Law Enforcement
_ June 23 - An officer was asked to do a welfare check on an Abbotsford resident who had allegedly been hit in the face by his father. A social worker asked the officer to check for signs of bruising and report anything to social services. The officer met with the boy’s mother, who had her son come to the door. The offi cer did not see any bruises or marks indicating that he had been punched. The boy said his father did not hit him, but his brother punched him in the chest when they were playing. The mother said the family had been working with a social worker on family issues.
_ June 23 - An officer met with a man who said he had dropped his wallet somewhere between Hawkeye Dairy and the park on South Fifth Street in Abbotsford. He said he was going to contact his credit card company and bank. He provided his phone number in case anyone turned in the wallet. The officer checked the area but did not find anything.
_ June 24 - An officer responded to a report of a gas skip at a gas station in Abbotsford. A clerk gave the officer a receipt with $60.27 worth of unpaid gasoline. The officer ran the license plate of the vehicle that had driven off, and it came back as registered to a man in Curtiss. The officer tried calling the owner, but no one answered and there was no voicemail. The offi cer sent a letter to the vehicle owner, giving him until July 8 to pay for the gas.
_ June 24 - An officer was dispatched to an Abbotsford home on West Spruce Street in reference to a found dog. The homeowner who found the dog said it was dragging about 15 feet of cable that had broken off from somewhere. The officer took possession of the dog, a black lab mix, back to the police department so it could be claimed. It had an orange nylon collar but no tags. Later that day, another officer tried tracking down the dog’s owner and was eventually able to find her residence. She reclaimed the dog and was warned about letting her dog run loose.
_ June 25 - An officer responded to a complaint from a local nursing home about the relative of a resident at the facility. The nursing home had taken a call from the resident’s son, but the resident was sleeping at the time, and the staff did not want to disrupt his routine by waking him up. The son became very upset and threatened to take legal action against the facility. Staff at the nursing home said the son had called multiple times and was angry that his calls were not answered. Staff members said they are sometimes busy and not able to take every call.
The officer called the resident’s daughter, who is his power of attorney. She was aware of the nursing home’s complaint and said her brother has not been in contact with the rest of the family for 25 years. She said he only recently started contacting their father because he wanted some of the proceeds from a farm auction that took place earlier in the month. The daughter said she planned on using the money to pay off her father’s debt and paying the nursing home bills.
The following day, the officer spoke to the son, who denied threatening the staff at the nursing home but said he was upset because they would not let him talk to his father right away. He also felt the staff were ignoring his calls when they saw who was calling. He also thought his father was not being taken care of as well as he should be. The officer explained to him the reasons the staff did not wake his father up and why they did not always answer the phones. He said he understood.
The son still requested a welfare check on his father because he suspected the nursing home staff of mistreating him. The officer went to the facility, met with the staff and was shown to the resident’s room. He spoke to the resident, who said he was fine and had no complaints. The officer reported his findings to the son.
_ June 25 - An officer was driving by a bar in Abbotsford when he observed what appeared to be an argument taking place outside the front door. He could see a woman screaming at a male subject and getting in his face, with her chest pressed up against his body. The officer pulled his squad over to the side of the street, and while he was walking to the bar, the woman immediately re-entered the bar. The officer met with the male party and another female who was sitting on the stoop. Both subjects denied that anything was going on, and the male said no argument had occurred. The seated female said she does not like police and does not like talking to them. At this time, the woman who had been screaming at the male party reemerged from the bar. She, too, said everything was OK.
The officer noticed that the parties he was speaking to all had open intoxicants outdoors. He told them they either needed to go back into the bar or dump out their drinks and leave. One of the female subjects began to question the officer on why he made contact with them. The offi cer told her what he observed that made him stop. She asked the officer if the only reason he stopped to talk to them was because they are white. The offi cer said he would have stopped regardless of their race. The woman continued to accuse the officer of being racist and prejudiced against them because they’re white. The officer said he has a duty to make sure everything is OK when he sees signs of a fight outside a bar. Another officer was on scene and spoke to one of the females. She said the argument started because she and the other woman were talking to two Hispanic males standing near their vehicle.
