Police blotter: Hit-and-runner leaves license plate behind

If you want to get away with a hit-and-run, it is best not to leave your car’s license plate at the crash site, as one Bainbridge man learned this week. Also, blaming it on a mysterious woman in the night won’t help much either.

Blotter’s below.

Jan. 8
Drunk driving: A Bainbridge male was arrested for drunk driving on Madison Avenue just before 11:30 p.m. Police pulled the man over because his van had a defective taillight. An officer noticed the suspect had the strong odor of alcohol. The suspect admitted he’d had four drinks at a Winslow pub. After failing a series of field sobriety tests, the suspect was taken to the county jail.

Jan. 6
Theft: A Poulsbo woman reported that $40 and four credit cards were stolen from her purse while it sat on her desk at the Washington State Ferries maintenance facility. She said people are constantly passing her desk during the day but that she’s never had anything stolen in the five years she’s worked at the facility.

Jan. 1
Hit-and-run: A Bainbridge male was cited for hit-and-run after his Saturn car crashed into and damaged a log retaining wall on Lafayette Avenue near Fay Bainbridge State Park. Police found the suspect’s license plate and other debris from his car at the scene. When police contacted the suspect, he blamed the crash on an unknown woman he had allowed to drive his car. The suspect said he met the woman at a Winslow coffee shop on New Year’s Eve. He knew very little about the woman and said she disappeared from his home after he passed out. He said his recollections of the evening were “hazy,” and could describe few details about the crash. He also made contradictory statements about the woman, leading police to believe the woman was fictitious and that he was driving his car alone. Because the suspect’s story seemed “implausible”, and because he avoided answering the officer’s phone calls, delayed his scheduled visit to the police station, and has a history of drinking and driving, police also cited the suspect for making false statements to an officer.

Dec. 31
Drugs: A Poulsbo male was arrested for possessing marijuana, methamphetamine, prescription drugs without a prescription, drug paraphernalia and for intending to sell marijuana. Police were notified that the suspect was headed toward Bainbridge with a backpack containing marijuana just after 9:30 p.m. Police also learned he had warrants for drunk driving, driving without a license and marijuana possession. His vehicle was identified and pulled over on Highway 305. Police noted that the suspect had the strong odor of marijuana smoke and that he was cooperative. He admitted he’d recently smoked marijuana and taken other drugs. Police found a small amount of meth, a glass marijuana pipe, prescription pain killers and other drug-related items in the suspect’s vehicle. Five baggies containing marijuana, a receipt book and a $140 roll of cash led police to believe that the suspect intended to sell marijuana.