true crime -- small town beat

October 2: A resident reported vandalism to the exterior of their home. Cretins spray-painted graffiti on a garage door and placed nails on the driveway.

October 2: A person reported a man possibly trapping/killing ducks near the shore of the bay. An officer contacted the suspect and found he was a uniformed Fish and Wildlife officer, who was conducting a bona fide government health study of waterfowl which did not involve harm to the animals.

September 30: Officer was contacted by a mother who said her son refused to get into her car at the school. An officer met the parent at the school and talked to the eight-year-old, who ultimately agreed to accept transportation from his parent.

September 26: An officer responded to an emergency hang-up call and discovered the homeowner had been cleaning the phone and accidentally dialed 911. The housekeeping was under control.

September 24: An officer on routine patrol noticed a man acting suspiciously near a vehicle parked in the corner of a parking lot late at night. On contact the officer observed two marijuana joints in the vehicle. The driver said he had stopped to recover the marijuana, which he had hidden there earlier before crossing the border. Officer arrested the driver.

September 24: A family reported that someone entered their carport and took four bicycles valued at $305. Officers investigated, recovered the bicycles, and arrested the teenagers who had stolen them.

September 24: Police officers spent several hours tending to a herd of northbound motorists who were stranded on the truck route and interstate by a sudden lack of Canadian Customs inspectors. State patrol troopers and state DOT personnel assisted our officers in commiserating with motorists who were stacked two lanes deep for three miles down the freeway. Customs Canada supervisors kept as many lanes as possible open until their staffing returned to normal late in the evening.

September 24: Residents reported a housemate behaving strangely. Officers met with a gentleman who was very irritated and very demonstrative about his share of the housekeeping burden. Officers calmed him down and determined no crime was committed.