Archive for February, 2013
Posted by Caleb Hutton
Text courtesy of the Blaine Police Department, with minor edits for style.
Friday, Feb. 15
11:48 p.m. A resident on Garfield Avenue called police to report her husband was missing, explaining that he had left hours earlier for a short drive over to the grocery store but never returned. Several calls to the man’s cell phone had gone unanswered and the reporting party was growing seriously concerned. Information on the gentleman and his car was broadcast, and in about 20 minutes an officer found the man’s car parked on Marine Drive. Hubby was inside, fast asleep. He was awakened from his blissful slumber and advised to head home for more practice at sleeping well in uncomfortable positions.
Saturday, Feb. 16
9:04 p.m. A gentleman parked his car downtown on Peace Portal Drive for a few hours while having dinner, and returned to find his vehicle had been damaged by a hit and run driver in his absence. Police responded to take a report, and a few days later were able to locate the running vehicle. The likely driver was identified, and a case report was forwarded to the city prosecutor for review of charges.
Sunday, Feb. 17
1:31 a.m. A bit after midnight a resident on Garfield Avenue answered a loud knock at the front door to find two strangers standing on his porch. One man was very large and very intoxicated, and the other was more weight and alcohol-content proportionate. The larger man profanely and repeatedly ordered the resident to stop speeding in the nearby alleyway or face deadly consequences, and handed the resident a handwritten note bearing a similar message. The resident advised he does not speed in the alley or elsewhere, and had not driven anywhere at all in the past 24 hours. Police are investigating to identify the maker of the threats.
10:15 p.m. Police were called to Blaine Avenue when youthful street play in a residential neighborhood took a turn for the worse. Witnesses reported that a group of kids they did not recognize were yelling in the streets and disturbing the area. One young man on a bicycle deliberately rode toward an approaching car, daring the motorist to strike him, and he and his friends then began making rude comments to the driver. Another youth began bragging about his proficiency at breaking in to cars, offering to show his younger partners how to do the crime. Officers located the troublemakers and turned them over to their parents, who were visiting a relative in the area.
11:10 p.m. Two young men reported that a resident of an adjoining apartment building on Mary Avenue had made threatening motions at them as they were parking their vehicles in the common parking area. Police contacted and interviewed the person who made the gestures. She denied purposefully trying to frighten anyone and countered that the young men were probably exaggerating anything they might have seen. She was warned to not attempt any more comical stabbing motions à la Bates Motel while standing close to windows that look over the parking lot.
Tuesday, Feb. 19
5:11 p.m. Police responded to an emergency call for assistance at a residence where a person was unconscious. On arrival they found a family member performing CPR on an elderly relative. The officer assisted until medic units arrived. The elderly man had been in poor health and was not revived.
Wednesday, Feb. 20
1:44 a.m. Officers responded to contact the driver of a car parked on 14th Street, after the vehicle’s driver called 911 saying that she was about to die. The lady living in the car said the government had already taken everything from her and was now conspiring with Canadian authorities to prevent her from seeking refugee status there. Apparently she had repeatedly tried to leave the United States but was having trouble finding a country that would harbor her, and felt that the police were among those responsible. She was not an immediate threat to herself or others, and refused all offers of aid and suggestions for assistance.
BELLINGHAM — A felony assault suspect remains at large Tuesday, Feb. 19, a day after injuring a Bellingham woman by punching her in the face repeatedly.
Officers believe at 1:35 a.m. Monday, the man was visiting a 52-year-old woman in the 1700 block of Texas Street when they got into an argument.
She took several blows to the face before the man fled the scene, said Bellingham police spokesman Mark Young. She needed immediate medical treatment.
Police have probable cause to arrest the man for domestic violence assault in the second degree — a charge often reserved for assaults that cause serious injuries. Young said the detective hasn’t asked for public assistance in tracking down the suspect, so his name hasn’t been released.
By Caleb Hutton
All info via police scanner.
Man beating a dog at the corner of Grand & Lottie in #Bellingham. People trying to intervene, but he’s fighting w/them. Cops en route.
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) February 15, 2013
Suspect is a white man w/black & white dog. Walking east. Got into an argument w/someone else who has a dog. #Bellingham
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) February 15, 2013
Cops now talking with witnesses, etc. #Bellingham
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) February 15, 2013
@soundermom Conclusion didn’t get broadcast over the scanner. I’ll see if I can follow up when the police reports are done.
