Police Beat

A weekly roundup prepared by the Anacortes Police Department. 

July 25

A 22-year-old Oak Harbor man was arrested outside of a store in the 1500 block of Commercial Avenue after employees saw the man accompanied by a woman leave the store without paying for approximately $500 in groceries.  Employees watched the couple push a filled grocery cart of unbagged items to a vehicle in the parking lot.  The woman walked away prior to the officer’s arrival, but later showed up at the police department after the man had been taken there.  She was identified as the 20-year-old girlfriend of the man and she was also placed under arrest after store employees confirmed she had been involved in the theft.  A search of the woman’s purse located a camera that had been reported stolen in Oak Harbor in May. The man admitted that he had purchased the camera, but that he knew it had been stolen when he bought it.  The man was booked into jail on theft and trafficking in stolen property charges.  The woman was released, but faces charges of theft and possession of stolen property.            

A 57-year-old Burlington man was arrested for attempting to steal approximately $300 in groceries from a store in the 900 block of 11th Street.  Employees had followed the man as he pushed a shopping cart full of groceries out to the parking lot.  The man admitted that he had intended to steal the items.  A check also revealed the man had four warrants for his arrest out of Mount Vernon and Skagit County courts, and that he had a release condition from the Department of Corrections that stated he was not to possess alcohol.  Included in the items stolen from the store were three 12 packs of beer.  The man was cited for theft and booked into jail on the warrants. 

July 26

Officers responded to the report of a fight behind a bar in the 400 block of Commercial Avenue.  A large group of people were behind the bar including a 34-year-old Anacortes man who was intoxicated and had a bloody lip and head.  The man refused medical treatment and was verbally abusive to witnesses.  Witnesses reported that the man had called a woman a derogatory name and then exchanged name calling with a male friend of the woman.  The man reportedly ripped his own shirt off and attempted to run up behind the friend of the woman who had turned to walk away.  A third man then punched the shirtless man when he saw his friend was about to get punched from behind.  The other involved men had already left the area.  The shirtless man continued to yell obscenities at officers and passerby’s and was taken to the hospital for treatment of his cuts. 

A possible DUI was reported in the parking lot of a restaurant in the 1300 block of Commercial Avenue.  An officer arrived and saw two people walking towards the unoccupied vehicle.  When the male and female saw the officer approaching them, they ran from the area.  The officer followed after the male subject and saw that the man had run out of his tennis shoes.  The officer caught up with the 18-year-old Anacortes man behind a business in the 1400 block of Commercial Avenue and took him into custody.  The man said that he had run because he knew he had a warrant for his arrest and he did not want to go to jail.  The man also smelled of intoxicants and displayed other affects of drinking alcohol.  He was booked into jail for MIP, resisting arrest, and the warrant after it was confirmed. 

A resident of the 900 block of 5th Street reported that someone had keyed her car the previous night while it had been parked downtown behind a restaurant.  The damage was estimated at $1500.

A woman reported the theft of her purse from inside of her unlocked car while it had been parked inside of her unlocked garage in the 1900 block of 9th Street.  Nothing else inside of the garage appeared to be missing.

A man reported that his 14-year-old step-son had assaulted him and the boy’s mother the previous night.  The mother had confronted the boy about possessing cigarettes and alcohol at which time the boy allegedly got upset and pushed and hit his mother.  When the step father tried to intervene, he said the boy knocked him to the floor and began hitting him.  The man had visible bruising around his eye and scratches to his nose.  The man said that the boy later shoved him into a wall causing the man to injure his wrist.  The boy was referred to juvenile court on domestic violence assault charges. 

Officers responded to a domestic violence complaint at a house in the 2000 block of N Avenue.  Officers contacted a man with a bloody lip who said that he had been sleeping on the couch when his wife began hitting him in the face and head.  Officers had been at the house earlier in the night for a verbal domestic between the couple.  The man also claimed that a female friend of his wife had been assisting in holding him down while his wife hit him.  The wife was contacted at a house across the street where she told the officer that she just wanted her husband out of her house.  She was arrested and booked into jail for assault.  Her friend had already left the scene, but faces possible charges of assisting in the assault. 

