News: The Sheriff's Log

The San Juan County Sheriff’s Department reported responding to these calls:

Nov. 22: Heavy equipment is suspected of causing deep track marks that run about 150 feet long in soft ground at a property on Pear Point Road. The property’s caretaker reported that the ruts appeared without explanation, however, he noted that construction equipment is being used at a lot across the road.

— The disappearance of a cell phone from the Island Rec office on San Juan Island was reported as a theft. The phone disappeared from a back office generally not open to the public, according to the district’s director, who discontinued the phone’s service.

— A Lopez Island woman was arrested for being a minor in possession of alcohol following reports of a loud argument at her home on Lopez Sound Road. The 20-year-old reportedly wrestled with deputies investigating the disturbance and had to be subdued. She was arrested at her home following the investigation.

— Two Orcas Island businesses filed fraud complaints against an Orcas Island woman suspected of writing a series of bad checks on a closed account to at least a half-dozen island businesses. The 36-year-old was arrested two weeks ago for driving with a suspended license.

The fraud case remains under investigation and recent complaints were added to the earlier reports and forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office. The two checks totaled about $75.

— Two Lopez Island men were arrested on charges of assault following a fight in a village bar, which left another man injured, bleeding and suffering from a knife wound.

Paramedics treated the wounded man at the scene.

The two men were later arrested after witnesses identified the 21-year-old man, who faces felony assault charges, and the 31-year-old man, who was charged with misdemeanor assault. The fight occurred shortly after the 21-year-old’s girlfriend was arrested at their home on Lopez Sound Road.

Nov. 23: A Lopez Island man believes thieves are responsible for the disappearance of his 10-foot aluminum boat left on the beach of his waterfront property on Gem Farm Lane.

The boat was reportedly “high and dry and on the logs” when the owner’s brother last saw the boat on the beach about one week before it vanished. The possibility that the boat was snatched by a high tide is remote, the owner said.

— A 16-year-old Eastsound boy faces penalties from the state Department of Licensing for giving two friends a ride in his new car despite restrictions that prohibit newly licensed teens from driving with passengers for six months.

A witness notified authorities the boy was driving too fast through the village. Subsequent investigation revealed the boy was restricted under a provision of the state’s intermediate driver’s license. He reportedly was aware of the provision but relented when his friends begged him for a ride.

Nov. 24: From inside his patrol car, a deputy looked on as a Clallam Bay man backed his SUV over a curb and into the pole of a parking sign on West Street in Friday Harbor. The 21-year-old was subsequently arrested for DUI and possession of marijuana after he was questioned about the driving mishap, which reportedly caused $700 in damage to the rear end of his Pathfinder.

— A fist-sized lump of concrete was found inside a second-story florist shop in Friday Harbor following investigation of a broken window. The shop had moved to the location after its previous building burned down in the May 9 fire.

The hunk of concrete is similar to those found in the vacant lot next door. The shop owner was unable to identify suspects or disgruntled customers who might be responsible for the damage.

— Firewood appears to be systematically disappearing from the woodpile of a Panorama Place home on San Juan Island, according to the caretaker of the house.

The property owners live in New York.

The woodpile has steadily gotten smaller during successive visits, which the caretaker reportedly makes monthly. Neighbors reported seeing no suspicious activity on the property.

— A Lopez Island man was issued citations for not having his dog licensed and allowing it to roam free. The dog was captured near Hummel Lake following its most recent solo journey and reportedly often wanders freely.

The 52-year-old owner had been warned before about restraining and licensing the dog. He claims the dog is licensed in another county, but no license tags were found when it was captured near the lake, according to the deputy’s report.

Nov. 26: Authorities are examining counseling options for a Lopez Island family following a 15-year-old boy’s allegations of assault against his stepfather.

Investigation revealed the man was defending himself when he wrestled the boy to the ground after he was attacked. The man reportedly interceded in a fight between the boy and his younger brother.

— A 50-year-old Friday Harbor woman was arrested for DUI following a complaint that her pickup was blocking the road near the intersection of Roche Harbor and Halvorsen roads.

A deputy investigating the complaint reportedly saw her fill the car’s fuel tank with gas and start the engine before questioning her about the incident, which led to her subsequent arrest.

Nov. 27: The property manager of a building at the corner of Guard Street and Tucker Avenue suspects a 37-year-old transient is the one trespassing in the building, staying in a vacant office and leaving trash and food inside.

She has seen the man in the area but not in the building. She had the trash and items removed for a prospective client and they were unavailable as possible clues.

Nov. 28: Vandals reportedly used a lead pipe to batter a cluster of mailboxes on Bailer Hill Road near Thimbleberry Lane, leaving several damaged and one laying on the ground. Thread marks found on the toppled box, which was brought to the Sheriff’s Office as evidence, indicate the pipe is possibly several inches in diameter.

Nov. 29: A 43-year-old Renton man was arrested for DUI at a Crescent Road service station after failing field sobriety and breath tests. The man reportedly has prior convictions for DUI and driving with a suspended license.

After refusing blood tests, he was booked, released and scheduled to appear in court.

— Scott Rasmussen

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