Tag: police blotter
Posted by Caleb Hutton
Text courtesy of the Blaine Police Department, with minor edits for style.
See the bottom of this post for a statement about five recent cases of lewd conduct in Blaine.
Wednesday, Jan. 23
8:19 a.m. A business near the marina in Blaine called police to report an ongoing theft of metal from their premises on McMillan Street. Officers are working with surveillance video of the scene which shows the suspects and vehicle involved in the taking.
1:02 p.m. A resident on Mitchell Street suffered a theft of property from his garage. More than $700 worth of tires and power tools were stolen. A statement and stolen property report were completed, and the homeowner is working with police on the investigation.
7:43 p.m. An employee on the evening shift at a premises downtown was at work when a man walked in and exposed himself to the woman. She yelled the suspect to leave and he ran from the building and northbound along Peace Portal Drive. Blaine officers and Border Patrol agents arrived in the area within a minute, but where not able to locate the suspect, who was described as a young adult wearing a dark gray hoodie and black pants.
8:17 p.m. Officers were dispatched to assist a tow company with recovering a vehicle parked at a residence on Harrison Avenue. The person in possession of the auto was visiting the home owner at the time, and was quite upset at having his vehicle repossessed. Officers were able to restore the peace and the recovery team were able to complete their mission.
10:20 p.m. A parent came to the police department with her teenage son in tow. The young man had an active warrant for his arrest. The juvenile was quite under the influence from an overdose of non-prescription cold medicine, and medics were called to evaluate his condition. He was transported to hospital, and booked into juvenile detention after a medical examination.
Thursday, Jan. 24
12:34 p.m. Fire and police units responded to a commercial and government building on Martin Street for a report of an activated fire alarm. The smoke which set off the alarm was was traced to a failed component in the building’s elevator equipment room. No one was aboard the lift at the time, and no rescue services were needed.
2:29 p.m. A man came into the Blaine Police Department to report the theft of his semi trailer. The victim had left the trailer parked in the 700 block of Ludwick Avenue the previous day, and returned to find it missing. Information on the trailer was entered into law enforcement databases and a report was completed. There are no suspects in the theft.
Friday, Jan. 25
8:43 a.m. A resident on C Street accidentally locked herself out of her home, and called police for help. The responding officer found that the house was very well secured. The landlord was not able to respond with a spare key, and locksmiths were advising they could not make it to the scene until hours later. The officer was able to reach the lady’s husband, who was at school in British Columbia, and he sneaked out of class to bring home a house key. The resident and her dog accepted a ride to the police station where they could stay warm until hubby arrived.
9:30 a.m. An officer patrolling the school campus found a car parked unattended with its headlights on in the main student lot on H Street. He was in the process of notifying the school when he noticed that whoever had parked the auto had also thoughtfully left it unlocked. Once he’d turned off the headlights the officer left a note for the driver explaining what had transpired.
3 p.m. A woman called police to report that she had lost $900 cash near a service station on H Street. Officers were not able to locate the money, and completed a report on the loss. If it is turned into the police department she will be notified.
11 p.m. An officer assisted Blaine City Light by documenting the locations and problems with a number of non-functioning streets light throughout the community. A light crew made the needed repairs and bulb replacements over the next few days.
Sunday, Jan. 27
6:10 p.m. A tired, cold 17-year-old boy came to the police station to turn himself in to officers. He was wanted on a felony warrant out of Mason County, and had decided that life on his own on the outside was not as comfortable as he’d imagined. The warrant was confirmed, his parent was notified, and the juvenile was booked into juvenile detention.
Monday, Jan. 28
4:55 a.m. A police officer assisted North Whatcom Fire & Rescue by serving as a first responder for a woman suffering chest pains in her apartment on D Street. The officer, defibrillator in hand, monitored the woman’s condition until relieved by medics.
7:38 p.m. Police were dispatched to a report that a teenager was threatening to harm herself at a D Street residence. The arriving officer found that no one at the house was suicidal. The only distraught person present was a young man who was having a tantrum about the water that was leaking through the downstairs ceiling from a problematic upstairs commode. The officer was in the wrong union to help solve that particular emergency.
Tuesday, Jan. 29
9:02 a.m. A motorist who stopped in Blaine at a service station on Monday called police the next day to report having witnessed a crime here. She explained that while she was fueling her car she observed a man in a nearby car obviously enjoying the act of exposing himself to her. Police are investigating.
Police Chief Mike Haslip also released the following statement Tuesday afternoon.
The Blaine Police Department has received five separate reports in the past two months regarding a man exposing himself to adult women in public locations, masturbating in public view. The suspect in each incident appeared to be directing his behavior to the attention of one victim. In all but one instance the suspect was alone in the driver’s seat of a car at the time. In one instance a suspect walked in to the customer area of an open business during a period when there was one female employee visible in the room. In none of the incidents that have been reported has a suspect spoken to or attempted to come closer to a victim.