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) February 16, 2013
Big crash at NB Meridian & Stuart. Ford F-150 vs. Toyota pickup vs. third vehicle vs. possible fourth vehicle. Unknown injuries. #Bellingham
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) February 16, 2013
Traffic is going to be no fun on NB Meridian Street near Stuart. Half a dozen cop cars arriving on scene. #Bellingham
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) February 16, 2013
Two people will probably need to go to the hospital in Meridian Street crash. #Bellingham
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) February 16, 2013
Another big crash. Northbound I-5 at Samish Way exit. Four-car pileup. #Bellingham
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) February 16, 2013
Four cars on Samish off-ramp aren’t blocking the road, arriving firefighters say.At a bad angle for traffic cams. twitter.com/bhamcrime/stat…
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) February 16, 2013
Looks like the Samish Way crash is clear/mostly clear for drivers. Tows were requested for the big trucks at the Meridian crash a few ago.
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) February 16, 2013
By Debbie Townsend
The state Department of Health is reminding people to carefully handle and cook chicken after an outbreak of Salmonella has been linked to Foster Farms plants in Washington and California.
Since June 2012, at least 56 people in Washington state have fallen ill due to a specific strain of Salmonella Heidelberg. Of those people, 15 were hospitalized. No deaths have been linked to the outbreak.
Though this outbreak was linked to a brand, Salmonella can be present in any brand sold. It’s important to handle chicken properly and to cook it thoroughly to avoid illness.
Here’s the related news release, which includes tips on how to handle chicken.
Update:
Within an hour of this post, the Foster Farms people sent me an email emphasizing their efforts on safety and quality, and they correctly noted there is no recall of the company’s chicken. I thought I was clear that proper handling and cooking can prevent illness; this is the same point Foster Farms makes.
Here’s the company’s statement to consumers in the Pacific Northwest.
Posted by Caleb Hutton
Text courtesy of the Blaine Police Department, with minor edits for style.
Wednesday, Feb. 6
11:09 p.m. A motel manager was one of the people who called police to report that someone was pressure washing equipment in an alley adjacent to the motel. Guests and residents in the area were unable to sleep due to the din of the industrial-strength engine and pressure blasting away. An officer found a vendor using the alley to blast clean metal commercial kitchen equipment from a nearby restaurant. The vendor was advised of the noise ordinance provisions and the legal hours for such activities, and he agreed to stop for the rest of the night.
Thursday, Feb. 7
10:06 a.m. Officers responded to a residence to investigate a 911 hang up on Alder Street. They found that there was no emergency, and provided the occupant with a suggestion that he read his new phone’s instruction manual before making a third attempt at adding 911 to his speed dial list.
5:30 p.m. Police received information that a juvenile girl had been sexually assaulted by a person she knows. Officers investigated and arrested a teenage male for third-degree rape. The teen was booked into juvenile detention, and the police investigation continues.
Friday, Feb. 8
4:24 a.m. Police responded to a newspaper delivery woman’s report of a fire alarm sounding inside an unoccupied residence. Firefighters entered the house and determined that an old, upstairs smoke detector had become faulty. There was no fire, and the house was secured.
10:24 a.m. An officer stopped a vehicle for speeding 52 mph in a 25 mph zone on D Street near Ninth Street. The 52-year-old Coquitlam, B.C., resident was arrested for reckless driving, cited, and released with a date for a mandatory court appearance.
6 p.m. A teenage girl reported she was walking on H Street near Harrison Avenue when a van quickly pulled up beside her and the man driving it asked her if he could give her a ride. The girl ran away and called her parents. Dad picked up his scared daughter and they reported the incident to police. An officer searched the area for the van and suspect without success. Case under investigation.
Saturday, Feb. 9
3:20 a.m. An officer conducting security checks at a commercial complex came upon a portable toilet had been knocked over outside a warehouse. It did not appear otherwise damaged, but the amenity was no longer useful to anyone who might have need of it’s former vertical stance. The officer made sure no hapless customer was trapped inside, and notified the company which owns the rental unit so they could remove it.
