Best of the Blaine Police Reports, Part 2

November: Mercedes and Tesla, two kittens abandoned near the border on a cold night, were rescued and rehabilitated at Whatcom Humane Society. Photo by Steve Guntli

June 15, 5:50 p.m.: A bicyclist blatantly ran a stop sign in view of a passing patrol car, but when the officer tried to contact him the rider took off pedaling for all he was worth. When he realized his efforts were not worth what he had hoped, the man ditched his bike and tried running instead. This did not work any better for him, as the officer was in better shape and motivated by serious curiosity.

The foot race was intense but short, and the man came in second. He was allowed to recuperate in an air-conditioned patrol car while computer checks disclosed he was wanted on a felony warrant for escape following a felony assault conviction and had misdemeanor warrants outstanding as well. He was booked into jail to exercise his rights to due process.

July 13, 3:44 p.m.: Police responded to a report of a possible domestic violence crime at a residence. Officers arrived and separated the husband and wife, who each said they were only having a verbal argument. The husband only had his underwear on, and went inside to get dressed. He then sneaked out through the back door and ran away. The reason why became clear when the officers found there were protection and no-contact court orders in place between the husband, wife and son. A search of the neighborhood for the man was unsuccessful, and a report was filed with the prosecutor recommending order violation charges against him.

July 17, 11:19 a.m.: A resident out for a bike ride encountered a box turtle nonchalantly strolling across the busy 700 block of D Street. The cyclist carried the turtle out of harm’s way and kept it safe until police arrived to take custody of the runaway. Word of the recovery spread quickly on social media and a short time later the animal’s owner recovered Ella, the adventuresome turtle.

July 19, 9:31 p.m.: A resident called police to report that three people were roller blading down his street at 3:45 a.m., all in single file as if they were training for an Olympic-style event. The team was pretty good, as they had silently disappeared into the night by the time an officer arrived shortly afterward.

July 29, 7:57 a.m.: Police were dispatched to a report of two people in a parked car smoking marijuana. Public consumption of cannabis is unlawful and officers located the vehicle but before they could watch it the occupants alighted to meet them. The visitors explained they come to town to geocache nearby when a passerby accosted them saying the police and federal authorities had been called because they were smoking marijuana. The couple was taken aback by the allegation, as the weed they were smoking was tobacco and not hemp, and they decided to stand by and meet the incoming swarm of officials. The officers thanked them for their patience, and then contacted the reporting party and provided information on the fascinating and relaxing hobby of geocaching.

August 2, 8:18 a.m.: An officer on patrol was stopped at the intersection of Bell Road and Peace Portal when he saw a vehicle come southbound on Bell Road and try to turn into the gas station from Bell, only to discover no driveway entrance was there. The car then continued wrong way south on Bell to Portal, then wrong way south to Portal until it was able to enter the parking lot.

When the officer contacted the driver to discuss the creative though illegal lane use, the gentleman admitted he had no driver’s license in his possession and his privilege to drive was probably suspended in California. This was confirmed, and the 49-year-old was arrested, cited and released with a mandatory court date for the criminal license violation and an infraction for the improper lane use. His passenger was a licensed driver and took the helm of the vehicle.

August 6, 1:45 a.m.: A concerned resident called to ask police for assistance checking the welfare of a neighbor after hearing an alarm sounding at the person’s home. The arriving officer found that the reporting party could hear the piercing screech of the smoke detector so well because its owner had placed it outside. The officer silenced the detector and made sure the residence was alright.

August 7, 7:14 p.m.: Police were dispatched to a report that multiple people including children and a dog were trespassing on a boat anchored in Drayton Harbor. With assistance from the Customs and Border Protection Marine Unit, officers contacted the purported pirates. They explained that their own boat had broken down and they had rafted up to the anchored boat to keep from drifting while their engine cooled. There was no apparent criminal intent to the trespass and the group accepted a warning to respect the property rights of other boaters.

