Blaine Police reports, July 15- July 22

July 15, 3:01 a.m.: A stranded traveler who was seeking shelter for the night contacted Police. The person had no resources or friends in the area and was seeking assistance. An officer provided her with transportation to a shelter in Bellingham.

July 15, 12:07 p.m.: An officer contacted the occupants of a small RV that had been parked at an entrance to Lincoln Park for an extended time. The two folks had been previously contacted in other locations and advised that camping was not allowed in city parks or on public properties and rights of way. This time they received a warning for the criminal trespass violation.

July 15, 1:50 p.m.: Two residents came to the police station to report suspicious circumstances, after determining that some of their U.S. Postal Service mail was either not being delivered or was being stolen from their rural roadside mail box. An officer documented their concerns and the problem as a first step in determining the cause.

July 15, 10 a.m.: A person who wished to remain anonymous contacted police after observing a person slap the hindquarters of a dog and yank on the canine’s collar. An officer checked on the dog, which appeared to be in good condition and without injury. The owner advised that she had been providing reasonable discipline to the animal for running away and not obeying an instruction to stop.

July 15, 3:58 p.m.: Child Protective Services (CPS) asked for assistance locating and checking the welfare of a 1-year-old child. The infant was believed to be with its mother, who might be under the influence of methamphetamine, and staying with a friend at an unknown location in Blaine. Officers checked the locations that were the best possible match for the description provided, but were not able to locate the parent or the child. CPS was advised.

July 15, 5:19 p.m.: Police were dispatched to an intrusion alarm in a gated Semiahmoo neighborhood. The arriving officer found an open garage door and another unsecured external door, but no one was present. The interior of the home was checked and nothing was found amiss. The alarm was reset and the house secured. There was no callout available and a false alarm report will be mailed to the owner.

July 15, 5:30 p.m.: A resident called Blaine Police to report that he had discovered his wallet containing credit and bank cards and $25-$30 in cash was missing. He believed it may have been taken by a person he did not know whom he had let into his home to visit. The senior citizen victim did not remember the visitor’s name or clothing description. He is in the process of closing his bank account and stopping his credit cards.

July 16, 2:30 a.m.: A tavern employee called police when an argument on the outside of their closed business escalated and a woman asked for help. Officers arrived, interviewed the parties involved and determined an argument between a couple had become physical. A 31-year-old man was arrested for domestic violence assault and booked into jail.

July 16, 7:15 a.m.: A retail business reported a theft of money from their premises. The value of the loss makes the crime a felony. Officers are investigating.

July 16, 11:30 a.m.: At the request of Sheriff’s deputies, Blaine officers checked the school campus for a juvenile runaway who was possibly in the area. The teenager was not located and the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) was notified.

July 16, 1:05 p.m.: A resident reported finding a cell phone near the shrubbery in her front yard. An officer picked up the phone and started a neighborhood canvas. The phone turned out to belong to a member of the family next door and was returned to the thankful young lady.

July 16, 2:23 p.m.: A passerby called police when he found a 2-year-old toddling along the H Street sidewalk near Lincoln Park, alone and wearing only a diaper. Officers arrived just after the teenaged babysitter, who was extremely sorry for not properly supervising the child, who wandered away while her siblings were being fed. The child’s parent was notified of the incident.

July 16, 3:07 p.m.: A U.S. postal carrier reported that a vehicle was parked blocking a cluster mailbox on a residential street, and its operator was refusing to move it to permit mail delivery. An officer responded and contacted the vehicle owner, who apologized for the error and promptly relocated her car to a legal spot. Vehicles cannot be parked within 20 feet of a roadside mailbox except momentarily while its occupant gets or deposits mail.

July 16, 3:11 p.m.: A concerned witness reported that a man and woman were standing on the back porch of their apartment yelling at one another. Officers arrived and found the female sitting at the front door and the male sitting on the back porch. They interviewed both halves and confirmed it had been a verbal disorderly disagreement. Neither party had been assaulted and no property was damaged. Both subjects agreed to separate for a while and let their emotions cool off.

July 16, 4:02 p.m.: Police were dispatched to report from a passerby of a possibly physical altercation occurring outside a business. On arrival they found a father and daughter who had been arguing over the amount owed on a cell phone bill. The officers talked to all parties involved and made sure things had calmed down before departing.

July 16, 4:14 p.m.: Police and fire units were dispatched to the middle school for a report of a general fire alarm there. The first arriving officer contacted employees on site who advised a vandal had apparently activated a pull station alarm. No suspects remained at the scene, and officers are checking security video.

July 16, 8:40 p.m.: A concerned resident called to report that two people were illegally crabbing on the public pier at the west end of Marine Drive. An officer contacted the couple and found that the male half held a valid shellfish license. They were advised that although the permit was good, the waters around Blaine were currently not open for crab harvest. The couple promised to check for legal open periods in the future and left the area.

