August 5, 5:45 p.m.: Blaine Police responded to a parking lot on a report that two vehicles there had been spray painted by vandals. The maintenance and security staff at the facility worked quickly and were able to remove the paint before it caused permanent damage. The officers took photos of the malicious mischief completed a case report.
August 5, 7:30 p.m.: Blaine Police responded to an all agency request for assistance when Ferndale police engaged an active pursuit of an eluding vehicle traveling at speeds of 120 mph and at times driving wrong way on I-5. Blaine officers assisted with a temporary closure of the freeway in the area and subsequent containment for a canine track of the suspect. The driver was ultimately located, apprehended and booked into jail by Ferndale Police.
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 6, 2:25 a.m.: U.S. Border Patrol agents advised Blaine Police when they located a vehicle parked unoccupied in the middle of a residential street near the border with only its running lights on. An officer contacted the driver of the vehicle: she had locked her keys in the car when she stopped to check on her grandparents’ pets. The young lady found another set of keys to fix the problem, and was encouraged to park at the curb to avoid blocking traffic.
August 6, 10:27 a.m.: A resident sent a request for service to Blaine City Hall regarding the volume of trucks parking on Ludwick Avenue, litter in the area and RVs occasionally stopped in the vicinity. The information was passed on to police for monitoring and follow-up. An officer called the reporting party’s phone and left a message asking for a return call to provide obtain additional information and discuss the relevant ordinances. Camping is not allowed on city streets and property and vehicles can be parked for limited periods but not stored on the street.
August 6, 4:38 p.m.: Police were dispatched when a property owner asked for assistance with a man now squatting at a rental property that had recently been cleared by eviction. An officer contacted the man who had been bunking with the evicted renter and trespassed him from the residence and property. The squatter countered that he had been staying while helping the owner remove junk cars that had been left by the evicted person.
August 6, 5:30 p.m.: U.S. Border Patrol observed a motorcyclist drive from the Peace Arch State Park parking lot through the park via the sidewalk down to I-5 and notified Blaine Police. When officers contacted the biker his only explanation for his odd decision was that he “wanted a better view of the bay.” Border Patrol spoke with the gentleman about the relevant border issues, the Blaine officer provided a verbal warning about traffic and park regulations and the better-informed visitor pushed his cycle back to the parking lot.
August 7, 3:20 a.m.: Blaine Police contacted two juveniles riding a skateboard and bicycle in the middle of the street. One of the juveniles was listed as a runaway and was returned to the custody of his father. The other juvenile was instructed to head home via the sidewalk.
August 7, 6:32 a.m.: A resident on C Street called police to report that sometime during the night, vandals had sprayed paint on the side of his pickup truck while it was parked in front of his home. The case under investigation.
August 7, 7:40 a.m.: A resident on D Street called police when he found that overnight someone spray painted graffiti on the exterior of his car while it was parked at the curb near his home. The case is under investigation.
August 7, 9:11 a.m.: An officer was dispatched when a homeowner discovered that overnight vandals had pulled up a sprinkler and its associated piping from the street-side corner of the lawn. Case under investigation.
August 7, 9:38 a.m.: An officer was dispatched to the 900 block of E Street for a malicious mischief complaint. Officer arrived to find that overnight vandals had spray painted the driver’s side of a pickup truck parked in front of the victim’s home. The case is under investigation.
August 7, 9:58 a.m.: Police investigating malicious mischief crimes in the neighborhood discovered that the passenger side of a car parked on 10th Street had been sprayed with paint. An officer contacted the car’s owner and advised them of the damage, which apparently had occurred overnight. The case in under investigation.
August 7, 10 a.m.: The maintenance team in a development advised police that overnight vandals had bent and broken two street name signs at the corner of Blue Grouse Way and Tanninger Loop. The case is under investigation.
August 7, 10 a.m.: Maintenance personnel advised police that during the night, someone had pulled up the grating cover to a storm drain along the edge of a private street and left the metal grate lying on a front lawn nearby. The grate was not damaged and the crew replaced it. The malicious mischief is also criminal reckless endangerment as it could have damaged a passing vehicle or injured a pedestrian or cyclist. The case is under investigation.
