Archive for September, 2012

Posted by Caleb Hutton

Text courtesy of the Blaine Police Department, with minor edits for style.

Wednesday, Sept. 19

9:15 a.m. A lady out for a walk on F Street in the morning morning happened upon a screaming contest between two women in an apartment complex parking lot. The passerby was concerned about the well-being of the little kids who were watching the melee, and called police. An officer responded and defused the disagreement, which had not turned physical. The two historical combatants were advised that their behavior was bordering on criminal disorderly conduct. They agreed to part ways, for the time being.

10:52 a.m. An security monitoring company alerted police when they received an alarm from an ATM machine at a Blaine bank on Martin Street. The scene looked momentarily promising to the officers who arrived and intercepted burly men at the ATM wielding a pneumatic jackhammer. It turned out that the ATM was still intact though. The crewmen were using their heavy tools to withdraw a broken water line from under the pavement nearby, and the hammering vibrations had upset the ATM’s delicate sense of safety.

11:33 a.m. Police responded when dispatchers reported that they had received a 911 hang-up call from a residence on Boblett Street. An officer contacted the homeowner, and learned that the only emergent issue at hand was the insatiable curiosity of the toddler who had sneaked the house phone off its hook. Apologies and parental commiserations were exchanged
and the dispatch center was advised of the outcome.

1:15 p.m. On Wednesday afternoon police were dispatched to a possible rollover collision on Yew Avenue south of Pipeline Road. When officers arrived they found a one-car crash with a driver waiting in his pickup truck, which was waiting in the brambles several yards off the road. The motorist explained that he had been driving legally when he drifted off the pavement after beginning to feel ill. His account was supported by both a passing motorist witness and the tracks at the scene. A medic unit evaluated the driver and advised he had not been injured in his off-road adventure. A tow truck then arrived to free his pickup truck, which sustained a few thousand dollars in damage.

4:11 p.m. An Everson resident brought her Acura Integra to a repair shop on Peace Portal Drive to have its clutch replaced. The shop owner did the work and the owner’s friend paid the $580 repair bill, providing their credit card information by telephone. The mechanic later learned that the credit card transaction had been fraudulent, and his account was debited. The tradesman was more than patient trying to work with the car owner but ultimately had to contact police about the fraud and theft of services. An officer transcribed the victim’s information and asked that it be forwarded to the prosecutor.

Thursday, Sept. 20

1:45 a.m. Police were called to a home on A Street when dispatchers received a 911 hang-up call from the residence. The arriving officers contacted a distraught woman who had been assaulted by her teenage son. The young man has reportedly been growing more violent recently, and tonight threatened to attack his mother, then ripped the phone off the wall
when she tried to call for help. Police booked the 17-year-old boy into detention for assault, interfering with a report of domestic violence and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Noon. A motorist called Blaine PD wanting to share a UFO sighting he had experienced the previous evening. He explained that he had been traveling on Peace Portal Drive about 9 p.m. when he first spotted the object in the sky to the west. It appeared to have a green glow, red lights on its fringe, and was moving up and down very quickly. The witness said that by the time he pulled over, the object had disappeared. An officer explained that the object and its strange lights were most likely the small remote controlled airplane that has lately been frequently spotted over Drayton Harbor by local sky watchers.

1:22 p.m. Police and fire units responded to an activated smoke alarm at a shopping center on H Street. The emergency team tracked the source of the problem to an employee who had intended to just heat a tortilla, but apparently found the microwave’s hidden setting for incinerate. The crew silenced the alarm and reset the fire control system, and left the employee to defrost his boss.

3:24 p.m. Blaine Middle School officials called police to report the theft of a student’s shoes from the gymnasium. The shoes were recovered and returned to their owner. A fellow student was arrested for the theft and released to his parent pending a referral to the juvenile court.

7:40 p.m. A Blaine resident called police from Madison Street when she received a fraudulent telephone message from a man claiming to be a Drug Enforcement Administration agent in Colorado. The recorded message made outlandish accusations and demanded a return call. The number and message turned out to be consistent with a known telemarketing scam. The resident wisely did not take any action based on the call beyond calling law enforcement, and did not suffer a loss.

8:48 p.m. Customs personnel at the Peace Arch contacted Blaine police when they encountered two minors in possession of alcohol. A Blaine officer responded to investigate. The 19-year-old travelers admitted that they owned the $200 worth of liquor which they tucked into their car for the trip from Canada back home to Bellingham. Both men were arrested, cited and released with mandatory court appearance dates. Their five bottles of booze were placed into evidence pending a hearing.

Sunday, Sept. 23

8:55 p.m. A resident on F Street called police to report harassment and disorderly conduct. She explained that she had been sitting in her car just outside her apartment, talking on her phone when a next door neighbor came outside and started screaming profanities at her. An officer responded, documented the incident, and interviewed witnesses to the suspect’s brutish behavior. Written statements were obtained and a case report was forwarded for prosecution. The suspect was contacted and advised that since warnings had proven ineffective, this and any of her future violations of the public peace would be resolved in criminal court.

Monday, Sept. 24

12:05 p.m. An onsite apartment manager on Runge Avenue reported a theft from the complex when he discovered that a half dozen window blinds of various dimensions had been removed from one of the apartments. Three unidentified men had been allowed into the unit a few days earlier to obtain property left by a previous tenant, and it is suspected they helped themselves to the window dressings in the process. The loss is estimated at about $200.

1:35 p.m. A contractor working at a home on Kingsley Avenue reported the theft of construction equipment and electrical wiring. Some time between late Saturday afternoon and Monday morning, 80 feet of high-amperage power cable, three electrical cord units and two ladders were stolen. The loss is estimated at almost $800. This is the second construction site theft in central Blaine in the past week.

1:47 p.m. Residents in a gated community neighborhood reported the unauthorized cutting of trees and landscaping near their homes. It appeared that someone, possibly with a motive of an improved view, had vandalized three trees and other landscaping in the area. Police are investigating to determine if municipal code violations have been committed, and the gated community’s residence association has been advised.

Monday, Sept. 25