April 1
Tires Slashed. Officer Trevor Ziemba called a citizen regarding malicious mischief that happened to his vehicle. The citizen told Ziemba that he had parked his vehicle on March 31 at about 1 p.m. in the lot at Blakely Harbor Park. He said that when he returned to his vehicle at about 6 p.m. he found that all four of his tires had been deflated. He said he could see that each tire had a 2-inch cut in the sidewall.
He had the vehicle towed. He said that at about 6 he had heard what sounded like young males yelling and saw them driving away in a white sports car, possibly a BMW. He though one of the males had curly hair.
He estimated damage at about $500.
March 31
IRS Fraud. A man came to the station to report that he was the victim of identity theft. He said he had received a letter in the mail indicating his $4000 tax return was being processed. He said he had not yet filed.
He told officers he was a volunteer at the Seattle Archdiocese, which required that he provide his Social Security number.
Found Phone. A man came to the station to turn in a cell phone he had found on the street outside the Bainbridge Business Park on Day Road.
IRS Fraud 2. A woman tried to submit her tax return but it was rejected by the IRS. The message from the IRS suggested that her spouse had filed a separate return for the same year. They had been contacted several weeks earlier by the Century Link Fraud Department, saying someone had tried to access their account to change their mailing address.
March 30
Illegal Tree Cutting. A couple purchased a plot of land on Skogen Lane. They subsequently discovered that someone had been cutting down trees on their property. They had given no authorization to anyone to do that. They spoke with their neighbors who had heard saws and assumed the couple had been logging. The couple asked them to call police if they heard it again.
Frequent Safeway Shoplifter. At about 11:29 in the morning, Officer Ben Sias was dispatched to Safeway regarding a female shoplifter in custody. He responded to the scene and met with the store manager. The manager told Sias that the female had been observed taking two grocery bags past the threshold without making an attempt to pay.
The female acknowledged that she understood her rights and agreed to speak with Sias. She said she is “a little bipolar.” She said she had gone to Starbucks and become distracted. Sias asked her if this was the first time it had happened, and she said, “I have gaps, I get distracted.”
She was sweating profusely. She said she felt like she was going to pass out. She refused aid.
She had $131.85 worth of groceries. The manager said she comes to the store several times a day.
The manager completed a trespass admonishment. She was allowed to leave. Sias told her that the prosecutor could choose to charge her criminally and if so would contact her by mail. Sias didn’t cite her as the amount stolen on all occasions could exceed misdemeanor amounts.
March 29
Parking Lot MVA. At 11:30 in the morning, a vehicle backing out of a parking space on High School by the Safeway failed to see a second vehicle as it proceeded through the lot. The vehicle backed into the front of the other. The damage threshold was met on the second vehicle. There were no injuries.
Suicide Check. At about 11:41, Officer Gary Koon was dispatched for attempted suicide. The reporting party said her mother had Alzheimer’s, had been drinking, and had said she “would rather die than deal with any of this.” She had balled up her fists and told her daughter to leave or she would hit her.
Koon arrived at about 11:50. The woman told him that her daughter was trying to get control of her money by declaring her incompetent. Koon asked if she was feeling like hurting herself, and she said no. She also said she had not threatened to harm her daughter.
She appeared to have been drinking. She did not appear disabled or to be a danger to herself. She said she was not thinking about hurting herself or anyone else.
A man in the next house up the hill waved down Koon as he was leaving. He said that the only time his neighbor gets upset is when her daughter comes to visit. He said he knew her doctor was adjusting her medication.
Koon contacted the daughter and told her that the mother was fine and not suicidal. He told her she had denied having suicidal thoughts.
March 28
Five Officers Serve a Protection Order. At 4:47 in the afternoon, Officers Erik Peffer, Walt Berg, Victor Cienega, Guy LaRoche, and Gary Koon served a protection order on a man known to have mental disabilities. He was believed to have numerous firearms in his home and to carry knives on his person.
Cienega and Peffer made contact with the man at the rear guest house. Initially he refused to come to the door, saying he was afraid of being shot. But then he stepped outside. He was combative from the start, cursing and not cooperating or answering questions. He said he had no weapons on him but there were two knives visible on his right hip. The officers asked if they could secure the knives for their own safety. Cienega reached for one of the knives, and the man tried to run back inside.
Cienega and Peffer detained him before he could re-enter.
The protection order required the officers to secure his firearms. Cienega called the man’s wife who came to the house and showed officers where the firearms were kept. They took five firearms: a pistol, a pellet rifle, and three rifles.
He smelled of alcohol and was yelling. The officers explained to him that he was not allowed to be on the property and if he returned he would be arrested for violation of a protection order. He was not allowed to leave in his vehicle as he was intoxicated. His wife gave him $200 for a hotel room and officers transported him to the hotel.