Crimes of this nature are very unusual in the community. It is possible the same suspect is involved in all of the incidents. In each case the suspect has left the area immediately after being observed by the victim and prior to law enforcement arrival. The victims in each case involving a vehicle describe it as a nondescript white car. Some of the victims report that the suspect they observed was wearing a hooded sweatshirt.
We are seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspect and stopping these crimes. If you witness a crime like this in progress, immediately put distance between yourself and the suspect. When you are in a position of safety, observe the vehicle: the most crucial piece of information is a license plate number from the suspect car. The color, make, model, or any unique identifiers like a bumper sticker or window decal are also helpful. If there are other people in the area and you are safe, shouting out to attract their attention to the vehicle and suspect can provide more witnesses an opportunity to see and describe the suspect and vehicle to police. Call 911 as soon as it is safe to do so.
Posted by Caleb Hutton
Text courtesy of the Blaine Police Department, with minor edits for style.
Wednesday, Jan. 9
7:30 a.m. A construction worker was on his way to a building site in Semiahmoo when his car died at the edge of the Parkway. A resident passing by helped the driver and his friend get the car parked legally near the entrance to one of the Semiahmoo neighborhoods. The men went on to work and the resident contacted police and the resort association so everyone would know the car was not abandoned. Officers kept an eye on it for the owner, and a couple of days later he was able to get it running again.
8:22 a.m. Blaine officers backed up a U.S. Border Patrol agent who was dispatched to a Peace Portal Drive business on a call that a man there wanted to turn himself in for a crime he committed. On arrival the gentleman explained to the agents that he was not legally in the United States and felt bad about that and wanted to confess. The agents accepted his apology and offered him a ride to their office to commemorate the event with some paperwork.
10:15 a.m. A woman came to the police department to report that her mother’s diamond earrings had been stolen sometime within the last four years. The loss was only recently discovered after her mom, an H Street resident, passed away. There are no suspects in the theft at this time. A case report was initiated, and closed pending further information.
2:55 p.m. A resident on Adelia Street contacted police as a next step in a property damage complaint against a contractor. The homeowner reported that last spring the contractor had damaged his fence while conducting work on a yard. The contractor told the resident he would fix the damage, but took no action to make repairs in the months that followed. An officer initiated a malicious mischief complaint report, and is attempting to contact the contractor to get the story from his side of the fence.
6:30 p.m. A passerby on Peace Portal Drive noticed some of a store’s valuable merchandise sitting on display outside the business’ front doors. He called police to report the display seemed peculiar since it was evening time and the business was dark, closed and locked. An officer responded to investigate, and confirmed no employees were on the premises. He transported all the items to the police station for safekeeping until the following day when the store was able to collect it.
Thursday, Jan. 10
11:59 a.m. A resident on School Drive called police to report that it appeared their home’s garage door had been tampered with in the past couple of nights. Entry had not been made but the homeowner wanted officers to be aware of the problem. All officers were advised for their patrols.
5:03 p.m. A Blaine resident contacted police, concerned that an ex-boyfriend might break in to her house on F Street. She asked for and was provided information on the actions she could take, and urged to call 911 at the moment she suspected some one was trying to get into her home. All patrol officers were advised of the lady’s request for extra patrols to her neighborhood.
7:15 p.m. Early in the evening a Blaine officer responded to the area near Sixth and A streets to assist U.S. Border Patrol Agents on a report that three people had jumped the border southbound into Blaine from Canada. The officer and an agent located the trio. They had indeed crossed illegally in to the country, and they were taken in to custody by federal authorities.
Friday, Jan. 11
7:27 a.m. The State Patrol relayed a report that a tractor trailer rig was northbound on the freeway, approaching Blaine with one of its trailer brakes on fire. A couple of minutes later a U.S. Border Patrol agent spotted the truck as it stopped in the intersection of Boblett and Yew Street, just off the truck route. The truck driver had not realized his right rear wheels were ablaze until he exited the freeway and slowed down. The flames survived the fire extinguishers which police and passersby applied to it, and fire was getting into the trailer load itself when North Whatcom Fire and Rescue arrived and extinguished the blaze. The driver pulled the damaged trailer full of nursery supplies out of the intersection to make repairs and state patrol commercial vehicle officers arrived to investigate. Border agents assisted with traffic control throughout the event.
9:34 a.m. A homeowner on Fourth Street confronted a man who trespassed onto his property and was bothering their dogs. The stranger told the resident, “I can do anything I want,” then wandered away. Police located the man a few blocks away. He appeared to be disoriented from medication he was taking, and accepted a ride back to his own home where he was turned over to an adult relative who is in contact with his physician.
Saturday, Jan. 12
4:03 p.m. A Blaine resident called police to report that while walking his leashed dog along North Harvey Road, a dog from a nearby residence ran off its property and charged at the man and his dog. The resident was able to ward off the attacking canine with a stick. This is the second offense involving the same dog, and Whatcom Humane Society animal control officers are investigating.