July 27

An officer stopped a vehicle in the 2000 block of O Avenue for improper lane travel and speeding.  The driver was identified as a 21-year-old Anacortes man but he said he did not have a license.  The man smelled strongly of alcohol and was unsteady on his feet, but he denied having drunk anything.  The man’s driving status was suspended for a previous DUI and he performed poorly on field sobriety tests.  He was placed under arrest for DUI and driving while suspended and he later provided two breath samples that were slightly below twice the legal limit.  The man was cited and released to his sister. 

A woman reported the theft of approximately $75 in foreign currency from the bedroom of her residence in the 2100 block of Commercial Avenue.  The victim provided a possible suspect name and the matter is under investigation. 

A man reported a hit-and-run to his vehicle while it had been parked in a vacant lot in the 1900 block of Cay Way.  The man discovered that the rear quarter panel had been dented and the taillight assembly broken.  The damage was estimated at $1000. 

July 28

A 41-year-old Mount Vernon man was contacted in the 2400 block of Commercial Avenue and taken into custody after it was learned that he had two outstanding warrants for his arrest for negligent driving.  One of the warrants was out of Whatcom County and had a 25 day jail commit.  The man was booked into jail.

A resident in the 1900 block of Lea Place reported that someone had broken the globes for eight solar lights from her yard sometime during the previous night  The globes were found shattered on a nearby tennis court.  The damage was estimated at $50.

A resident of the 1900 block of Bay Place reported the theft of his vehicle registration and proof of insurance from inside of his car.  The man said that the car was a convertible and that he had made several stops around town with the top down in the previous two days. 

A 49-year-old Centralia woman was arrested for shoplifting a box of blood glucose test strips and a cleansing bar from a pharmacy in the 1400 block of Commercial Avenue.  A customer had witnessed the woman conceal the items in her purse.  The woman was contacted by an officer as she walked out of the business and the items were recovered from her purse.  The woman was cited and released for theft and trespassed from the business.  

A woman reported a burglary to her house in the 1200 block of 37th Street.  The woman said that she had been gone for a few hours and that when she returned home she found that her mailbox had been smashed outside of her house.  Inside the house, she found a glass candle broken, bookshelves knocked over, kitchen shelves ransacked with food strewn about the floor, the bathroom medicine cabinet contents scattered around the floor, and the master bedroom ransacked with closets pulled from the wall.  An exterior door had also been kicked in and the door frame damaged.  Numerous plants and trees in the backyard had been uprooted and thrown on the patio.  The woman provided a family member as a possible suspect as the person was reported to be upset over a recent child custody ruling.  The incident is under investigation. 

July 29

An officer observed a vehicle driving erratically on Oakes Avenue by constantly swerving to the shoulder and then back onto the lane of travel.  The vehicle turned without signaling and the officer stopped it on Florida Avenue.  The driver was identified as a 23-year-old Anacortes man who smelled strongly of alcohol and had slow slurred speech.  The man was unsteady on his feet and admitted to drinking “a couple of beers.”  The man performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest for DUI.  The man later gave two breath samples that were almost twice the legal limit.  He was cited and released to a sober friend. 

An Anacortes man reported that he had been punched in the face by a 43-year-old Anacortes man and that he had sustained a chipped tooth and a possible broken nose.  The victim said that he was living at a house in the 800 block of 5th Street and that the other man also lived on the property.  The victim reported that he had called the other man’s girlfriend a derogatory name and that the other man took offense and punched him in the face.  The suspect was later located at a residence in the 2600 block of R Avenue and arrested for assault.  The suspect had an injury to his finger that he said happened when he punched the victim.     

A 43-year-old Anacortes man was contacted at a residence in the 2600 block of R Avenue regarding his involvement in an assault.  It was discovered that the man’s wife was also at the residence.  A no-contact order prohibited the man from having contact with his wife, and he was placed under arrest for the court order violation and booked into jail.