September 10, 10:30 p.m.: Police responded to help a very intoxicated woman who was pounding on the front door of her home and demanding to be let in. The frustrated, disheveled lady slumped over on the front steps as officers arrived, complaining that the people inside would not let her in and were preventing her from getting to her apartment on the second floor.

This explanation helped not a whit, as the porch and locked door she was assaulting were attached to the side of a darkened single-family, single-story house. Fortunately the lady had a cell phone and the officers reviewed it to find and call her roommate. He walked over from their house and guided his friend safely home.

September 21, 5:55 p.m.: Passersby called 911 when they heard a woman’s loud screams of pain and alarm and sounds of a fight coming from an apartment on H Street. The arriving officers also heard the cries inside and they received no response except more yelling when they announced themselves at the doors. Upon entry, the officers discovered a man and woman in the bathroom locked in a no-holds-barred battle with their cat. The sodden creature did not want to be bathed and was clawing its way through its captors to freedom. The officers made sure no bandages or veterinarians were needed then went back outside to reassure the worried neighbors.

September 23, 6:35 p.m.: Emergency personnel from Blaine Police, U.S. Border Patrol, Washington State Parks, RCMP and Surrey, B.C. fire department converged on the border to rescue a big strapping Canadian youth who had become trapped in machinery at Peace Arch Park. It took them about half an hour to cut down and pull apart the apparatus to extricate the lad. His only lasting injury is the certain knowledge that his family will never forget the time he got himself stuck inside a toddler-sized playground swing set.

September 28, 8:05 a.m.: A resident flagged down an officer to report that her dog had escaped and was running loose. A short time later another person reported seeing the pit bull in front of city hall. An officer arrived and found the dog calmly sitting in front of the building, staring inside, patiently waiting for someone to let him in. He came when called and happily jumped into the back of the police car and was reunited with his owner.

October 14, 1:57 p.m.: A business reported a suspicious incident. A man came to the business and said he was a federal agent and asked to enter the business. The employees did not believe the man and did not allow him to enter the business. The man then asked to have a free coffee because he was a federal agent. The employee informed the man that real police and federal agents are not allowed to accept free items. The man paid and left on foot. The employees were told to call police the next time the man arrived.

October 29, 1:30 p.m.: Police responded to a motel on a report that a guest was refusing to pay his bill. When they arrived the manager explained the problem tenant was refusing to vacate his lodging. The officers went to the patron’s room to get his side of the story, but had to shout through the closed door to converse with him. The man claimed he was unable to depart because the door lock was broken and he had in fact been trying to get out of his room since the previous day.

The tenant of a unit nearby noted that she had heard the guy the night before, yelling about being trapped in his room. Ultimately the manager pried off the lockset and got the door open. After taking in some fresh air and having a face-to-face conversation the gentleman gathered his belongings and departed.

November 19, 5:25 p.m.: On a night when temperatures dipped below freezing, U.S. Border Patrol field agents were alerted when a car with two occupants stopped briefly in a secluded area near the international border, removed something from the auto and then drove away. Blaine Police responded with the agents and together they determined that the car’s occupants had dumped three kittens out into the underbrush. The agents and officers set up a perimeter and the agents were able to capture one of the critters, but its sibling climbed about 30 feet up a huge tree.

A North Whatcom Fire and Rescue crew responded and went out on a limb to assist in a rescue. The third kitten evaded the team and nearby homeowners were alerted to watch for it. The two rescued kittens were given food and a warm box in the police station write-up room, and turned over to the Whatcom Humane Society the following day. Meanwhile the officers identified and contacted the two adults who had tossed out the litter. A charging case report on each of them for three counts of animal abandonment has been forwarded to the prosecutor.

November 24, 6:07 p.m.: A motel owner observed smoke coming from one of his occupied rooms, and discovered the resident inside had started her curtains on fire after smashing the glass out of all the pictures on the walls. U.S. Border Patrol agents responded to assist the police officer who arrived to the owner’s call for help. The occupant was arrested and booked into jail for malicious mischief, reckless burning and resisting a public officer.