Sunday, Jan. 13
2:40 p.m. A resident on Peace Portal Drive was awakened by her car alarm sounding and called police. An officer arrived in the area and found her car’s right rear door open. He canvassed the area but found no suspects in the area and no other cars in the same lot were victimized. Nothing was missing from the victim’s car, and she thought she might have left her car door open, but that did not explain the alarm going off. Other car prowls were reported some blocks away later the same day.
Monday, Jan. 14
5:01 p.m. Police were dispatched to a residence on Adelia Street on a report that someone had tried to burglarize a detached garage. The arriving officer found that the crook actually did make entry, as one item that had been inside the garage was now sitting outside. Nothing else was missing. The recovered item was impounded for processing. Investigation continues.
Tuesday, Jan. 15
12:02 a.m. Police responded when 911 received a hangup from a residence on Birch Court. An officer arrived to discover that an adult brother and sister at the home had been involved in a domestic dispute. Both parties were intoxicated. The brother was determined to be the primary aggressor in this instance. He was arrested for fourth-degree domestic violence assault and booked into jail.
9:34 a.m. A concerned citizen contacted police when a seagull with an obviously broken wing dropped in to her yard. An officer placed the homeowner in contact with a wildlife rescue organization, and arrangements were made to attend to the victim.
1:43 p.m. A passing visitor to town stopped a public works employee to report having seen a cougar running south on 11th Street. Police were called and were nearby, so they were able to quickly canvas the area. No big cats were spotted. A person out walking advised that a large dog in the area was the right color to be mistaken for a cougar at a glance. No other reports were received and no wildlife was spotted by the officers during their search of the neighborhood.
9:50 p.m. A person called to report her car had been broken in to while it was parked in her employer’s parking lot on Odell Road earlier in the day. The complainant advised that her car’s door had been damaged in the break in. She was calling from home in the county, and arrangements were made to continue the investigation.
Wednesday, Jan. 16
5:37 a.m. An apartment resident called 911 to report a man yelling and pounding on neighboring apartment doors on Alder Street. The arriving officer spotted the man hanging out of a third-floor hallway window, talking to himself while watching his drool fall to the sidewalk below, where the window’s screen was lying. The officer contacted the gent, and learned that he had locked himself out of his apartment. The apartment manager let the tenant back into his home, and police contacted the man’s relatives to advise them of the behavior problems the victim was experiencing.
By Caleb Hutton
Police are investigating about a half dozen vehicle prowls in north Ferndale.
Prowlers have pestered Thornton Street and the neighborhoods to the north and south since Jan. 5. Below, I mapped the bulk of the reported crimes.
Note: The listed time shows when each prowl was called in. So it’s likely several (or all of the) crimes happened overnight, and the victims called 911 in the morning.
View Ferndale Vehicle Prowls, Jan. 5 to 11 in a larger map
Ferndale Police Lt. Matt Huffman suspects a few more prowls went unreported, because some people might not have noticed someone rummaged through their cars. Police have a few solid leads in the thefts — including an interrupted prowl that set off a chase with police dogs at 1 a.m. Friday, Jan. 11. But no arrests have been made.
So if you live in that area, lock your doors. Thieves are a lot less likely to steal from a locked vehicle. And if you suspect your car has been tampered with, dial 911.
Posted by Caleb Hutton
Text courtesy of the Blaine Police Department, with minor edits for style.
Wednesday, Jan. 2
11:20 a.m. Officers were dispatched to a two-vehicle collision involving the U.S. Postal Service and Federal Express on Boblett Street. The drivers were not competing for the quickest delivery, but their vehicles were inadvertently competing for the same piece of the parking lot and backed in to one another. The postal service vehicle sustained damage to the left door and window and the Fed Ex vehicle sustained cosmetic damage to its rear bumper. The cost of repairs exceeded flat rate charges. A report was taken to document the incident.
4:08 p.m. An F Street resident called police to report having been harassed by two women in a nearby apartment. An officer listened to the caller’s description of the event, and tried to advise the tenant that her neighbors had not crossed the line from freedom of speech to illegality on this particular occasion. The woman interrupted the explanation by hanging up on the officer before he could complete the conversation.
Thursday, Jan. 3
12:28 p.m. An officer stopped a vehicle on Peace Portal Drive for speeding. Upon contact the motorist admitted that he shouldn’t be driving, because the Department of Licensing had sent him a letter to that effect. The officer checked, and sure enough, the driver’s privileges were suspended for an unpaid ticket. The Blaine resident was cited for speeding, failure to provide proof of insurance and driving with a suspended license. A licensed driver in the vehicle was permitted to take the wheel.
Saturday, Jan. 5
1:55 a.m. An officer assisted U.S. Border Patrol field agents who contacted a man staggering along the center line on H Street Road. He was trying to walk home after drinking more than his share of alcohol over the evening. Rather than risk the man becoming some passing motorist’s unintended hood ornament, an officer transported the inebriate home and left him in the care of his adult brother.
12:29 p.m. An officer was dispatched when store employees apprehended a shoplifter at their business in the 1700 block of H Street. The 28-year-old Bellingham resident was contacted, arrested and released with a criminal citation and court date. His pilfered stash of pepperoni and energy drinks was recovered.