_ June26-Anofficerresponded to a request for extra patrol in a Colby neighborhood after a caller expressed concerns about a large party going on. The officer had previously driven by the area and seen multiple vehicles there. The caller said the party was getting out of control and they were were worried about underage drinking and people drinking and driving.
The officer responded to the residence and was met by another officer. As they were approaching the residence, the officer could see a male and two females standing outside. He watched as the male party strongly pushed one of the females. The officer turned on his flashlight, and all three parties quickly entered the residence. He could see they were carrying alcoholic beverages in their hands. The officer walked up to the front door of the residence and waited for someone to walk outside. From outside, the officer could see several individuals who were clearly underage, holding beers or other beverages. A male individual exited the residence and identified himself as the owner of the place.
The officer asked the owner if he could come inside. The owner asked why. The officer said he received a report of an underage drinking party getting out of control. The owner said he would shut the party down. The officer said he needed to speak to the individuals he saw pushing each other outside. The owner said he did not know who those individuals were and did not want the officer coming inside. The owner said everyone was staying at his place after the party ended. He would not cooperate with the officer’s requests to speak with the parties who had been outside. The owner went inside for about five minutes and returned. He said the parties inside did not want to speak to the police. The owner said his own boys were drinking, but he was not sure about others in the house. The owner also claimed the individuals outside were “playing pushing,” though the officer disagreed with this.
The officer asked the owner for his driver’s license, and he provided it. The officer left the residence and spoke with the callers who had initially complained about the party. Both of them said they heard a male and female arguing loudly, and felt the male was acting dangerously aggressive. The officer advised them to call again if the problems persisted.
The officer issued the owner of the residence a citation for allowing underage drinking at his residence.
_ June 26 - An officer was on patrol on North First Street, approaching Oak Street, in Abbotsford when he observed an SUV coming the opposite direction. The officer obtained the driver’s license number. As he was conducting a registration check, the vehicle was traveling erratically in its lane of traffic. The officer turned his squad around and began to follow the vehicle as it turned east onto East Maple Street. The registration check showed the owner of the vehicle had a suspended license. As the officer was turning onto Maple Street, he observed the SUV traveling at a high rate of speed as it approached STH 13. The officer caught up with the vehicle as it turned south on STH 13 and then onto East Cedar Street. The officer activated his emergency lights, and the vehicle continued to the intersection with North First Street, where it made an incomplete stop. The officer activated his sirens, and the vehicle stopped a short distance away from the intersection.
They observed a male individual exit the driver’s seat and put his hands up. The officer could see that he was very unsteady on his feet, and he placed his hand on the vehicle as he was walking to maintain his balance. The driver walked toward the curb, and the officer approached him, telling him to sit down. He got down on his hands and knees. The officer frisked his waistband and did not find anything. The officer could smell a strong odor of alcohol on the driver.
The officer checked the vehicle for other occupants, and could see an open beer can in the front cup holder. The officer returned to the driver and asked him why he was trying to get away. The officer explained the reason for the traffic stop, and the driver began to question it. He slurred his words as he spoke. The driver said he did not have either a driver’s license or a wallet on him. He said he was coming from a bar in Abbotsford. When asked how much he had to drink, he said he didn’t know. When asked if he’d be willing to do field sobriety tests, he said no.
The driver was taken into custody on suspicion of drunk driving, and a body search uncovered a vape cartridge with THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. A wallet was also located in his back pocket that contained an ID card and $1,000 in cash. Two additional empty cans of beer were found in the vehicle. The driver would consent to a test of his blood. He was cited for driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, possession of THC and traveling at an unreasonable or imprudent speed. He was unable to find a sober person to pick him up at the police station so he was transported to Clark County Jail, where a preliminary breath test showed a blood-alcohol content of .323.
