Tag: Police
By Caleb Hutton
See below for update.
An Amtrak train struck a suicidal man Sunday morning, March 17, on the railroad tracks north of Boulevard Park.
Here’s the report from the Bellingham police log:
Reported: Mar 17 2013 10:12AM
Location: 100 BLK BOULEVARD ST
Offense: SUICIDE – Attempt/Threat
Case #: 13B09781Officers responded to a report of an attempted suicide at the above location. An individual intentionally went onto the railroad tracks as a train was approaching, was struck and knocked to the side. The individual was subsequently transported to the hospital by medics for further treatment of a head injury.
Nobody aboard the train was hurt. Passengers were bused to Vancouver, B.C., according to Q13.
Metro Networks, a news wire service affiliated with KGMI, reported the man remained in serious condition as of Monday morning.
I’ve got a call out to police to see how the man’s doing.
Update at 2 p.m.
Man struck by Amtrak train in #Bellingham not likely to survive. Police say he smiled, waved before leaning head into oncoming train.
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) March 18, 2013
By Caleb Hutton
BELLINGHAM — A Bellingham man has been charged with shattering a patrol car window with a rock, in turn breaking an officer’s laptop, because he was “feeling angry with the police.”
Rene Castro-Maldonado, 20, knocked on the door of the police station at the downtown Whatcom Transportation Authority bus terminal on the evening of March 7, asking to be handcuffed, according to charging documents filed this week in Whatcom County Superior Court.
He confessed he’d just thrown a rock through the front passenger window of a patrol car parked nearby, according to the charges. The rock broke a laptop inside worth $3,200. Castro-Maldonado allegedly told the officers he did it because he was mad at police.
The patrol car was taken out of commission until the window could get repaired.
Castro-Maldonado has had his share of run-ins with local law enforcement: Last year he aggressively approached an officer on North State Street with clenched fists. He spat at the cop — considered a felony assault. In return, he got shot with a Taser and ordered to serve nine months behind bars.
It appears Castro-Maldonado finished serving his sentence for that crime in late January.
He also has a history of burglary, malicious mischief and drug possession.
By Caleb Hutton
Last night Dan MacPhee was sworn in as the new chief of Everson’s police department, replacing the late Erik Ramstead.
Photographer Colin Diltz captured this moment when Ramstead’s widow, Amy, pinned the police chief badge on MacPhee. That’s John Perry, the city’s mayor, looking on in the background.
Here’s a gallery of photos from the swearing-in ceremony.
By Caleb Hutton
Everson Police Sgt. Dan MacPhee will officially take on the role of police chief in the coming days, following the death of Erik Ramstead, the longtime head of the department.
Here’s the announcement from Mayor John Perry:
The City of Everson has promoted Sgt. Dan MacPhee to the position of Chief of Police. Sgt. MacPhee has been with the Everson Police Dept. for 13 yrs. He was hired in March of 2000 and served as a patrol officer until his promotion to Sergeant in 2006. He was appointed to the position of Interim Chief of Police in January following the passing of Chief Erik Ramstead. Sgt. MacPhee was instrumental in maintaining the security of our citizens during an extremely difficult time for our police department. At the March 12th Everson City Council meeting, Sgt. MacPhee will be sworn in as Everson’s Chief of Police.
Sgt. MacPhee is a graduate of Lynden High School and Western Washington University.
By Caleb Hutton
Bellingham police want to warn longboarders they’re breaking the law by speedily riding down the residential streets of Alabama Hill.
Police spokesman Mark Young says on some days, more than 20 skateboarders gather at the top of Illinois Lane, near the intersection with Crestline Drive, then coast to the bottom of the hill, barreling through stop signs and causing “all sorts of traffic problems.”
So officers will be doing extra patrols in the area.
The skateboarders are breaking city laws and eventually, Young said, they might break one-too-many laws of physics and wind up in a fatal crash.
“It never ends well for the skateboarder,” Young said.
Riding a skateboard down the middle of the street in Bellingham can lead to an $87 ticket. That said, it’s legal for people to skateboard on the sidewalk in residential areas, so long as they’re not causing problems.
Here’s the relevant city law.
11.15.020 – USE OF COASTERS, ROLLER SKATES, ROLLERBLADES AND SIMILAR DEVICES RESTRICTED
A. No person upon roller skates, rollerblades, or riding in or by means of any coaster, skateboard, toy vehicles, or similar device, shall go upon any roadway except while crossing a street on a crosswalk; and when so crossing, such person shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to pedestrians.
B. Any person using such a device shall exercise due care and caution to avoid hindering, delaying, or endangering pedestrians using ways normally open to pedestrian traffic.
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.
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.
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.
By Caleb Hutton
An alleged intruder was held at gunpoint early Thursday, Jan. 10, after the tenants of a Carolina Street duplex heard footsteps in a supposedly vacant unit upstairs.
At 1:50 a.m., a boyfriend and girlfriend heard footsteps coming from the upstairs unit in the 700 block of Carolina, said Bellingham police spokesman Mark Young.
The 24-year-old boyfriend grabbed a shotgun and shouted a warning to the man upstairs. The squatter — who had been “casually cooking food on the stove” — opened the door and cooperated, at gunpoint, until the cops showed up, Young said.
The suspect was identified as Jacob Dean Ringenbach, 26. He told officers he didn’t have anywhere else to stay. Police booked him into jail on suspicion of residential burglary. It didn’t appear any property was actually stolen, according to police. Young wasn’t sure how long Ringenbach had lived in the home.
By Caleb Hutton
BELLINGHAM — Downtown thrift shop Wise Buys will be closed for several weeks because of sprinkler damage from an upstairs apartment fire, the store’s operators announced Thursday, Dec. 20.
Firefighters and police are investigating how the apartment caught fire Saturday. The flames were contained to a single unit, but the water caused a lot more damage than the fire or heat, said Roger Christensen, acting chief of the Bellingham Fire Department.
He wouldn’t say if investigators suspect arson.
“Arson is a finding,” not a label that can be put on an active investigation, he said. Christensen declined to release much information this week. I’ll be checking back soon.
Here’s most of the press release from Wise Buys.
The water damage occurred Saturday, Dec. 15 in response to a fire in an apartment above Wise Buys, located at 1224 N. State St.
Wise Buys is operated by volunteers from Lydia Place, a nonprofit, community-based serving homeless people since 1989. Since Wise Buys is completely run by volunteers, all of its proceeds go to Lydia Place.
“The repairs will be covered by insurance,” said Emily O’Connor, executive director of Lydia Place. “However, much of our merchandise was either damaged or related to the holidays, so we could use donations of gently used clothing and household items when Wise Buys reopens in January.”
Updates about Wise Buys will be available on Lydia Place’s Facebook page and by calling Lydia Place at (360) 671-7663. The public is asked to withhold donations of clothing and household items until the store reopens.
Wise Buys originally was launched in 1974 as Y’s Buys and run by the Bellingham YWCA until Lydia Place assumed operations in the early 1990s.
Lydia Place provides a six-month, multifaceted residential program that supports women and children in their transition from homelessness to independence. Lydia Place also offers support and services for local residents in subsidized housing.
For more information about Lydia Place, call (360) 671-7663 or visit www.lydiaplace.org.
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