1:29 p.m. Police were dispatched to a report of a domestic violence incident in progress at a house on Adelia Street. The arriving officers found the dispute was between two adult brothers and not physical, yet. The men were separated and left the residence so they could cool off.
Sunday, Jan. 6
6:49 p.m. U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Peace Arch intercepted a Friday Harbor man in possession of prescription medication without a prescription nor associated packaging. An officer arrested, cited and released the man pending his appearance in court.
7 p.m. On a dark rainy Sunday evening an officer on patrol came upon an unattended car stopped in a roundabout on D Street. The two wheels lying on the shoulder, a failed jack lodged under the car and an axle laying on the ground suggested a failed attempt at a tire change. The officer placed flares and traffic cones to make the scene safe and the car’s two occupants arrived on foot a short time later. The officer directed their tow truck driver in for a landing by cell phone, and the vehicle was removed within 15 minutes.
7:50 p.m. A motorist called police after crashing into a light pole in the 800 block of Peace Portal Drive on a dark, rainy night. The driver was not impaired, and simply did not see the light pole as he turned off the road into a business driveway. The driver had already moved the car to a nearby auto mechanic’s shop so the road was not blocked. The city light crew which responded estimated the damage to their pole to be about $600. The front of the driver’s Saab sedan had more than $750 in damage. Neither the driver or his passenger were injured, and the event was closed with a state collision report.
Monday, Jan. 7
8:22 a.m. A Fourth Street resident called police asking that someone talk to his wife about her habit of using his bank account debit card without his permission. The officer let the lady know that her husband had called the police. He explained to both the husband and wife that Washington was a community property state and their property was assumed to belong equally to both unless they took legal action to change that.
10:37 a.m. A resident found a young man sitting on Semiahmoo Parkway looking wet and cold and a long way from home. The resident picked the man up, got him some food, gave him some money, and brought him to the police station. Officers contacted the transient’s mother, and she arranged for a bus ticket to get her son from Bellingham to her home in Puyallup. A police employee donated some warm dry clothes for the teenager to change in to, and a reserve officer transported him to the bus station in Bellingham.
Posted by Caleb Hutton
Text courtesy of the Blaine Police Department, with minor edits for style.
Tuesday, Dec. 11
1:06 p.m. Dispatch reported a 911 hang up at a business on H Street. Police arrived just a couple of minutes later and found everything looking peaceful in the office from which the call originated. Two busier-looking gents directed police to a third man in a corner office, who was looking like he wanted to be somewhere else. It turned out that the manager’s unique phone dialing technique had caused a couple of other 911 hang up calls earlier in the week.
3:13 p.m. The driver of a small sedan stopped northbound on Grant Street, looked right to make sure nothing was coming, and pulled out onto H Street. This utterly surprised the driver of the enormous pickup truck which was eastbound on H Street with the right of way and bearing down on the little sedan from the left. The pickup crashed into the driver’s side of the sedan, totaling the car and trapping the driver inside. Arriving police officers shut down the roadway with the help of Border Patrol agents, and kept the sedan driver stable until responding firefighters from North Whatcom Fire and Rescue extracted her for transport to hospital. She was cited for failure to yield right of way, and the pickup driver was cited for driving without insurance. The roadway was closed for about an hour while police completed their investigation.
Wednesday, Dec. 12
10 a.m. A 19-year-old Custer resident was appearing in Blaine Municipal Court and mentioned that he had forgotten to go to court in Bellingham the previous day on an unrelated matter, and hoped the Blaine court could also take care of that other charge. It turned out that the court in Bellingham wanted to work out their matter in person, and had issued an arrest warrant to get the young man’s attention. An officer assisted the gentleman by transporting and booking him into jail in Bellingham, which is conveniently located only four floors up from his cell block.
6:19 p.m. A customer arrived at a business, found the door unlocked, and called police. An officer responded and found the cause of the problem. The business owner was on site and open for business, just tending to some tasks back in the warehouse. Owner and customer were introduced and the officer cleared the scene.
8:30 p.m. Person reported her back window to her vehicle shattered as she was pulling into a parking lot on Eighth Street. Police investigated and determined the window shattered when a previous crack to the window’s corner gave way, causing the entire sheet of safety glass to fail. An officer helped the driver temporarily secure the hole.
Thursday, Dec. 13
10:02 a.m. A resident on D Street report that two small gas cans had been stolen from a shelf in his unsecured garage. The theft happened sometime on Wednesday or Thursday. Some other items were moved around but nothing else was taken.
11:23 a.m. A care provider grew concerned when a child she normally cares for was absent for a couple of days and she was unable to contact the parent. She called police, who checked and determined that the parent was in jail. The child was being tended to by a family friend. Both parent and friend were appreciative when the child care provider offered to take the young one for a spell.
