Police blotter: Guerrilla artist caught red-handed

As you may have read last week, the Bainbridge Island Police Department has a new policy for releasing records to the press.

We must now submit formal records requests to see the level of detail we used to see in previous years.

Not much to update you on, except that it took four days and $20 to get the reports for this week.

In the blotter (below) you’ll find details about that wavy red line that mysteriously appeared along two blocks of Winslow Way sidewalk, and the way police used Facebook and a clever business card trick to catch the alleged painter red-handed (literally).

Mar. 29
Harassed: A Sunrise Drive home’s caretaker reported that a neighbor tossed yard debris into the home’s yard. The neighbor threw a tool at the caretaker during a discussion of the earlier incident. No injuries or arrests were reported.

Mar. 28
Smashed: A 51-year-old Bainbridge man was arrested for malicious mischief after he destroyed his wife’s iPad electronic device during an argument at their north Bainbridge home.

Theft: A Poulsbo man’s wallet, pants and backpack were stolen from an unsecured locker at the Bainbridge Island Aquatic Center.

Shooting: A 54-year-old woman reportedly fired a pellet rifle at crows in her neighbor’s John Adams Lane yard shortly after 10 a.m. The neighbor had been feeding the crows, as he does on a regular basis. The suspect told police that the crow’s calls were keeping her from sleeping. No injuries were reported.
Police forwarded a report to the prosecutor’s office for possible charging.

Mar. 27
Theft: A half cord of firewood was stolen from a Day Road property sometime during the night.

Mar. 26
Theft: Several items valued at $1,565 were taken from an SUV that was broken into on Adas Will Lane sometime during the night. A side window was broken to gain entry into the locked vehicle. A backpack containing a global positioning unit, digital camera, sunglasses, shoes and binoculars was taken.

Mar. 23
Painted: A red wavy line spanning two blocks was painted on a Winslow Way sidewalk sometime during the night. Winslow business owners complained about the paint, which was also dripped on an outdoor bench owned by a bakery. The line, which was estimated by police at 483 feet, was done in a permanent high-gloss paint. A city employee called police to alert them to a post on a Bainbridge resident’s Facebook page. The man noted on the post that he had “recently completed a painting that is over 575 feet long.” An officer visited the man at his home. When asked about the painting, the man responded by saying “no comment” and shoved his hands into his pockets. Noticing what looked like red paint on his fingers, the officer handed him his business card. When the man reached out to take it, the officer was able to confirm that the man’s hand had red paint consistent with the paint on Winslow Way. A report was sent to the prosecutor’s office for possible charges. Damages to the sidewalk and businesses were estimated at $2,500.