January 4, 9:35 p.m.: A concerned adult notified police when he received information that a group of underage drinkers were possibly partying in Semiahmoo Park. Officers quietly responded to the area and tiptoed up to several teens huddled together around a small campfire on the beach. A short surveillance revealed that the only intoxicants being shared were ghost stories, so the officers pounced on the opportunity to reward the participants with an adrenalin rush. After the sand settled the group was reminded that the park normally closed at nightfall.
February 11, 2:24 a.m.: Officers responded to a vehicle prowl complaint on A Street, and border patrol agents in the area spotted a suspect running from the scene. The suspect jumped fences and ran through several yards while being tracked by police and agents. The pursuit ended when a homeowner, flashlight in one hand and gun in the other, checked on a noise in his backyard and found the suspect hiding there. Faced with the armed homeowner the suspect suddenly decided the approaching police were his best friends. He was taken to jail on multiple charges and given a jumpsuit to replace the pants he had ruined during the backyard showdown.
February 17, 1:45 a.m.: A man used his cell phone to call 911 for help. He explained that he had stepped into an open manhole and had fallen about 12 feet down the uncovered utility shaft. A GPS lock on the victim’s cell phone placed him somewhere between the 400 block of A Street and the Pacific Highway port of entry. The ensuing search determined that he was north of the GPS coordinates just far enough to place him north of the international boundary, in south Surrey. A Canadian ambulance and rescue crew found the gentleman and tended to his needs.
March 30, 3:42 a.m.: U.S. Border Patrol responded to Peace Arch Park to check a report of a female walking in the area. It was fortunate that the agents found the lady. She was very intoxicated, disoriented, clad only in a towel and bleeding from fresh cuts and scrapes to her legs. The agents immediately called for medical aid and police. The woman declined transport to hospital but agreed to talk to police, and officers learned that she was a victim of poor judgment and a poor sense of direction rather than a crime. The 30-something Bellingham resident had come to Blaine to settle a dare by making a video of herself leaping into Drayton Harbor to post on the Internet. She drank too much alcohol while steeling her nerves, though, and then got separated from the friend who was acting as her chauffeur and photographer. She had wandered for some time, lost in the scratchy underbrush with only her towel for company until the border patrol agents found her. Police located the worried and sober friend who had been out driving around looking for the inebriated starlet, confirmed their tale of misadventure, and reunited the two.
April 21, 11:40 a.m.: Police were dispatched to contact a suspicious person on Mitchell Street when passersby reported that the man was throwing his hat in the air, donning and doffing his shirt, and running around acting crazy. An officer located and interviewed a teenager visiting from another community, who explained everything was all right and he was just looking for his girlfriend. He agreed to adopt a more subtle courtship dance more in keeping with Blaine’s environment.
April 24, 3:21 p.m.: Ferndale City Hall called to report that they were receiving harassing phone calls from a Blaine resident and asked Blaine Police to contact the man and ask him to stop calling their office. Officers went to the man’s house and when he came to the door they passed on Ferndale’s request. They were about to depart when the resident decided to express his displeasure with the message by striking one of the police officers in the head. The man was taken in to custody after a struggle and booked in to jail for felony assault and resisting arrest. It’s unknown if he used his jail phone privileges to call Ferndale City Hall.
May 5, 12:41 p.m.: A resident called police when a semi truck and trailer combination struck a city sign as it negotiated a tight corner in a neighborhood at 16th and B streets. Ironically, the sign stated, “No trucks.” There was no damage to the sign but the collision left it leaning. Public works righted the sign. No one in the neighborhood had been able to get the license plate and the offending truck was not located or identified.
May 29, 10 p.m.: Officers responded to assist a Blaine resident with an unwanted intruder. A squirrel had entered a house via an open chimney. Officers and homeowners attempted to corral the rascally rodent. After a brief chase the furry fugitive barricaded itself out of reach in the chimney. All exits were secured and officers cleared the scene. The homeowners will be contacting an animal rescue center for a final solution.
June 7, 2:20 a.m.: Police and fire responded to an assist citizen call involving an elderly resident who had fallen out of bed. Officers arrived to find the man lying next to his bed still fast asleep. It turned out that his caregiver had anticipated such an incident might occur and planned ahead by placing a mattress on the floor beside the bed, so the gentleman had only fallen about a foot. They assisted him back into bed with the help of aid unit personnel.
June 8, 4:14 a.m.: Blaine police and border patrol agents responded to a report of a single vehicle rollover crash on the freeway at the south end of Blaine. They finally found the vehicle lodged under a freeway overpass between West Road and the bank of Dakota Creek. The very lucky driver from British Columbia had gone off the road and down the embankment, coming just a few feet from either drowning in the creek or crashing into large trees along the shore. He was wearing a seatbelt during his off-road adventure and suffered only a sore shoulder in the mishap. Washington State Patrol responded to investigate the incident.
June 27, 10:28 p.m.: A B.C. driver left a gas station and took the pump with him. The man inadvertently left the gas nozzle in his car’s gas tank then started driving. The hose and nozzle were ripped away from the pump. The man stopped his car momentarily to curse, then tossed the nozzle and continued driving northbound towards the border. Border agents were notified to look out for the vehicle. Officers talked with the gas station attendants and found that no damage had actually been done. Employees did not want any enforcement action taken. Case closed.
June 29, 3:50 p.m.: Officers were notified of a person who for two days in a row dressed up as a zombie-type monster and scared children in the woods nearby their home. Officers checked the area and were unable to locate anything suspicious, and asked parents to notify them of any new incidents. The rest of patrol was notified for extra patrol as able.
June 30, 4 p.m.: Officers were advised when a man wearing full body armor, a helmet, a duty belt and carrying a large stick came into the police department asking for directions to city hall. Officers contacted the man in the 400 block of Martin Street and determined he was en route to pick up some paperwork from the court clerk. At the officers’ request, the clerk came down from city hall and gave the man the paperwork. Officers discussed with the man why his attire might cause alarm to members of the public and why they felt it was not a good idea for him to enter the Banner Bank building dressed the way he was. The man was cooperative and seemed to comprehend the officers’ concerns. He was then given a courtesy ride to a friend’s house nearby.
July 4, 4:05 p.m.: An officer patrolling a city street saw a car fail to yield right of way to another car, nearly causing a collision. The offending vehicle then failed to stop for a stop sign at another intersection. The officer stopped the car and discovered that both the unlicensed driver and her passenger were only 14 years old. They had taken the car for a joy ride without the permission of its owner, the passenger’s mom. The driver was arrested for driving without a license or other ID and released to her parents. An adult relative responded to collect the car and the passenger. A case report was forwarded to the juvenile prosecutor’s office for the license and infraction violations.
To be continued next week
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