Friday, Dec. 14
5:50 a.m. A U.S. Border Patrol agent came upon a man staggering along in the dark eastbound on D Street at Allan Street. He was a very intoxicated U.S. citizen who’d decided to walk home to Custer from a friend’s house. A Blaine Police responded to check on the sojourner. His dark clothing and unsteady gait put him at significant risk of being struck by a passing car, so an officer gave the man a ride to his residence.
8:40 p.m. Officers were dispatched to a report of an erratic, possibly intoxicated driver northbound on Mitchell Avenue from Peace Portal Drive. They intercepted the suspect vehicle at Grant and Sr-543 and contacted the driver for a traffic violation. The elderly motorist was very tired and returning from visiting her husband in a hospital. She had not been drinking and was much more awake at the end of the contact.
Sunday, Dec. 16
1:26 a.m. A couple sleeping in their sailboat at Blaine Marina were awakened by two people thrashing about on the deck. They yelled out at the intruders to interrupt whatever crime was being committed overhead, and the thrashing trespassers abandoned ship and ran away as the live-aboards called 911. Blaine officers and U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived in time to apprehend the two adults leaving the area, and a witness positively identified the 25-year-old woman and 24-year-old man. The pair eventually explained that they had climbed around the locked Gate 1 marina entrance to get onto the floats, intending to board a vessel and commit romance. They claimed they set the boat to rocking only after no one answered their knocking. They were given Criminal Trespass citations and copies of their arrest photos to commemorate their sailing adventure.
7:47 p.m. Police investigated a two-car injury collision at intersection of SR-543 and Boblett Street. A driver illegally turned his car left in front of another vehicle and the pair collided in the intersection. Air bags were deployed in both vehicles. A rear passenger in the other vehicle complained of shoulder pain. She was addressed by medics on scene and released. Both vehicles were towed away at their respective owner’s request. The offending driver was issued a citation for fail to yield right of way at an intersection and driving without insurance.
Monday, Dec. 17
12:33 p.m. Police were contacted by a Semiahmoo Marina resident who reported a fuel siphoning. The victim explained that sometime during the past month or two someone had stolen gasoline from his vehicle in the marina parking lot. In the process they damaged the spout and filler line for his car tank, causing about $200 damage.
3:42 p.m. Blaine police were contacted by a business on Alder Street which was concerned about an employee who might be suffering domestic abuse. Officers have contacted and interviewed the people involved, and are investigating the report.
4:27 p.m. A resident on Martin Street reported that a desperate nicotine addict is trespassing onto her porch to steal the left over cigarette butts there. Officers were advised to watch for a surly white man in his early 20s.
9:51 p.m. U.S. Border Patrol agent patrolling along the border found an open door at a warehouse. Police officers arrived and searched the premises but found no one inside. There were no signs of forced entry and it appeared the door had blown open in the wind. Police were able to shut and secure the door.
By Caleb Hutton
Text courtesy of the Blaine Police Department, with minor edits for style.
Tuesday, Dec. 4
3:50 p.m. Police were dispatched to the 1500 block of D Street on a report that four people were using drugs in a car by an apartment complex. An officer arrived and found three young men in the suspect vehicle. It appeared they had indeed been smoking a hallucinogen, but there was not enough of the product left for testing. The trio’s used paraphernalia was destroyed.
7 p.m. During an argument at a home on Golden Eagle Drive, a man decided to demonstrate his state of mind by swallowing fistfuls of prescription medication in front of his wife. He lost consciousness shortly afterwards, and dispatch was giving the woman telephonic instructions on how to perform CPR when police officers and medics arrived at the house. The man was revived and transported to hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Friday, Dec. 5
12:23 a.m. An intoxicated man and his more intoxicated brother left a bar downtown after midnight, and staggered back towards their boat in Blaine Harbor. They made it as far as Peace Portal and Marine Drive before the more inebriated man attacked and began beating on his sibling. He may have started the fight, but he was unanimously declared the loser by the police officers and medics who arrived to clean up the mess. The bleeding, violent 21-year-old man from Neah Bay was transported to hospital by medics, accompanied by a police officer who helped restrain him to his gurney to keep him from destroying the ambulance. He faces prosecution for fourth-degree assault and other violations.
3:25 p.m. School officials called police when they learned that a student who was not on campus had posted comments on a social networking site indicating that he might harm himself. Officers located and interviewed the young man. He was physically fine, and explained the purpose of his admittedly inappropriate internet activity. The young man received a warning and the school and his parent received a phone call from the officers explaining the results of their investigation.
Friday, Dec. 7
3 a.m. An officer on patrol about 3 a.m. spotted a person walking away from the railroad tracks near Clyde Street. The walker lacked a hard hat, safety glasses or any other pieces of safety gear that railway employee generally carry. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived to interview the man and found that he had possibly illegally entered the country via the railroad tracks, and he
was taken into custody by the agents.
9:10 p.m. U.S. Border Patrol Dispatch reported a person at Peace Arch Park was jumping the border from the United States into Canada. A Blaine officer was called but arrived too late to intervene in the subject’s hasty departure from the country. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police advised later that they had caught up with the man, and found that he was a Canadian citizen. He had set out from home in Canada but had gotten disoriented and bolted for home when he realized he strayed across the border.