July 17, 5 a.m.: A team of Blaine Police Department Auxiliary Communications Service personnel and patrol officers provided approximately 120 staff hours of traffic control and communications support to the annual Ragnar Relay Race through Blaine. Every 15 minutes from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. teams of 8 to 12 runners left the starting line in Peace Arch Park on a route down Peace Portal Drive then west on Bell Road toward Birch Bay and points south. There were no significant incidents reported and all had a good time.

July 17, 7:50 a.m.: Dispatch reported that a person at a business was experiencing dizziness and was in need of emergency medical care. An officer responded and assisted the victim until fire department personnel arrived. The person was evaluated and transported to hospital for treatment.

July 17, 8:14 a.m.: Police were dispatched to a business on a report that a patron had made a mess of their customer restroom. The arriving officer met the business manager, who explained that on closer inspection the mess turned out to be just a lot of tap water backsplash and not an incidence of urinary mischief.

July 17, 11:01 a.m.: A resident called police to report that her neighbor had called her the previous evening to advise that someone had been standing outside her living room window peering into her house. On receiving the call the reporting party went out into the dark to identify the lurker but no one was there, and she did not call police. Officers encouraged her to call right away if it happens again, and all officers were advised of the incident for their patrols.

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 17, 4:35 p.m.: A B.C. resident came to the police department asking for assistance after he discovered that a check he had received had been issued by the account’s holder after the checking account at the Blaine branch of a bank had been closed. An officer was assigned to investigate the unlawful issuance of bank check.

July 17, 9:52 p.m.: Blaine Police responded to an address in Semiahmoo after dispatch reported a 911 hang-up call there. Upon arrival the homeowner advised he had contacted the fire department to report a chemical odor in the area. Officers and arriving fire department personnel located the source of the smell. The reporting party’s neighbors had applied a sealant material to their deck earlier in the evening.

July 18, 12:51 a.m.: While on patrol officer came upon an unattended barrel full of scrap wood being burned in a lot a few yards from a building. Flames were leaping 2–3 feet above the barrel’s top, and the only water source in the area was a garden hose, which was not pressurized. The officer found a man sleeping in an RV nearby. He reported that he was in charge of the fire and knew there was a complete burn ban in effect, but thought he could get away with it as he had placed a screen over the barrel. His assumption was incorrect and he was issued a criminal citation for reckless burning.

July 18, 12:15 p.m.: An apartment complex resident called police after a man who had previously stayed in her home returned and entered after she had told him to leave. On this occasion the resident again instructed the man to depart and he did so, but she grew concerned that he might have a key to her apartment, and called police. She was not able to provide enough information for officers to locate the subject. She was advised to call if more information came to light or if he was seen in the area, and to consider having her door locks changed.

July 18, 8:22 p.m.: An argument between a teenager and his parents escalated when the young man grabbed a 4-foot piece of construction lumber and used it to threaten his father, and then shoved his dad during an ensuing struggle. Police were called to the home for the domestic violence incident. The 17-year-old was determined to be the primary aggressor; he was arrested and booked into juvenile detention for fourth degree domestic violence assault. An investigative report was completed and the family was provided information on safety and counseling resources.

July 18, 11:30 p.m.: Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office requested Blaine Police respond to Custer to assist on a report of a suspicious person and vehicle in a residential area late at night. Officers arrived, identified the people involved and determined no crime was in progress.

July 19, 12:05 a.m.: A concerned resident called police dispatch to report that a young child in the neighborhood had been crying for over an hour. An officer responded to conduct a welfare check and contacted the parents of the toddler. They explained the youngster was undergoing treatment for a severe medical condition. The child’s siblings and parents were offering solace and coping as well as possible.

July 19, 5:15 a.m.: Blaine Police and North Whatcom Fire and Rescue personnel responded to a smoldering grass fire outside a business on Boblett Street. No other buildings were endangered and the fire department quickly doused the 20 by 20-foot blaze. It appeared that a discarded cigarette had started the fire.

July 19, 9:04 a.m.: A resident on Bayview Avenue reported that two patio chairs that were in front of their home for a yard sale had been stolen. The chairs are valued at about $50. There are no suspects in the case.

July 19, 11:10 a.m.: Officers were on foot patrol checking an area downtown after a store reported concerns about a man acting suspiciously nearby when they found an open door at a business a few blocks away. They checked the interior and met the busy owner, who had left the door open while working on the weekend catching up on his orders. The owner gave the officers a tour of the site’s security features.

July 19, 1:01 p.m.: An anonymous caller reported a group of people walking into a wooded lot at 6th and E Street were talking aloud about intending to smoke marijuana and methamphetamine there. Officers checked the property: they did not find drugs in use but did contact people who had set up a squatter’s camp. They and the adjacent property owner from whom they were receiving electricity via an extension cord were advised the campsite was illegal and must be removed. The following day the site was rechecked and the camp had been removed.

