Prior to APD Officers arriving, a male suspect was taken into custody by Swinomish PD. 

On Tuesday afternoon at approximately 3:40, an Anacortes Police Corporal on patrol near the intersection of 29th and J Avenue recognized the male driver of a sedan who had outstanding warrants for his arrest. The Corporal initiated a traffic stop and the driver increased his speed, traveling north on J Avenue and pulling into a nearby church parking lot. The driver then jumped out of his vehicle and fled over a nearby fence into a neighborhood to the east of the parking lot. Anacortes Police were able to positively identify the suspect and citations for 3rd Degree Driving With License Suspended, Reckless Driving, and Obstructing were sent to the court for mailing to the 26-year old suspect. 

Friday, January 22 

An Anacortes Police Sergeant was dispatched to a gas station on 12th Street on Friday evening per the report of a woman drinking alcohol in the parking lot and disturbing customers. The Sergeant arrived on scene to speak with the woman and also discovered that she had an Anacortes Municipal Court warrant. She was taken into custody and transported to the Skagit County Jail on her warrant. 

Saturday, January 23

At approximately 1AM on Saturday, an Anacortes Police Sergeant on patrol on Oakes Avenue observed a late model SUV traveling westbound and swerving back and forth across the center line on multiple occasions. The vehicle then turned southbound on Anacopper Mine Road and sped up to approximately 40mph in a 25mph zone and continued to swerve within, and outside of, its lane of travel. The SUV was ultimately stopped by the Sergeant in the 1900 block of Anacopper. The 30-year old Anacortes woman driving the vehicle smelled strongly of alcohol, had watery, bloodshot eyes, and spoke with slurred speech. She performed poorly on voluntary roadside tests, displaying a lack of balance on several occasions. A voluntary breath sample yielded results of approximately 3 times the legal limit to safely operate a motor vehicle. She was taken into custody on DUI charges and transported to the Anacortes Police Department for processing. She was later provided a courtesy transport back to her residence where she was released to a sober adult. 

At approximately 1:50AM on Saturday, an Anacortes Police Corporal was on patrol at the intersection of 6th Street and Q Avenue in Anacortes. The Corporal observed an SUV take the turn from Q Avenue to westbound 8th Street, nearly striking the curb in the process. The vehicle then stopped for a prolonged period of time at 8th Street and Commercial Avenue. The Corporal observed the vehicle traveling in and out of its lane of travel at erratic speeds for several blocks before contacting the driver in the 2700 block of Oakes Avenue. The Corporal noticed that the 28-year old male driving the vehicle had watery, droopy eyes, and slurred speech and asked the driver to take some voluntary field tests. The driver agreed to take the tests, but appeared unsteady on his feet and had to be told the simple instructions multiple times. He was taken into custody for DUI, searched, and placed in the patrol car to be transported to APD for processing. Once at APD, the driver provided two breath samples which yielded results of over twice the legal limit to safely operate a vehicle. He was later released from the scene to a sober adult.

Note: Anacortes Police Department policy is to not include names or addresses of businesses or individuals that call 911 for police assistance, though this information is a matter of public record.