Port Townsend police received 224 calls for service between Monday, Jan. 11 and Sunday, Jan. 24. Below are selected reports.

At 11:24 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, police were alerted to vandalism in the 1400 block of 30th Street that had occurred approximately a week prior.

A religious leader of a local church told officers that a painting of Jesus Christ had gone missing but was later found. When the painting was found, it appeared that it had been vandalized with paint.

At 2:56 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, a woman called police after a new cell phone she ordered was stolen from her porch in the 1300 block of Washington Street. The woman said the theft had occurred last August but she hadn’t got around to making a report because she was busy.

There are no suspects. Police noted it is important to make a report of theft immediately, as any delay may affect the outcome of an investigation.

At 4:33 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, officers responded to a vehicle flashing its hazard lights in the 4100 block of Hill Street. Police contacted the driver of the vehicle, who said his car ran out of gas.

After approaching the vehicle, the officer could clearly see mail strewn across the front seat and at one point during the conversation, more mail fell from the driver’s person. The mail was not addressed to the driver. The driver’s vehicle was impounded and he is now facing charges related to mail theft. 

At 12:20 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, police responded to a call in the 1600 block of Hill Street after a woman reported someone had taken mail from homes in the area. The caller said she found a bunch of extra mail in her mailbox, likely discarded from other addresses associated with the theft.

At 3:29 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14,
a caller said his vehicle had been vandalized after it was left parked in a common parking area in the 600 block of Hancock Street. The caller reported graffiti was found on the inside of his vehicle after he left the car unlocked overnight.

At 9:10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 15, officers responded to the Willow Street and A Street intersection for a report of multiple people in the area talking loudly about their body parts. The woman who alerted police refused to elaborate on which part of their anatomy they were discussing. An officer checked the area and found nothing.

At 12:58 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15,
a man in the 700 block of Mosley Place reported that the United Parcel Service delivered a package to his residence, but when he checked, the package could not be found.

The man told police that the item taken was a camera lens worth about $1,000. The man called back an hour later to inform officers that he had located the package.

At 5:21 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15, a woman in the 1300 block of Ninth Street reported a donation box in her front yard had been stolen.

Bolt cutters were used to remove a lock on the box, which was used for payments for masks she was selling. The woman said she believed there was about $100 taken from the box.

The woman told police the last time this had happened, the thieves took the whole box. The woman told officers that she intended to install a camera.

At 10:01 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 16,
an employee of a business in the 200 block of Sims Way said sometime that morning various items left outside the store had been taken.

A suspect was identified through surveillance video and was described as a male wearing a hoodie and black pants. Officers are attempting to ascertain the identity of the subject from surveillance footage.

At 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, officers responded to a consignment store in the 600 block of Rainier Street after an employee reported that a woman had entered the store, taken a coat and hid additional items underneath the coat before leaving the store without paying.

Officers contacted a suspect vehicle occupied by a man who originally said he hadn’t been in the store but later acknowledged he and his girlfriend — who matched a description provided by the employee — had gone into the store but they left separately. Probable cause was still being developed for an arrest.

At 6:11 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, a caller in the 600 block of Clay Street reported a vehicle prowl and theft. Officers found that the vehicle, a 1975 Jaguar, had sustained damage to the steering column consistent with someone attempting to start the vehicle without keys.

The same vehicle had been stolen last year as well. Police have no suspects. 

At 11:33 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, police were called to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds after a someone drove through the camping area and stayed in the area after being told to leave.

Officers found the vehicle, a white Honda Accord, which had no license plate and an expired trip permit. The car’s registration was also listed as canceled. Officers were able to contact the owner of the vehicle because it had become stuck in the mud and the driver couldn’t leave the scene.

An officer gave the driver suggestions on how he could address his suspended license status. The man was not arrested on an outstanding warrant due to jail restrictions.

At 6:02 p.m. Thursday,  Jan. 21, a man sleeping in his car in the 2200 block of Towne Point Avenue told police that he awoke to find his dog was missing. The caller told police that a woman had taken the dog inside her house. He contacted her about the dog, which resulted in an argument.

The woman with the dog told police that she found the animal and noticed a phone number on the dog’s collar, but due to her heavy German accent, the person who answered the phone thought it was a prank and hung up. Officers arrived on scene and were able to resolve the situation. No crime occurred.

At 3:09 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, a woman reported that someone had entered her apartment in the 600 block of Hancock Street while she had been gone for about two hours. The woman said the house had been locked and nobody had keys, but a window she normally leaves open was closed.

She noticed her clothing had been strewn about and a laptop, a portable vehicle jump starter, and some other things were missing.

The victim provided a possible suspect and location to officers who located the man in the 500 block of Hendricks Street, who had the stolen items from the woman’s apartment. Police took the man into custody. The total value of the stolen goods was estimated at more than $2,500.

At 6:01 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, an unwanted person was making threats at a shelter in the 200 block of Monroe Street.

The caller told police that a man with a beard was asked to leave because he entered the shelter without a mask and proceeded to start calling people names and was using homophobic slurs.

Officers determined that no threats of harm were made, and staff requested that the individual be trespassed from the location.

Approximately two hours later, officers located the man walking down Sims Way drinking a beer. The man was warned for the open container and given a trespass admonishment from the shelter.

At 7:12 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, a man staying at the fairgrounds said someone had accessed the propane tanks that service his RV.

An officer made contact with the man, who told police his last top-off had been several months ago, but his tanks had still shown “full” on the pressure gauge. The victim later told officers that he believes he was mistaken, given that the pressure gauge still read ‘half-full’ despite the fact that the tanks were completely empty.

At 1:46 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, a man staying at the fairgrounds reported that he was on a walk with his dog when a man on a bicycle began following and harassing him.

The man told asked the bicyclist to leave him alone and began recording the incident on his phone. Officers found the man riding his bike, but when they attempted contact the victim, he refused to acknowledge their presence.

Without cooperation from the victim, officers terminated contact with the bicyclist.