4:30 a.m. A resident called police to report that a thief had gotten in to his unlocked pickup truck overnight on Garfield Avenue. The vehicle’s glove box was ransacked and stuff strewn about. The culprit stole two key rings, each holding about ten keys to various locks which protect various things that the owner does keep secure. The victim’s truck had been parked behind his home in a parking spot by the alley at the time. A check of the area uncovered other unlocked vehicles along the same alley which had also been entered and rummaged through. All officers were advised for their patrols. [Editor's note: Several other vehicle prowls were discovered on neighboring streets and filed in separate cases.]
9:55 a.m. Police were dispatched to the Blaine School District athletic fields on Pipeline Road. A concerned neighbor had noticed a young girl walking alone on the fields behind the fence, holding a soccer ball and wearing light clothing inappropriate for the cold rain and breeze. There was no adult or anyone else in sight to care for the kid, and the resident was concerned for her safety. An officer checked the field, dug outs, and perimeter of the fields and the surrounding country block. He found a solitary soccer ball sitting unattended in the rain, but was unable to locate the lonely little apparition which had been carrying it.
5 p.m. An employee at a business on Peace Portal Drive called police to report that, about four hours earlier, a man whom no one knew walked into their facility and wandered making people nervous by his apparent lack of purpose. U.S. Border Patrol agents assisted an officer with checking the area to make sure the curious gentleman was no longer in the vicinity.
Sunday, Feb. 10
4:44 a.m. A police officer assisted medics at a G Street residence following a report from relatives there that a family member had fallen out of bed at a home. The arriving emergency responders found that the person had not actually fallen, but had purposefully and happily gotten down on the floor to better satisfy an irresistible 4 a.m. urge to count out the contents of a coin collection. Apparently this is one of the minor potential side effects of at least one prescription sleeping aid.
11 a.m. A boat owner and his friend went to Semiahmoo Marina to make some needed repairs to the dinghy on the man’s yacht. They arrived only to discover that the dinghy and its outboard motor had been stolen from his boat overnight. Between the time of the call to police and an officer’s arrival at the marina, the owner solved the case. It turned out that two of his nefarious neighbors at the marina had overheard that the skiff needed repair, so they hauled it over and set to work fixing it, each unaware that neither of them had told the owner what they were doing.
4:59 p.m. An adult man was injured when assaulted at a residence on Harrison Avenue. The victim left the house but was located nearby by police and medics were called to evaluate his injuries. The man had suffered a minor self inflicted knife wound, and had been punched in the face by his dad. Police investigated, arrested the 58-year-old Blaine resident father, and booked him in to jail for misdemeanor domestic violence assault.
Monday, Feb. 11
10:25 a.m. City employees reported that one or more cretins had vandalized some of the metal fish sculptures which decorate the Marine Drive Park Salmon Wall. An officer checked the area and did not find any other damage. It appears that someone with large muddy shoes and more weight than IQ had used the fish as makeshift stairs to climb the wall, bending the metal pins to which the sculptures are welded. The pins and welds held firm, and some bending in the other direction should get the salmon all swimming upstream once more.
11:09 a.m. A homeowner called police when he discovered that equipment had been stolen from his unlocked detached garage on Adelia Street. A well used, well cared for and distinctive gray Giant-brand 24-speed bicycle, a small red rototiller, a hammer, a 30-year-old Skil saw and an almost-new pair of bolt cutters were among the items taken. Police are investigating the burglary and theft, which possibly happened late Friday or early Saturday.
2:02 p.m. Police were called when concerned witnesses saw a very intoxicated man get into a vehicle downtown and drive east on H Street. Dispatch broadcast a good description of the man and his pickup truck, and a U.S. Border Patrol agent soon advised Blaine officers that the suspect was near the post office. Police contacted the driver and determined from field sobriety tests that he was indeed under the influence of alcohol. The 64-year-old Birch Bay resident was arrested and booked into jail after processing.
Tuesday, Feb. 12
2:59 p.m. A resident on F Street called police when a pickup came to a stop out in the road blocking a driveway, then the driver leapt out and fled on foot. An officer arrived to investigate and happened upon a gentleman who turned out to be the fleet-footed motorist’s friend. The buddy explained that the driver had been headed to work when his truck ran out of gas, so he bolted down the street to catch the bus to get to work on time. Officer and friend acknowledged the driver’s commitment by pushing his truck to the side of the street and safely parking it for him.