The protection order required the officers to secure his firearms. Cienega called the man’s wife who came to the house and showed officers where the firearms were kept. They took five firearms: a pistol, a pellet rifle, and three rifles.
Fight About a Dog. At about 9:49 in the evening, Cencom dispatched Bainbridge units to a verbal dispute between a husband and wife. They were both intoxicated and the wife had been throwing things. The husband had barricaded himself in his office.
Upon arrival, Officer Carla Sias contacted the wife who was sitting outside smoking and drinking wine. Officer Dale Johnson contacted the husband inside.
The woman was crying and having a hard time explaining what had happened. She said they had been together for over four years and they have two dogs. Her husband had had one of them before they started dating. They had argued bout how that dog bites people. They had been sued when the dog bit a furniture delivery man in January. The dog was now confined to the upstairs. She said she became frustrated during the argument and threw a glass, but she said her husband wasn’t in the room at the time and she hadn’t been trying to throw it at him. When he went upstairs, she had thrown two more glasses in the same area.
Sias conferred with Johnson. He told her that the husband did not believe his wife had been trying to hit him. He said he had called 911, not because he was afraid of her but because he was afraid she would hurt herself and then blame it on him.
He said that two weeks earlier they had had a friend over. He and his wife had started arguing over politics. At some time during the argument, his wife had begun throwing things. He said he decided to go to bed, and when he went to kiss her goodnight she backhanded him and hit him in the chest wit a closed fist. He said the next day she acted like nothing had happened.
He said that she had mentioned to him that one time she broke an ex-boyfriend’s windshield because she was mad at him for cheating on her. She also mentioned that she had kicked over the dresser of another boyfriend.
He said that when she drinks she has started becoming angry and seeking to argue.
Both were given DV pamphlets. The husband was advised about getting a no contact order.
The officers determined that the wife should spend the night away from the home. She agreed and they took her and her dog to a hotel.
A Whole Lot of Yelling. At about 3:45 a.m., Cencom dispatched Bainbridge units to a verbal dispute between a male and a female. The female caller wasn’t sure of the address but had barricaded herself in the bedroom. She was afraid the male would beat her up if she tried to leave. She said he had threatened to kill her and had been drinking.
Officers Dale Johnson and Carla Sias responded to the scene and met with the homeowner in the driveway. She said her houseguest had been staying with her for about two weeks and was planning on leaving at 11 the next morning. She said she thinks the woman might have some mental issues. She said her son had been watching TV. She could hear the woman and her son yelling at each other but never heard her son make any threats. The woman requested that the officers have the woman leave the residence.
The officers went upstairs to speak with the woman. She said she was sick and needed to sleep and that’s why she had asked the son to turn dowen the volume of the TV. He refused and began yelling at her. He then threatened to slap her so she went to the bedroom. He was trying to get in so she blocked the door by standing in front of it. They continued to yell and swear at each other so she called 911.
Johnson spoke with the son who was intoxicated. He said he had been watching a video on his computer. He said the woman had started to yell at him to turn down the volume. He became upset and started yelling back at her. He said she continued climbing the stairs to the attic room, and he told her to get out of his space or he would slap her. He said she kept on yelling but left. He then went to his mother’s room and started complaining. He could still hear the woman yelling and he told his mother he wasn’t going to put up with it anymore.
He then went to her room and tried to open the door. He said she had blocked the door so he left. He said they kept yelling at each other. He said he had never touched her and that his intent was just to keep yelling at her to stop yelling.
Another resident confirmed that the woman had started yelling about the volume first. He thought she was yelling at him but then realized she was yelling at the son.
The officers asked the woman to leave the residence. She raised her voice and asked why since she was the victim and had been threatened. She started packing but continued ranting about the unfairness of her having to leave. At one point she said something like, “I can’t believe she’s picking her kids over me.”
Sias helped her load her belonging into her car and watched her drive away.
A man called to report that someone in Florida had fraudulently charged $9500 to his Bank of America checking account. He said the charges had been made at a WalMart and Sam’s Club. The bank had reversed most of the charges and the bank’s insurance would cover the rest. He also reported that when his accountant had tried to file his tax return it was rejected by the IRS because someone had already filed a return in his name.
At about 2:22 in the afternoon, Bainbridge Island police were dispatched to the Pavilion Theater. Officer Dale Johnson arrived on scene and contacted the reporting party who told him that when he arrived there to do his janitorial duties at 2 a.m. he found the west hallway entry door halfway open. He said the door should have been locked when staff left at midnight. He showed Johnson that the swing arm bracket was bent. He said he hadn’t noticed it bent the night before.