An officer stopped a pickup on Sunset Avenue for having three juveniles riding in the open bed of the vehicle.  The juveniles tried to duck down and hide as they passed by the officer.  The driver of the pickup was admonished and a 16-year-old Anacortes teen in the back of the vehicle allowed the officer to look inside of his backpack.  The officer located several bottles of beer in the backpack that the teen admitted he had just stolen from his father.  The teen was arrested for being a minor in possession of alcohol.  He was transported home and released to his mother.

A 16-year-old Anacortes boy fell down the rock cliffs on the Cap Sante viewpoint and became stranded on a rock shelf.  Officers obtained a rope and one officer climbed down to the teen.  The officer secured the rope and himself to the teen and they were able to climb back to the top.  The teen was uninjured. 

An officer stopped a vehicle in the 1800 block of Commercial Avenue for having defective taillights.  The driver was identified as an 18-year-old Anacortes man and he said he did not have a driver’s license.  It was also discovered the man had a warrant for his arrest out of Burlington.  The man was cited for driving without a valid license and booked into jail on the warrant. 

A 17-year-old Anacortes girl was booked into Juvenile Detention after grabbing a baseball bat and allegedly threatening to strike her grandmother with whom she lives in the 1000 block of 24th Street.  The girl also admitted to hitting her grandmother with a thrown sandal.  The two had been arguing about the girl’s future living arrangements.  The girl was charged with domestic violence assault.

Officers responded to a motel in the 1100 block of 6th Street to remove a 42-year-old La Conner man who was refusing to leave.  The man had tried to rent a room but did not have money or identification.  The man initially falsely identified himself to an officer and he gave the officer permission to check his backpack for his ID.  A marijuana smoking pipe was found in the backpack and documentation that revealed his true identity.  It was learned that he had two warrants for his arrest.  The man was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia and obstructing a public officer and booked into jail on the warrants.

July 30

A member of a church located in the 2700 block of J Avenue reported that the glass to an exterior door had been smashed and the doorframe slightly bent.  It was unknown who or what damaged the glass and that damage was estimated at $750.

A resident in the 3300 block of W. 3rd Street reported finding a teenaged male sitting on her back steps with his pants down massaging his genitals.  Officers checked the area for the man and spoke with several neighbors who also recognized the man’s description as someone who frequented the neighborhood.  The incident is under investigation. 

July 31

Two businesses in the area of 12th Street and O Avenue reported graffiti to their exterior walls during the previous night.  The graffiti appeared to have been drawn with a blue colored broad tipped marker.  

The Anacortes Parks Department reported that someone had started a fire in the trash cans inside of the restrooms near the Tommy Thompson Trail at 21st Street and R Avenue.  The fires burned themselves out but caused minor damage to a wall and smoke damage to the building. 

Officers responded to the area of 22nd Street and Commercial Avenue regarding the report of a teenaged boy vomiting near the street corner.  It was also reported that the boy had recently smoked marijuana.  A 14-year-old Anacortes boy was contacted and examined by paramedics who had arrived.  The boy removed an energy drink can that had been fashioned into a smoking device from his pocket.  The can contained residue that smelled of burnt marijuana.  The boy claimed he was carrying the can for his friends who had smoked marijuana earlier, but he denied having smoked any.  The boy was released to his father after being advised that he was going to be referred to juvenile court for possession of drug paraphernalia.

COVID-19 Cases in Skagit County

531 Skagit Cases (+5)
<30 Cases in ZIP 98221

57 Hospitalizations (+1)
15 Deaths (+0)
434 Recovered
11,738 Tested
4.5% Positive

34,151 Cases Statewide (+716)
4,442 Hospitalizations (+41)

1,342 Deaths Statewide (+3)
584,989 Total Tests Statewide
5.8% Positive

Updated 6:00 pm July 2, 2020.

Our Coronavirus page is updated each morning.




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