COLBY-ABBOTSFORD POLICE LOG

_ March 23 - An officer was dispatched to an Abbotsford store in reference to retail theft complaint. The officer met with the store owner, who was reviewing footage of a male customer placing an item into his pants and covering it up with his sweatshirt. The owner said he was going to put a picture from the video on his Facebook page to see if anyone could identify the suspect.

The officer called the owner back later and was given the name of a suspect in Colby. The officer went to the suspect’s house and questioned him about the theft. The suspect claimed he had placed the item in a different part of the store so no one else would buy it. The officer returned to the store and located the item in the area described by the suspect.

The store owner said he would like the suspect to apologize for the inconvenience. The officer relayed this message to the suspect, and he agreed to apologize.

_ March 23 - An officer was dispatched to Colby in reference to an illegal dumping complaint. The officer met with the owner of a dumpster who said someone had left a gas grill and several other items in the dumpster without his permission. One of the boxes left behind had a name on it with an out-of-state address. The complainant said he would be putting up a security camera near the dumpster.

_ March 25 - An officer was dispatched to a Colby residence in reference to a suspicious note left on someone’s windshield. The officer met with the complainant who said he found what looked like a business card underneath his windshield wiper. On one side, it just said “Hey!” The other side said “I would say, ‘At least you tried,’ but you clearly didn’t.” The card also had a website address.

The complainant said he had last driven his car on the previous Sunday, March 21, when he took it to a local gas station. He said it had been parked at the back of his residence since then. He did not know who would have left the card, but he suspected some people that he had previous business dealings with.

The officer checked out the website on the card and discovered that it offers joke cards to people who want to let other drivers know they aren’t happy with the way they parked.

_ March 25 - Officers were asked to assist a Clark County deputy with a traffic stop on STH 29 near Badger Avenue, involving a driver with multiple warrants. The deputy said the driver had fled the scene, traveling at a high rate of speed going north on Badger Avenue.

The officers went north on Hiline Avenue, and were told that the suspect’s vehicle had turned west on Center Road. The offi cers turned west onto CTH A and eventually went south on CTH E toward Curtiss. The suspect turned south on Sandhill Road, went west on STH 29 and then got off at the Curtiss exit. As the officers approached the eastbound 29 ramp in Curtiss, they were told to discontinue their pursuit. The officers returned to the scene of the original traffic stop to meet with a female passenger who had been left behind. She told the officers that she had a ride coming to get her.

_ March 26 - An officer recognized the driver of a vehicle parked in a local gas station. He asked dispatch to check on the status of his driver’s license and whether he had any active warrants. Dispatch reported that the driver had a felony arrest warrant.

The suspect’s vehicle left the parking lot and went south on STH 13. The officer could see that an air freshener hanging from the rear-view mirror, obstructing the driver’s view. He also noticed that several windows were missing, and were covered with plastics. The offi cer activated his emergency lights, but the vehicle continued southbound on STH 13.

The officer turned on his sirens, and the other vehicle continued going south until coming to a stop at the intersection with Oak Road. Another officer arrived on the scene for backup, and the first officer approached the vehicle’s passenger side. The passenger said the window doesn’t work, so he opened the door.

As soon as the door opened, the officer could see a Glock 19 semi-automatic pistol on the dash in front of the passenger, along with a magazine next to it. The officer immediately removed the gun and found that it was unloaded. He asked the passenger if there were any other weapons in the vehicle. The passenger said there was a pocket knife in the center console. The officer advised him to leave it there. The officer noted that the passenger was polite and cooperative throughout the stop.

The driver was asked to exit the vehicle, and he was placed under arrest for the warrant. The passenger was also asked to exit the vehicle; he was frisked and no weapons were found. When asked where they were coming from, the passenger said they had been at a shooting range in Marshfield and had just stopped for gas on their way home.

A K-9 was deployed to a sniff around the vehicle, and the dog alerted to the presence of drugs. The passenger admitted to having smoked CBG cigarettes in the past. A search of the vehicle uncovered nothing. After the search was completed, the pistol and magazine were placed back in the vehicle. The driver was taken to Clark County Jail without incident.

_ March 27 - An officer ran the license plate of a vehicle parked near an apartment building in Abbotsford. The vehicle was occupied by a male and female subject. Dispatch reported that the owner of the vehicle had two warrants for failure to appear in court.

The officer met with the female party and confirmed that she was the vehicle owner. She was placed under arrest and taken to Clark County Jail.

_ March 27 - An officer was dispatched to an Abbotsford residence in reference to a catalytic converter being stolen from a vehicle. The officer met with the vehicle owner, who said she first noticed that the catalytic converter had been cut from her vehicle when started it up that morning and noticed it was loud. She said it must have happened during the early morning hours of March 26.

The officer crawled under the vehicle and could see where someone had used a saw to remove the catalytic converter. He also noticed the O2 sensor had been cut off. The value of the converter was estimated to be about $1,000 based on the make and model of the vehicle.

_ March 28 - An officer was dispatched to STH 13 near Linden Street in Abbotsford in response to a vehicle that had left its lane of traffic and nearly struck oncoming traffic. The officer located the vehicle just north on Linden and could see that it was traveling at a very slow rate of speed.

The officer pulled behind the vehicle, which drifted almost entirely into the southbound line while going north. The vehicle then got back into the northbound lane and came to a complete stop in the middle of the road near Spruce Street. The officer activated his emergency lights and sirens, and the vehicle started going very slowly to the north before pulling into a nearby parking lot.

As soon as the driver rolled down his window, the officer could smell alcohol coming from inside the vehicle. The driver was wearing sunglasses, which the officer asked him to remove. The driver’s eyes were very red and glassy, and he kept nodding off as the officer spoke to him.

When the officer asked the driver if he had any identification, the driver said no and handed the officer his wallet. The officer asked him again, and he produced a state ID card. When asked how much he had to drink, the driver admitted to consuming 10 to 12 beers the night before.

The driver was asked to exit the vehicle for field sobriety tests. He had trouble maintaining his balance during tests. He agreed to submit a breath sample, which showed a bloodalcohol content of .161. He was arrested and taken to the police station, where he registered a .13 on the breathalyzer. He was cited for drunk driving and released to a sober party.

_ March 28 - An officer was contacted by an Abbotsford woman in reference to a suspicious activity near her residence. She said there were footprints in the snow near her bedroom window that appeared to have come from the sidewalk. The complainant suspected that it was her estranged husband, who had been out drinking the night before. She requested extra patrol near her residence.