July 19, 2:28 p.m.: Employees at a business on Peace Portal asked officers to advise a transient that he was no longer welcome in their business due to his disruptive behavior. The gentleman was contacted and told not to return to the premises. He agreed to this arrangement and the officer cleared without further incident.

July 19, 9:31 p.m.: A resident called police to report that three people were rollerblading 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 20, 11:20 p.m.: A resident on D Street stepped outside and spotted a person prowling through his vehicle, which was parked nearby. He phoned police to report the crime, gave police a description of the suspect and the direction he headed, and then gave chase himself. The suspect escaped, and during the chase made some statements to his pursuer that indicated the incident might have an illegal border crossing. Border Patrol agents were provided the information and assisted in the search. The car’s owner advised it appeared that nothing had been taken from his vehicle.

July 20, 9:42 a.m.: A passerby contacted a patrol officer to report seeing two people “running around” on the freeway. The officer responded and contacted the two individuals near the 276 milepost on southbound Interstate Five. They were looking for a set of keys that had been placed on the hood of their car before they departed the secondary inspection area at the Peace Arch border crossing. Their car has keyless ignition, so started and ran fine when they left Customs. When the digital key fob flew off the hood however, the engine died and their car rolled to a stop on the freeway shoulder. Their search was unsuccessful, and officers gave the travelers a ride. They decided to wait at a restaurant until another friend could drive up to meet them with a spare set of keys.

July 20, 9:20 a.m.: A Blaine resident called police for assistance after putting up with a month’s worth of cock-a-doodle-doo from the neighbor’s rooster in the wee morning hours. The officer contacted the offensive bird’s owner and advised her that city ordinance prohibits possessing roosters in the city limits. As not to fowl neighborly relationships and prevent acrimonious bantering, the owner agreed to send the bird to stay with relatives outside the city limits.

July 20, 10:16 a.m.: Employees at the business on Martin Street asked police to have a transient trespassed from their store because he was interfering with customers. The person was contacted and offered assistance, which he refused. He was advised not to return to the store and he agreed not to do so. Officers cleared without incident.

July 20, 10:37 a.m.: Police responded to a report of a medical emergency on Interstate Five, possibly involving an infant. Officers and aid personnel arrived together and discovered that the incident was actually a single-vehicle collision. The driver had apparently lost control of her vehicle and run off of the roadway. Neither she nor her two child passengers were injured. Blaine officers stayed on scene until Washington State Patrol could respond.

July 20, 2:04 p.m.: A person contacted the police to report that the post office had lost her mail and she had not been able to receive contact from the postmaster. No criminal activity occurred, and an officer notified the post office of the complaint as a courtesy to both parties.

July 20, 3:56 p.m.: Police were dispatched to a two-car non-injury collision on SR 543 at Boblett Street. Both drivers moved their vehicles several hundred feet to a business prior to officer arrival. The investigating officer found that a motorist had been following too closely behind a semi truck and trailer, and was surprised when the truck braked and stopped when the traffic light southbound at the intersection changed to red. The crash was not serious enough to warrant a state collision report but was documented and the drivers exchanged information.

July 20, 6:19 p.m.: Officers responded to the area when Border Patrol agents contacted a pedestrian who had possibly crossed the border without inspection. The gentleman initially refused to identify himself to the agents, and officers remained in the area in case their assistance was needed.

July 20, 8:44 p.m.: Sheriff’s deputies as state troopers were unable to respond, so at their request a Blaine police officer assisted a park ranger at Birch Bay State Park with a drug investigation. There was a negligible amount of drug remaining in the pipe, and the ranger resolved the matter by impounding the pipe and citing the man for possession of drug paraphernalia.

July 21, 9:15 a.m.: A truck driver came in to report that while his truck was parked on a private business lot on Boblett Street it was struck and damaged by another truck which then left the scene. An officer completed a hit and run report and investigated the incident.

July 21, 2:39 p.m.: A business wished to have a person removed from their property, as they felt he was bothering customers. Officers responded and found that the person had already left. They checked the area but were unable to locate the suspect.

July 21, 4:43 p.m.: Officers responded to a complaint of a male and female yelling at each other at a Blaine residence. Officers arrived and investigated the commotion and determined that the parents were yelling at their children over the unintentional damage done to a kitchen countertop. Officers spoke with the involved parties and determined that no crime had occurred.

July 21, 9 p.m.: A volunteer at a church discovered the congregation’s riding lawn mower had been stolen sometime between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday evening. Officers responded to the church and located the mower a short distance away. It appeared to be undamaged and was returned to the church, which will ensure it’s secured from joy riders.

July 22, 3:45 a.m.: An officer on patrol spotted a vehicle parked on Marine Drive near the city’s water reclamation facility, and upon closer inspection located a half-clothed couple enjoying one another’s company. The officer admonished them for their misdemeanor crime and for disrupting the scenic starlit beauty of the surrounding park and Boundary Bay. They apologized and agreed to finish their encounter at home.