9:40 p.m. A Blaine officer assisted Border Patrol Agent contacting three suspicious people walking south from the Canadian border along the truck route north of H Street. The trio turned out to be US citizens who had wanted to go to Canada, but they were too intoxicated so border officials denied them entry.
Saturday, Dec. 8
7:30 a.m. Royal Canadian Mounted Police in White Rock called Blaine Police when they heard what sounded like gunfire to the south of their fair city. An officer checked the area where most shootings occur, but did not locate the suspects. The RCMP were advised that it is duck hunting season here and the hunters often float offshore just outside the city limits west of Semiahmoo Spit.
Sunday, Dec. 9
1:34 a.m. An officer saw what appeared to be an unoccupied parked vehicle at a gas pump downtown. As he approached the car the driver who had been slumped down in his seat sat up and started to honk the car’s horn. That’s a classic, if melodramatic, way for a lookout to alert his accomplice that the police have arrived, but if something was afoot nearby it fled before doing the deed. The driver claimed the horn honking was accidentally and he was waiting to meet a friend who was detained at the border. Car and driver left the area a short time later.
Monday, Dec. 10
12:20 a.m. A parent on Cedar Street called police shortly after midnight when she spotted a possible runaway teenager in her back yard. Officers arrived, searched the area and found the girl hiding in another yard nearby. The 17-year-old girl was indeed a runaway, and also was wanted on a felony warrant in Snohomish County. She was arrested and booked into detention.
Posted by Caleb Hutton
Text courtesy of the Blaine Police Department, with minor edits for style.
[Editor's note: Crimes came in pairs this week in Blaine: A couple of DUIs at the border, a couple of counterfeit bills, a couple of attempted illegal border crossings, etc., etc.]
Tuesday, Nov. 20
10:31 a.m. A woman and her adult daughter were threatened by an adult relative who chased them through the family home on Dunlin Court during a domestic dispute. The women took refuge in a bedroom and closet, and called police for help. Officers responded, made the scene safe and investigated. The 46-year-old man involved was arrested.
4:23 p.m. A high-voltage electrical line problem tripped Blaine City Light’s protective circuits, and the lights went out on Georgia Street and most of town. While a utility crew isolated and repaired the problems, police provided traffic control at intersections where the signals had failed and checked on darkened businesses. One resident was at risk because she had no backup supply for her home oxygen system which required house current. Blaine’s Auxiliary Communications Service team responded with a portable generator to help the lady during the outage. Power to most of the city was restored within the hour.
5:10 p.m. Police were leaving a call at a multifamily housing complex on B Street when a smoke alarm sounded from an upstairs unit. An officer contacted the apartment’s lone resident and found that the elderly lady had decided to take a nap when her building’s power went off. Unfortunately when as nodded off she forgot about the meal she’d been cooking on the stove when the power failed. She was fast asleep when the lights, and the stove, came back on, so dinner’s charcoal remains and the police at her door were garnish to her rude awakening in a smoke filled apartment. The officer helped her turn off her appliances and ventilate the unit.
5:45 p.m. A couple contacted an officer at the police station to report that their family’s cat was missing from its home near Boblett and Fourth Street. They described Ben as a large, overweight friendly 10-year-old orange-and-white striped creature. He was normally very good about not venturing far from the family’s doorstep. All officers were advised of the watch-for for their patrols, and for the next several days they kept an eye out, without success. Finally, five days after his disappeared, Ben showed back up at home, looking a little lean and smelling of must and fuel. Ben’s owner suspects the car got locked into someone’s garage over the Thanksgiving weekend.
8 p.m. A business on H Street counted the day’s receipts, found a counterfeit $10 bill, and called police. The employees had no idea who passed the fake note. An officer confiscated the item and forwarded it to the Secret Service.
Wednesday, Nov. 21
4:59 p.m. A business called police to report a fight in progress aboard a bus in their mall parking lot. Police and U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived and determined that no assault had occurred. The ruckus turned out to be a bunch of young passengers yelling at each other aboard a party bus.
9:30 p.m. A business reported they were counting the cash at the end of the day and found a counterfeit $20 bill in their receipts. The employees did not know who passed the counterfeit bill, and an officer confiscated it for the Secret Service.
Thursday, Nov. 22
11:05 a.m. Police were dispatched to a report of two boys fighting on Eighth Street. An officer arrived to find 12- and 9-year-old brothers walking down the street. They admitted to horsing around, but were not actually fighting.
11:40 p.m. An officer backed U.S. Border Patrol agents an unknown person attempted to drive across the border at Harvey Road, then fled northbound after the vehicle got stuck. Royal Canadian Mounted Police initiated a search for the suspect, and Border Patrol agents impounded the vehicle.
