The Island Blotter

San Juan County Sheriff's Log — Powered by dad humor

Source: Islands Sounder

Week of Jul 4

A Friday Harbor man refused a breath sample despite being under court-ordered conditions to comply—a decision that will likely be reviewed by a judge.

Jul 4, 2022 Friday Harbor Animal

A San Juan resident discovered that court-ordered sobriety conditions and open containers don't mix, and neither does their breath sample with a citation.

Jul 4, 2022 Other

A Friday Harbor situation went from "domestic incident" to "just voices being raised" faster than you can say "we're fine, really."

Jul 4, 2022 Friday Harbor Animal
Week of Jun 27

A Lopez bar hosted an unexpected romantic comedy when a woman decided that persistent flirting warranted a more direct response—both parties had vacated before deputies arrived, but witness statements confirmed her point was well taken.

Jul 3, 2022 Disturbance

An Eastsound business had an uninvited guest who learned that "trespassing" is not just a polite suggestion from deputies.

Jul 3, 2022 Eastsound Trespass

A deputy responded to a hit and run near the Orcas ferry landing, where someone apparently decided that the ferry wasn't the only thing making a quick getaway that day.

Jul 3, 2022 Friday Harbor Trespass

A Friday Harbor resident became the unwitting star of a fake contest flyer that featured their phone number, resulting in many confused calls; the flyers were eventually tracked down and removed, and the investigation continues.

Jul 3, 2022 Disturbance

An Orcas driver decided that a 25 mph zone was more of a suggestion than a speed limit, hitting 40 mph instead; they also had the added distinction of doing so with a suspended license, making this a real two-for-one special.

Jul 3, 2022 Traffic
Week of Jan 31

A Lopez driver found out that doing 37 in a 25 on Fisherman Bay Road is a quick way to get a speeding ticket and a slower commute home.

Feb 1, 2022 Fisherman Bay Road Traffic

A Lopez investigation is underway after a parent reported that local adults may have been supplying their juvenile with marijuana and tobacco—because nothing says "community spirit" like corrupting minors.

Feb 1, 2022 Drugs

An Orcas medical center visitor required some additional perspective, which Peace Medical Center graciously offered via evaluation and transport.

Feb 1, 2022 Trespass

An Orcas resident passed away at home in what appeared to be natural causes—a somber reminder that not all calls end with citations.

Jan 31, 2022 Medical

A Lopez resident apparently thought "court-ordered sobriety" was a helpful suggestion rather than a legal requirement—breath test results disagreed, and the prosecutor now has some light reading.

Jan 31, 2022 Animal

A small child was spotted taking a solo jog down the road on Lopez, but the situation was quickly resolved when the child's mother was located and the pint-sized marathoner was returned home.

Jan 31, 2022 Other
Week of Jan 2

A Friday Harbor business became an unwilling knife storage facility when a transient asked them to hold his blade, so a deputy graciously offered to provide permanent custody.

Jan 8, 2017 Friday Harbor Other

A driver on Olga Road learned that one moving violation is a mistake, but multiple infractions is a collection hobby.

Jan 8, 2017 Olga Other

Local property owner successfully retrieved their belongings after the Sheriff's Office played real-estate detective and arranged the hand-off.

Jan 8, 2017 Other

A Friday Harbor deputy received a report of found property, and the owner subsequently made contact—case closed, property found, everyone goes home happy.

Jan 8, 2017 Friday Harbor Other

A Lopez deputy responded to a young man taking a leisurely stroll across frozen Hummel Lake, who learned the hard way that ice is not, in fact, a valid parking surface. After a brief chat about thermodynamics and gravity, the juvenile agreed to keep his feet on solid ground going forward.

Jan 7, 2017 Animal

A suspicious vehicle on a Port Stanley Road property turned out to be completely legitimate, making this the island's least exciting mystery since someone called about a "prowler" that was a mailbox.

Jan 7, 2017 Lopez Island Traffic

An Orcas driver's reckless driving experiment ended when they collided with a large rock—a contest the driver lost decisively, with injuries sustained in the process.

Jan 7, 2017 Olga Traffic

A Lopez landlord-tenant dispute was resolved amicably, proving that sometimes the best way to break the ice is to actually talk to each other instead of through a wall.

Jan 6, 2017 Disturbance

A male subject was taken into custody at the Friday Harbor Sheriff's Office following a disturbance and charged with two counts of assault and one count of harassment.

Jan 6, 2017 Disturbance

An Orcas resident got hit with a fraudulent check from an out-of-state suspect, proving that bad checks really do travel.

Jan 6, 2017 Fraud

An Orcas Island resident contacted deputies about a potential dispute and received a friendly reminder that options exist for future concerns.

Jan 6, 2017 Orcas Island Disturbance

An Orcas driver was apparently auditioning for a faster speed class and achieved a 55 mph in a 40 mph zone; the deputy was unimpressed and issued a citation.

Jan 6, 2017 Orcas Road Traffic

Friday Harbor experienced a theft, though the suspect apparently believed in the "no witnesses, no crime" philosophy; investigators are open to other theories.

Jan 6, 2017 Friday Harbor Theft

A Lopez juvenile driver learned an important lesson about school bus stop paddles: when they're up, you stay down—at least stopped—after being cited for passing an active school bus.

Jan 5, 2017 Other