Port Townsend police received 170 calls for service between Monday, July 5 and Sunday, July 11. Below are selected reports.

At 3:40 p.m. Tuesday July 6, police were called to the 600 block of Water Street for a report of a suspicious group of juveniles who had hopped a fence in the area.

The group of youths were contacted by police and two of them had been identified as being involved in a series of tagging incidents throughout the town.

In one of the juvenile’s possession, officers found numerous cans of spray paint and noted he had paint on his hands.

Officers have contacted the parents of both of the youths and are working toward restitution for the graffiti.

Officers noted that numerous graffiti “tags” had exhibited a similar aesthetic and connected one young man to a total of 10 different incidents of graffiti throughout town.   

At 5:45 p.m. Tuesday July 6, officers were called to a business in the 1100 block of Water Street after the owner of the store said a man appeared to be setting up a sort of camp in front of the shop.

The owner told police that the man was spreading out items and he’d been there all day, but he did not want the man trespassed, only moved on, since he was blocking the sidewalk.

Police arrived and asked the man to move along. The would-be sidewalk camper promptly packed up and left.

At 5:55 p.m. Tuesday, July 6,
police were called to the 1800 block of 21st Street after a homeowner said someone had gone into her home and smeared something on her oven. The woman had no evidence to suggest that anyone had entered her home aside from a small amount of oven cleaner residue that had been left on her oven.

The woman told police that she’d not left her doors or windows unlocked in the incident but she did say she thought the neighbor’s 12-year-old was a “hacker.”

At 7 p.m. Tuesday July 6, police received a report of a vehicle striking a fawn in the 2600 block of Hastings Avenue.

The caller thought that the fawn may have suffered a broken leg, but the baby deer stood up and hopped away before officers could arrive.

At 5:30 p.m. Wednesday July 7, officers were alerted to a theft after an elderly woman was dropped off at a local retirement community by her grandson who then absconded with her vehicle, credit cards and cell phone.

The grandson later called nursing staff at the facility and said he would be returning the stolen items to his grandmother, but he never came back.

The man was later arrested by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies in Port Hadlock.

At 12:50 a.m. Thursday July 8, police were alerted to noise complaint in the area of F Street and San Juan Avenue.

The caller told dispatchers that they could hear a loud “bass beat” coming from the area. Officers arrived and didn’t hear anything.

At 4:20 p.m. Thursday July 8,
police received a report of a traffic complaint. The caller said the driver of a silver Honda had engaged in unsafe passing and was traveling at a high rate of speed near the intersection of Thomas Street and Sims Way.

The caller said they had managed to take a picture of the driver, who then made rude gestures at them.

At 5:20 p.m. Thursday July 8,
a woman contacted police to report that she believed her credit card had been stolen near the 600 block of Rainier Street. The woman said she’d already seen fraudulent charges on her missing credit card, despite having lost it only about two hours prior.

The two charges were from separate businesses in Port Townsend and totaled $219. The woman canceled the card and filed a report with police.

At 6:20 p.m. Thursday July 8, police responded to a reported violation of Port Townsend’s leash ordinance. Officers arrived at a park near the Jefferson County Courthouse and found about 10 dogs unleashed. Police made contact with a group of people at the park who were advised of the local leash ordinance in town. The group left the area.

At 7 p.m. Friday July 9, a man was reportedly spitting on vehicles and throwing items around the parking lot of a grocery store in the 400 block of Kearney Street. One of the officers contacted the man and he was trespassed from the property.

The man said he didn’t remember and denied being the one who had been spitting on the cars.

At 6:14 a.m. Saturday July 10, police were dispatched to the 2000 block of Sims Way after a caller reported a man and a woman were walking behind businesses in the area, possibly looking to steal items.

Officers responded and found a pair of dumpster divers. Police noted that nothing appeared to have been taken from the business.

At 8 p.m. Sunday July 11, Port Townsend police were called out to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds for a report of a fight. The caller told police that she had seen two men holding another man down and were beating him.

After speaking with witnesses, responding officers were told the two men had approached the victim and accused him of having stolen a bicycle. An altercation ensued in which the victim attempted to use a whip to keep the attackers at bay, but the pair eventually tackled him and began pummeling him.

Witnesses separated the men and called 911.

Officers did not file any charges in the incident due to a lack of cooperation on the behalf of the victim.