August 7, 10:15 a.m.: Officers patrolling a neighborhood found a resident’s yard strewn with belongings that appeared to have come from a car parked in their driveway. A check with the homeowner confirmed that a vehicle prowl and malicious mischief had occurred overnight. Someone had entered the resident’s unlocked car, removed various items including a child’s booster seat and left them strewn about the driveway and street. The suspects also broke a child’s plastic glider toy and pushed over a number of kids’ bikes in the front yard.
August 7, 1:02 p.m.: Blaine City Hall requested assistance blocking 3rd Street at Martin Street for a special event occurring on 3rd Street north of Martin. Officers placed a patrol car at the location and made periodic visits to the Splash Park. All had a good time.
August 7, 1:12 p.m.: A property owner called to report that his currently unoccupied duplex apartment building had been vandalized overnight by suspects who spray painted various symbols on the outside of the building. Case under investigation.
August 7, 4:44 p.m.: Police received a call from a concerned friend who wanted to report a Blaine resident’s garage door had been open for two days and the caller was not sure if the family was perhaps away from the area. The officer checked the residence, found things in order and secured the door.
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.
August 8, 2:22 a.m.: An officer on patrol observed and contacted a vehicle whose registered owner had an arrest warrant issued by Lynden’s Municipal Court. He determined the passenger in the car was the wanted person and arrested the man. The 36-year-old Birch Bay resident was booked into jail.
August 8, 10:40 a.m.: A resident called police to ask for assistance with neighbors who constantly disturb the peace with incidents such as allowing a young child to scream while cavorting in a lawn pool and playing loud music in the evenings. The information was shared with officers for their neighborhood patrols.
August 9, 3:40 a.m.: An employee of a Blaine business called police dispatch upon noticing an unfamiliar person walking around the parking lots in Blaine Harbor. Officers checked the area and were unable to locate the man. Harbor Security was notified and will call police if the man re-emerges.
August 9, 1:52 p.m.: A woman whose spouse needed emergency medical assistance flagged down an officer. An officer summoned aid and stayed with the man until fire department personnel arrived. Once aid was on scene the officer cleared.
August 9, 3:43 p.m.: An officer was dispatched to contact an individual at the police department for a lost property report. The Blaine resident stated she had visited a laundry and upon returning home discovered she had apparently left her purse behind in the business. She returned to find that her purse was gone. The incident had a happy ending as she found the purse shortly after making the report.
August 10, 8:36 a.m.: A resident on Mitchell Street called police for help when she accidentally backed over a cat that had been sleeping behind her car in the driveway. An officer responded to the scene and transported the injured feline to a nearby animal hospital. The owner of the cat has not been located.
August 10, 9:40 a.m.: A person called police asking them to check the welfare of a relative in Blaine who has drug and alcohol addiction problems and has been feeling suicidal. Officers located and interviewed the man. He asked for assistance contacting mental health services. An officer gave him a courtesy ride to a hospital in Bellingham.
August 11, 11:30 a.m.: An officer spotted a motor home parked in a commercial area on Ludwick Avenue and recognized it as one which had been given multiple prior notices about overtime parking and camping on city streets. He was re-contacted and issued one final warning regarding the violations. He moved his vehicle without delay.
August 11, 2:02 p.m.: A Blaine business called the police to report a previously trespassed transient had come back to the property. The individual was gone on officer arrival but was found and contacted several blocks away. The man was issued one final trespass order and he said he understood he would be booked into jail if he returned to any of the multiple businesses from which he had been trespassed.
August 11, 3:51 p.m.: An officer patrolling the harbor area observed a commercial truck parked on city property near Marine Park. He advised the driver that the city property was not a parking lot. The officer also advised the truck company’s business manager again that police had received complaints about the truck parking. A follow-up note on the contact was sent to Blaine Public Works about barricades and/or No Parking signs for the area.
August 11, 8:31 p.m.: Police were dispatched to a domestic assault in which a young man had attempted to strangle a female teenaged sibling. The arriving officers witnessed the suspect throwing punches at another man. The suspect refused their commands to stop the attack and then lunged at police and tried to punch one of the officers. He was subdued and handcuffed. Following the investigation he was booked in to juvenile detention on two felony assaults and one misdemeanor assault.