Police Blotter
Bainbridge Police reported the following incidents:
JANUARY 9
3:57 a.m. An officer waited at the parking lot of an apartment complex to contact a driver who routinely parks at the complex to catch the ferry but is not a tenant. The officer had previously run a records check and found the driver’s license suspended. The man arrived and was contacted by the officer. He was cited and given a ride to the ferry.
3:27 p.m. A High School Road resident reported that someone had rummaged through her Nissan and left its door ajar. Nothing appeared missing. No suspects.
JANUARY 10
11:55 a.m. Police contacted the State Patrol bomb squad after an unattended briefcase was found near a playground at Commodore Center. The briefcase’s owner arrived on scene before the bomb squad and explained that he had accidentally left the case there that morning after playing soccer with children. The bomb squad call was canceled.
1:59 p.m. A backpack found in a Winslow Way parking lot was turned in at the station. Four syringes were found in the backpack, along with a bicycle light and 24 pennies. It was placed in storage.
4:44 p.m. A Bainbridge driver said he had been distracted adjusting his stereo when his Toyota 4-Runner veered off of Phelps Road. The vehicle flipped over on the shoulder of the road and came to rest on its side.
5:40 p.m. A Bainbridge man said he was distracted putting down a cup of tea when his Jeep Cherokee plowed into the back of a Mazda stopped on High School Road at SR-305. The Jeep was towed. No citation was issued.
JANUARY 11
12:21 p.m. A woman reported that someone had entered a home she was caretaking on Rockaway Beach Road, apparently via a crawl space. The woman said she received a call the day before after the home’s alarm system was activated. A neighbor had checked the home and found nothing amiss so a call to law enforcement was canceled. The next day the caretaker found a trap door that leads to a crawl space left open in a closet bedroom. A sewing cabinet on top of the door had been pushed forward. Nothing else was found amiss in the residence. The case was recorded.
4:30 p.m. A black, 1993 Nissan Pathfinder was reported stolen from Wood Avenue. The vehicle had been locked and no one but the owner had a key. The owner said he had last driven the Nissan Jan. 8 and wasn’t sure when it had gone missing. The Nissan was reported stolen. The owner said it had a scratch on the driver’s door, a Porsche CLub of America sticker on the back window and a ripped spare tire cover. The vehicle was valued at $4,700.
7:48 p.m. A botched attempt to steal a parked Volkswagen Passat resulted in severe damage to the vehicle. The car had been parked on Madrone Lane near City Hall over the weekend. A passenger side window had been smashed allowing the suspect to unlock a door. the steering column and dashboard were broken apart and pieces were scattered inside the car. Wiring had been pulled from the steering column in an apparent attempt to hot wire the vehicle. The ignition was also severely damaged. A paisley bandana and an LED flashlight were found on a floorboard. A scrap of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer dated Jan. 10 was also found, marked with the symbols ( ‘87 380Z and a phone number. The owner of the vehicle said none of those objects belonged to her. No finger prints were found inside. The owner did not have insurance. Damage was estimated at $1,000.
JANUARY 12
11:30 a.m. Police contacted a Bainbridge woman at the Clearwater Casino who said her ex-boyfriend, a recenlty released inmate, had violated a no-contact order by following her to work that day. The woman said the ex-boyfried had left the casino after being confronted by security. Police searched the area and found the man driving northbound on SR-305. The man admitted to violating the no-contact order and was arrested. Items found in his vehicle suggested that he had burglarized the woman’s residence. Police searched the woman’s Bainbridge home and found signs of forced entry. In subsequent interviews the man admitted to breaking into the home and taking personal items. The man told police that he would have continued to try to contact the woman if he hadn’t have been arrested and said he couldn’t stop thinking about her. The man was booked into Kitsap County Jail on charges of violating a no-contact order, burglary and stalking. Bail was set at $525,000.00.
1:02 p.m. A resident reported seeing a vehicle weaving on SR-305 near High School Road. An officer located the suspect vehicle parked at McDonald’s. A man was sitting in the driver’s seat with a seat belt fastened, his head slumped over and the car’s stereo playing loudly and a key in the ignition. Upon further inspection it appeared that the man had urinated on himself. The officer knocked on the window to get the man’s attention and motioned for him to roll down the window. Instead the man looked around for several seconds and then started the vehicle. The officer instructed him to turn off the vehicle and step out. The man smelled strongly of alcohol and appeared intoxicated. He agreed to field sobriety tests and failed three in succession. The man was arrested for physical control of a vehicle while intoxicated. A search of the vehicle turned up a half-empty can of High Gravity malt liquor. The man mumbled incoherently during his transport to Kitsap County Jail. The alcohol can was placed in evidence.
2:47 p.m. A real estate agent reported that the garage of a vacant house for sale had been damaged, apparently by a vehicle. The case appeared similar to several others reported Jan. 8. An officer noted marks in the gravel where a vehicle had apparently burned out. The bottom two panels of the garage door were broken. Damage was valued at $2,000.
JANUARY 13
12:16 p.m. Locks were found cut off of a trailer and storage shed at a Sportsman Club Road property. The trailer and shed contained paint, tarps Christmas decorations and a nativity scene. Nothing appeared missing.
JANUARY 14
10:55 p.m. An officer stopped a vehicle for speeding on Miller Road. Its driver, an Iowa man, said he had just left Poulsbo and was somewhat lost. He provided a driver’s license which was found to be suspended. The man said he wasn’t aware of the suspension but admitted to having received 10 tickets since he began driving. The officer noted that the man had only had a license for two years. The driver was issued a criminal citation. A female passenger had a valid Washington license and was allowed to drive the car away.
JANUARY 15
9:46 a.m. A suspect sawed through a latticed frame to gain access to a Finch Road property. The building on the property is used as a gathering place for youth. The building’s administrator said nothing was missing from inside but believed the suspect may have broken in to spend the night. No suspects.