Friday, Nov. 23
12:05 a.m. U.S. Customs officers reported they were questioning a person who drove up to a primary booth to gain entry into the United States. While a Customs officer was questioning the driver he noticed signs of the driver being under the influence of alcohol. The driver was brought into secondary inspection, where a Blaine Police Officer met with the motorist, who failed field sobriety tests. The 31-year-old Federal Way resident was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and booked into jail.
8:17 p.m. Police officers assisted U.S. Border Patrol field agents with a report that three border jumpers had entered the United States near Sixth and A Street in Blaine. The trio split up when they crossed, but all were quickly and peacefully captured within a block of their point of entry.
Saturday, Nov. 24
9:40 p.m. An officer stopped a vehicle on Adelia Street for a traffic violation and spotted a large open bottle of liquor in the back seat of the vehicle in plain view. The three people in the vehicle were all teenagers, and the driver was arrested for being a minor in possession of alcohol, cited and released. The officer also discovered a large amount of marijuana in a backpack that belonged to a back seat passenger. That youth was arrested and booked him for possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver.
Sunday, Nov. 25
1:05 a.m. A resident reported that her husband had been beaten up by his nephew in law during a domestic dispute. An officer arrived to find that the suspect had already fled the area. The nephew was later located by police and arrested for simple assault involving domestic violence.
Monday, Nov. 26
3:39 a.m. U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped a vehicle regarding suspicious activity near the border. While the agent was interviewing the driver he noticed the man might be under the influence of alcohol, and he requested Blaine police attend. An officer arrived to investigate and found the agent’s concern was justified. The motorist was arrested for driving under the influence and booked in to jail after processing.
3:09 p.m. Officer received a request to contact a person on G Street who wanted to report some harassing phone calls. Officer arrived and listened to the phone calls and found none of them threatening or harassing. It was unsure when the calls were made and the complainant was unable to provide suspect information except a possible name.
Tuesday, Nov. 27
8:33 a.m. A person reported that while he was away on a commercial crabbing vessel, someone “keyed” every panel on his truck, resulting in an unknown dollar amount of damage. There are no suspects in this case. The reporting person requested a report for insurance purposes, which was provided.
Posted by Caleb Hutton
Text courtesy of the Blaine Police Department, with minor edits for style.
Wednesday, Oct. 31
6:15 p.m. State officials notified Blaine police when they learned that an unresponsive four month old Blaine boy had been taken to hospital in Bellingham by his mother. Examinations by medical staff revealed the child had suffered serious past and present injuries. A police investigation was initiated as the child was airlifted to a trauma center in Seattle. The Department of Social and Health Services personnel, Seattle Police, Bellingham Police and the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office are assisting the investigation. On Nov. 2, the father of the child admitted to police he had thrown the infant to the ground on the afternoon of Oct. 31. The 31-year-old Blaine resident father was arrested and booked into on one charge of assault of a child in the first Degree. The victim remains in critical condition at the intensive care unit of a Seattle trauma center as the police investigation continues.
7:40 p.m. Police responded to a call of domestic dispute in progress at a residence on D Street. Officers arrived and contacted a couple who were out in their driveway arguing about what time to take their child trick-or-treating. Officers found no evidence of a physical altercation between the combatants, who felt the police and witnesses had overreacted by paying any attention to their public disagreement.
7:50 p.m. A banking customer called police after stumbling upon a woman’s body laying in front of the ATM machine. An officer responded to rouse the sleeping transient who was not at all happy about the interruption. The lady explained a Good Samaritan was fetching her a hamburger, and when done dining she might hail a bus to Bellingham. She was advised to not block access to the business which she was gracing with her presence.
Thursday, Nov. 1
8:26 a.m. A resident opened the trunk of her car at home on A Street and discovered that someone had left a modified-length shotgun and drug paraphernalia inside. She called police to express her surprise and dismay, and an officer responded to investigate and impound the contraband. The end result was a case report for review and prosecution of a teen-aged criminal gang member relative who had borrowed the vehicle.
1:07 p.m. A transient called dispatch to have an officer meet her downtown and give her a ride to Bellingham. An officer responded to meet the lady, and offered to escort her to the nearest transit stop and pay her bus fare. She was incensed at the idea of stooping to shared public transit and declared she’d rather remain in Blaine to enjoy the food and assistance being offered by its friendly residents.
4:34 p.m. A resident contacted Blaine police to report she’d found a canoe washed up on the shore of her property about one month ago. No one nearby had lost a canoe, and no recent reports of lost or stolen canoes had been filed with the police, sheriff’s office, or other agencies according to computer inquiries. The resident completed a “found property declaration” asserting her claim to the boat if the owner is not located. Police left the vessel with her for safekeeping during the waiting period.
11:30 p.m. An employee working late at the elementary school campus called police to report that he had found a person curled up on the ground outside of the building. An officer responded and checked the area with the caller, but the person had unfurled and drifted away into the chilly night.