6:56 p.m. A resident contacted police after a man driving a white Subaru Impreza stopped near two teenagers walking down Adelia Street, and made a strange remark to them which they believed to be about drugs. The man then got out of his vehicle, said he was looking for someone and mentioned a person’s name. The teenagers hightailed it to a nearby friend’s home and reported the incident. Officers are investigating.
By Zoe Fraley
A young teenage girl in Blaine reported that a suspicious man asked her if she wanted a ride while she was walking Friday, Feb. 8, according to the Blaine Police Department.
The girl told police she was walking downtown on H Street between Harrison Avenue and 4th Street at 5:30 p.m. when a van quickly came to a stop alongside her. The vehicle and driver were unfamiliar to her. The man driving asked her if he could give her a ride home and she ran away to the Blaine Public Library, where she called her parents for a ride. The man didn’t follow her when she ran.
Blaine police would like to interview the driver, described as a thin, balding man with patchy facial hair and dark circles under his eyes, estimated to be 30 to 40 years old. The van was older and light brown with tinted windows.
People with information can call 360-332-6769.
By Caleb Hutton
BELLINGHAM — A Bellingham driver was sentenced this week to a year in jail for crashing into a pedestrian, fracturing and dislocating her shoulder.
Steven Gary Fisher, 57, struck the woman with his van at 4 p.m. Dec. 6, as she was crossing the road to get her mail in the 4200 block of Northwest Avenue. Witnesses tailed the van to a trailer park on Axton Road.
Fisher admitted to police he’d been drinking that afternoon and had his last drink about an hour before the crash, according to court records. He told the officers he didn’t think he hit anyone.
He was sentenced Thursday, Feb. 7, in Whatcom County Superior Court.
“Think long and hard if you’re ever going to drive again, sir,” Judge Ira Uhrig told Fisher. “You might just not want to drive.”
A hit and run charge was dropped as part of the plea deal. Fisher can serve six months of his sentence behind bars and six months on work release.
By Caleb Hutton
NOOKSACK — A driver accused of causing a three-car crash with injuries on East Badger Road was booked into jail Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 6, on suspicion of vehicular assault.
State troopers don’t believe Norberto Bravo-Vasquez, 56, was under the influence of drugs or alcohol when his 2000 Chevy Blazer barreled through a stop sign and collided with an Acura RDX, injuring three people, including himself, earlier this week at the intersection of East Badger and Van Buren roads, north of Nooksack. (Here’s a link to the full story.)
But detectives allege he showed “disregard for the safety of others” when he ran the stop sign, said Trooper Mark Francis. The speed he was travelling and many other details about the crash have yet to come out.
Two Chilliwack, B.C., women — aged 57 and 58 — were treated at St. Joseph hospital for serious injuries after the Monday morning crash.
Bravo-Vasquez wasn’t wearing and seatbelt. He was ejected from the SUV and rushed to the hospital, where he’s been since then. A trooper drove him to jail Wednesday afternoon.
By Caleb Hutton
BELLINGHAM — The public is invited to a discussion of a new federal policy that means U.S. border agents will no longer serve as interpreters for local police.
A community forum on the issue will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, at St. Luke’s educational center, 3333 Squalicum Parkway.
Local law enforcement used to be able to call U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers if they needed an interpreter. The Department of Homeland Security changed its policy in November after immigration activists said the old way eventually led border agents to ask questions about immigration status. So now, when police call U.S. border agents for an interpreter, they’re referred to list of private interpreters.
(Here’s the memorandum that effectively changed the federal agency’s stance on interpreting for local law enforcement.)
At the Thursday meeting, the public can pose questions about the new policy to officials from the Department of Homeland Security.
Rosalinda Guillen, an activist for immigration reform, summed up the point of the meeting:
This is a unique opportunity to give your voice on how the practice of calling Border Patrol for interpretative services has impacted our communities in Whatcom and Skagit County. We will also learn how our counties will be impacted by this ruling.
And here’s the press release from the feds.
The Community Relations Service (CRS) will be facilitating dialogue and the community will be hosting a community engagement listening session for the US Department of Homeland Security to address questions relating to language assistance and the role of DHS components and local law enforcement in those efforts. Specifically, there will be a brief discussion regarding a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) policy memorandum which clarifies the Department’s position on providing language assistance to other law enforcement organizations. (…) Officials from DHS in Washington, DC, will be present to listen to current experiences relating to language assistance and access.
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