March 27
Time to Get the Car Serviced. At 3:38 in the afternoon, a vehicle was on Ridge Lane at the Bucklin Hill/Lynwood Road intersection. The driver turned left onto Bucklin and lost control of the vehicle, going into a broadside skid and crossing the center lane into the westbound lane of travel. He then corrected, going into a broadside skid in the opposite direction. The vehicle skidded onto the grass shoulder, where the front left tire hit a depression, rotating the vehicle and rolling it onto the driver’s side.
When officers arrived on scene the driver and passenger had exited the vehicle. The vehicle and the passenger did not know what had happened other than that the driver had lost control of the vehicle. The witness didn’t think the vehicle had been going too fast.
Officer Steve Cain saw a considerable amount of speed scuff marks in the roadway and acceleration marks from the stop sign on Ridge. He concluded that the driver had accelerated rapidly after the top sign and lost control.
The driver and his mother, who had arrived on scene, told Cain that the gas pedal is sticky and sometimes requires a hard push to get it to move. Cain said if that was the case then the vehicle was unsafe to drive .
Neither person was injured. The vehicle had to be towed.
The driver was cited for operating an unsafe vehicle and for violation of driver’s license restrictions.
Bike Theft. Officer Walt Berg spoke with a Cambridge Crest Way resident about the theft of his son’s bicycle. He said his son rides his bike to the bus stop in the mornings. On March 24, his son did not have his bike lock and hid his bike in the bushes before catching the bus.
At noon on the 27th he went to retrieve his bike and it was gone. He said it was a Trek 21-speed with a camouflage design. The owner could not provide a serial number. Berg suggested he check in with the Police Department periodically to see if a bike like that gets turned in.
$4,000 Transmission. A man came to the station to report that he was the victim of theft by deception by a local business. He said he had taken his vehicle to a local auto shop in 2013 because of a funny noise it was making. The mechanic told him there was a problem with the trasmission and it would have to be rebuilt. He charged him $4270.65 including parts and labor for the repairs. The man didn’t believe the mechanic had done the repairs himself because he had told him he was sending it out for an overhaul. When the man contacted that transmission company they said they had not done any business with that mechanic in some time and could find no record of having worked on that vehicle.
The man provided a copy of a letter he had sent to the mechanic, a copy of the invoice, and a copy of the warranty that the transmission company provides to its customers but that the mechanic had not been able to provide him.
March 26
In 30 Minutes or It’s Free. A vehicle was heading east on Winslow approaching 305 at 5:24 in the evening when another vehicle attempted to enter Winslow from the pizza restaurant parking lot. That driver failed top pay attention because he was in a hurry to deliver a pizza. He hit the other vehicle. Both vehicles showed damage. There were no injuries. The pizza deliverer admitted fault and apologized. He was cited for inattention.
Hat Trick. At 3:53 in the afternoon, a driver was just beginning to drive north at the intersection of 305 and Madison. As he started to drive forward, the vehicle behind him rear-ended him.
The second driver’s aribags deployed and she sustained damage to the front end of her vehicle. She was cited for inattention to driving, having no insurance, and having expired tabs.
Trespassers. A woman called 911 to report that there were two suspicious subjects on her property on Green Spot Lane. She said she had been looking outside at about 6:17 in the evening, when she saw a male and a female exiting her carport. She went outside and observed the subjects who were now in her neighbor’s yard. She yelled to them, asking if she could help them. They ran into some brush. She said they both had long hair and were wearing dark clothing and backpacks.
Officer Dale Johnson searched but was unable to locate them.
Tax Fraud 3. Officer Victor Cienega met a man at the station at his request. The man wanted to report identity theft. He explained that he and his wife had recently received a notice from the IRS stating they had not paid their 2012 taxes. He contacted the IRS and told them they had. The IRS rep told him that they had received a refund for 2012 and for 2013. The man said he hadn’t yet filed his taxes for 2013. He found out someone had obtained a refund for both years using his personal information. The man told Cienega that in 2008 his identity had been compromised. He had filed a police report at the time.
March 25
Tax Fraud 4. Officer Victor Cienega met with a woman at the station at her request. She wanted to report tax fraud. She had recently taken her 2013 tax items to her accountant who completed her return and filed it. Within an hour of the electronic filing, the IRS called to report that the taxes had already been filed. The IRS rep told her that a hold had been put on the refund because of the Seattle Archdiocese security breach. The woman said she was a volunteer for the Church.
March 24
Found Bicycle. Parking Officer Ken Lundgren retrieved a bicycle seen down an embankment on Ferncliff at Klickitat Place. He placed it into evidence.
March 22
Hit and Run and Nailed. While a woman was sitting in her parked car on High School in front of the Rite Aid at 5:49 in the evening, a vehicle struck hers and then drove off without the driver making contact. She provided a license plate. Officers contacted the driver who admitted to hitting the vehicle and leaving. The victim didn’t want to press charges. She just wanted the damage repaired. She refused to provide insurance information.