Friday, Nov. 2
8:24 a.m. A young man borrowed his dad’s vehicle for a trip to the store, and set off down Adelia Street. Since he did not have a driver’s license and the van was not insured, he played it safe and pulled on his seat belt. The gent’s attention drifted while he wrestled with the restraint, and his vehicle drifted into the parking lane. Fate and physics took over from there. The force of the van crashing into a neighbor’s parked pickup spun the truck out into the street. It was still there when police responded to investigate the collision. The 24-year-old was cited for his violations, and officers helped the victim truck owner push the remnants of his rig up into his driveway.
11:49 a.m. High school officials called police when they caught two students on campus in possession of alcohol. An officer responded to investigate and interviewed the witnesses. A 15-year-old was arrested for possession of a 24 ounce can of beer, and his 14-year-old friend was arrested for being a minor in possession of alcohol by consumption. Both were expelled and released to their parents pending a summons to juvenile court.
3:31 p.m. A Blaine resident came to the police department to report he had made himself the victim a fraud after not passing up a deal too good to be true for a motor vehicle purchase on eBay. There is no good suspect information available, and a report was taken to document the victim’s $1,061 loss. The resident was advised to also file a report online with the FBI’s internet fraud division.
Saturday, Nov. 3
1:30 a.m. A resident on F Street heard his dog barking and checked to find two young men prowling his car, which was parked in the driveway. They fled when spotted, and were last seen running north on 4th Street. Blaine officers and Border Patrol agents searched the area for the pair, who were wearing dark clothing and looked to be 18 to 20 years old. The two made better chickens than thieves, as they got away but got nothing from the vehicle.
11:50 a.m. Customs & Border Protection officers at the Peace Arch called Blaine Police when they found ecstasy tablets in the vehicle of a British Columbia resident wanting to visit the United States. An officer responded to investigate, impounded the substance for analysis and forwarded a case report to the felony prosecutor for review of drug possession charges.
4:13 p.m. A daycare facility called police when a man came to pick up a child but was not on the authorized pickup list and could not provide any documentation about his parental rights. The mother was contacted and advised that she working on filing a threats complaint against the man with the police agency where she lives. Mom came to collect the youngster and the gentleman advised that he would return with parenting paperwork. He has not been back.
Tuesday, Nov. 6
5:25 p.m. A business manager requested police presence at an industrial building. An employee was suspended pending his termination of employment. He has been argumentative during the process leading up to his last day today. An officer was present for about 40 minutes at the business to keep the peace but the future ex-employee did not show up for work.
By Caleb Hutton
Text courtesy of the Blaine Police Department, with minor edits for style.
Wednesday, Oct. 17
11:24 a.m. An officer was dispatched to contact a resident about a theft from his home. The older gentleman reported that a prized double-edged stainless steel German dagger was missing from his house. During a long one-sided conversation with the victim, the officer discerned that it was quite possible that the knife had been misplaced rather than stolen.
12:14 p.m. A county resident came to the Blaine Police Department for assistance, when his hopes for for an amicable end to a dating relationship were dashed. He explained that his now former-girlfriend had reacted very strongly to learning that he was breaking up with her. The lady was now driving around somewhere between Blaine and Bellingham, texting threats to harm herself unless the male half-relented and exorcised the ex from their relationship. Blaine Police officers searched the Blaine area for the woman without success, and she lives in the Bellingham area. The boyfriend had received her calls while at his home outside the city as well, and he was advised to contact the Sheriff’s Office to make a formal report about the lady’s actions and his concerns about her safety.
1:25 p.m. A business contacted police when the management discovered instances of theft which had possibly been committed by an employee. An officer was assigned it initial interviews and the complaint is under investigation.
9:41 p.m. Police were dispatched to a residential construction site on Kingsley Avenue for a theft of services complaint. The contractor showed the officer that someone had thrown several bags of garbage and unwanted broken kids toys into the construction site’s dumpster. The contractor was going to have to pay to have the garbage hauled away. A couple pieces of mail amid the garbage lead officers to a recently vacated apartment. The former resident of the apartment is still in jail on unrelated charges. The contractor was advised of the outcome and he will recontact police if the problem reoccurs.
Thursday, Oct. 18
10 p.m. A woman contacted police to report a theft she had suffered six days earlier on H Street. She explained that she had left her car unlocked while shopping, and when she returned a bank bag was missing from the front seat of the car. The bag had contained the money taken in by her employer’s business, a little over $4,000 cash. There are no suspects in the taking.
Friday, Oct. 19
9:40 a.m. A concerned parent reported an assault on a school bus on Mitchell Avenue. Officers reviewed video evidence and determined that mutual roughhousing was involved which did not rise to the level of criminal culpability for the 10-year-old kids involved. The incident is being handled by the school district.
3:08 p.m. A citizen contacted the Blaine Police Department to report two election-related signs stolen from his yard over the last couple weeks, the most recent being today. The signs are valued at $5 a piece. Officers were notified to provide extra patrol and to watch for the missing signs.
Saturday, Oct. 20
Sunday, Oct. 21
4 p.m. A Blaine resident reported their passport from India missing or lost, and asked for a police report number to satisfy a step in the process of having it replaced. The service was provided.
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
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.