police blotter

Bainbridge Police reported the following incidents:

AUGUST 28

11:39 a.m. A Bainbridge resident said he received a call from his “grandson,” who identified himself by name and said “I’m in Canada and am in trouble for some car damage … I need you to send me $5,200.” The caller told the man to go to a Wal-Mart to send the money. The man drove to a Wal-Mart where an employee advised him that the caller was a scammer, and that they had dealt with three identical situations the day before. The man called his grandson’s cell phone and his grandson told him he was not in Canada and didn’t need any money. The man received several more phone calls from the scammer after he returned home. Police advised him to have the number blocked if the calls persisted.

3:04 p.m. A Bainbridge man reported that a catalytic converter had been stolen from his 1998 Toyota pickup while it was parked at the Bethany Lutheran park-and-ride. The part was estimated at $500.

4:54 p.m. Police responded to the ferry terminal where a possibly mentally disabled person was making death threats to passengers on a bus. The man was verbally abusive to officers when they arrived and attempted to elude them on foot. Officers caught up to the man on Ferncliff Avenue where he told them, “You are not my Lord Jesus Christ and I don’t have to listen to your commands under the first amendment of free speech handed down by Jesus Christ.” The man continued to ramble about his God-given rights and said he was suffering because his medication regimen had been changed by his doctor. The man was transported to Harrison Hospital to be involuntarily committed.

7:43 p.m. A Duncan Lane resident reported excessive chainsaw noise from her neighbor’s property. She told police that her neighbor often starts a chainsaw and leaves it running for more than an hour to annoy her. She said she can’t see the man from her property when he runs the chainsaw but said she is sure he is not using it to cut anything because she had lived in a logging community and is familiar with chainsaw noises. The woman had previously complained about noise from the neighbor’s goats. The case was recorded.

AUGUST 29

8:47 a.m. A parking officer found a bicycle near the Latter-day Saints Church on Madison Avenue. The bicycle was a purple and white, Pacific 21-speed with electrical tape wrapped on parts of its frame. It was placed in storage for safekeeping.

10:39 a.m. A police boat responded to a report of a vessel in distress in heavy weather. The vessel, a 27-foot sailboat, was located one mile off Fay Bainbridge State Park. It was being tended to by a State Park boat and several private vessels. The distressed vessel’s mast and rigging had broken off and its lines and shrouds were dragging in the water alongside. The vessel’s skipper was the only person onboard. The police boat accepted a tow line from the skipper and successfully towed the boat back to its mooring in Port Madison.

10:17 p.m. A Port Ludlow woman was stopped on SR-305 near Madison Avenue on suspicion of drunk driving. Police had contacted the woman during an earlier call about intoxicated persons and had instructed her not to drive. The woman appeared heavily intoxicated when police contacted her on SR-305. The woman was asked if she wanted to take voluntary sobriety tests but she couldn’t make up her mind. She was arrested for driving under the influence. A search of her vehicle turned up a mostly-empty bottle of tequila behind the driver’s seat as well as a pipe and a small amount of marijuana. The woman denied smoking marijuana but admitted to drinking tequila. She refused a breath test and was booked into Kitsap County Jail.

AUGUST 30

3:07 a.m. Police responded to a Bainbridge residence where an intoxicated juvenile was reportedly making verbal threats to family members and banging on vehicles outside his aunt’s home. The juvenile was arrested for minor in possession of alcohol and disorderly conduct. He was transported to Kitsap County Juvenile Detention.

12:10 p.m. A Bainbridge woman reported that a catalytic converter had been stolen from her 1991 Toyota pickup while it was parked near the Winslow Wharf. She said the vehicle had sounded very loud when she started it that morning and she found its muffler and several bolts lying underneath. The converter was estimated at $200. No suspects.

6 p.m. A Bainbridge man told police he had been assaulted in front of Doc’s Marina Grill the previous night. He said he had been standing outside smoking a cigarette when a man got out of a pickup truck and punched him several times in the head, knocking him to the ground. The man said he managed to rip a wallet from the suspect’s back pocket during the fight. The suspect then drove away. The wallet contained an ID card, which the man said identified his attacker. The investigation continues.

SEPTEMBER 1

1:29 a.m. An officer pulled over a Ford pickup truck driving southbound on SR-305 near Sportsman Club Road after observing it swerve across the centerline several times. Its driver, a Kingston man, explained that he had just come from Port Gamble and was on his way to Poulsbo. The officer asked the man three times where he was and each time the man responded that he was in Poulsbo. He twice said he was meeting a friend in Poulsbo and pointed south toward Winslow. The man was arrested for driving under the influence, following field sobriety tests. A tin containing marijuana residue was found in his vehicle. The K9 was called in and found bag under a seat that contained a small amount of marijuana. The man told the Bainbridge officer who drove him to jail that he had been arrested by Poulsbo Police.

SEPTEMBER 2

3:23 p.m. An Arrow Point Drive resident reported that a mailbox and glass lantern fixture near the end of her driveway had been smashed overnight. The resident said the mailbox was a replacement for one that had been smashed a month before. She also reported that the tires of her car were deflated and she was unsure whether the air had been let out or if they were slashed. Damage to the mailbox and lantern was estimated at $55.

6:14 a.m. Police responded to Wing Point Way apartment where a intoxicated Suquamish woman was banging on a door which the occupant refused to open. The woman said she had been partying with two men inside and wanted to get in to collect one of her shoes. Police contacted the resident of a neighboring apartment who said the woman had walked into his unlocked unit. He asked that she be removed from the premise. When police went back outside the woman was gone. She was later found walking down the driveway and had apparently been hiding in the woods. The officer told the woman that she could either be driven home without her shoe or arrested and booked into jail. The woman accepted a ride home to Suquamish.

SEPTEMBER 3

1:40 p.m. A speed bump was reported stolen from a private road off Salmon Run Lane. Residents reported that they had returned from vacation to find two speed bumps missing. One was found in their garbage. The speed bumps were six-feet long with black and yellow stripes and had been secured to the roadway with rebar. The residents said one of their neighbors had made his displeasure with their speed bumps well known prior to their vacation, but weren’t sure if the neighbor was responsible for the theft. No suspects.

1:41 p.m. A Bainbridge woman reported having received harassing email from a participant of the internet forum IslandMoms. The woman said she had posted a response in a discussion expressing her support for the Republican nominee for vice president. Her post included her private email. She later received a response to her private email from a woman, who called her a racist and said “I would spit in your face if I ever got the chance to meet you.” The reporting woman was concerned that the emailer would attempt to confront her in public. The case was recorded. (wendy, book signing)

1:23 p.m. A citizen turned in a single gold earring with three rows of what appeared to be small diamonds. The earring was found near a new development on Winslow Way west of Madison Avenue. The citizen filled out a claim form. The earring was placed in evidence.

10: 46 p.m. A coat was found outside the police department. A set of keys on a red lanyard attached to a toy John Deer tractor was found inside one pocket. The coat was placed in evidence.