Intoxicated woman fakes fainting after arrest

Island County Sheriff’s deputies on Camano Island responded to the following recently:

• On May 4, deputies responded to a 911 hang up from a 43-year-old woman in a vehicle. They found the white 1992 Toyota 4Runner parked at a Lehman Drive residence. The woman was inside the vehicle, sobbing and clearly intoxicated. She said the home belonged to her in-laws and that she was there to pick up her kids. She agreed to field sobriety tests, which she failed. The woman was transported to the Camano Annex precinct, where deputies asked how much she had to drink and tested her blood-alcohol content. She said she had two glasses of wine. She blew .231. She appeared unstable, and deputies decided she shouldn’t be left at home alone. They cited her for driving under the influence of alcohol and transported her to Island County Jail, where the woman pretended to faint. When guards came to assist, she “miraculously sprang to her feet.” She tried the ruse several more times, insisting that she just wanted to go home.

• Deputies followed a blue 1991 Saturn SL off Camano Island on May 7. It traveled 10 mph under the posted speed the entire time, braking erratically and swerving within its lane. They pulled the male driver over at AM/PM in Stanwood. The man said his car needed an alignment, which was why he had been swerving, and handed over a Washington state identification card, adding that his driver’s license was suspended. He also informed deputies there was a warrant out for his arrest in Kitsap County. Deputies confirmed that the man’s license was suspended for an unpaid ticket and that he was wanted for failing to appear in court regarding a DUI. The man was cited in connection with driving with license suspended and booked into Snohomish County Jail in connection with the warrant.

• Deputies stopped a blue 2000 Ford Explorer near the intersection of Green Island Way and W. Camano Hill Road on May 9, for improperly displayed tabs. A driver’s license check reported the 20-year-old man’s license was suspended for an unpaid ticket. He was cited in connection with driving with license suspended. His passenger, a 19-year-old woman, had a valid license and drove them from the scene.

• On May 11, a 70-yearold woman came to the Camano Annex precinct to inform deputies that she had received a check for $3,859.42 in the mail, along with a letter instructing her to call “Josh Mathias at 778- 861-6337” to claim the rest of the $129,000 she had won — clearly a scam. A Google search showed the same phone number was being used in connection with other identical scams.

• On May 10, a 40-yearold man reported that his garage remote had been stolen from his Dodge pickup truck, which was parked in the driveway of his Vanderlin Drive home with the window down. Nothing else was missing from the truck, and nothing was missing from the garage or the home.

• A deputy stopped a silver 2008 Volkswagen Passat because the rear license plate cover was tinted so dark he couldn’t see the plate. When he asked the 27-year-old woman driver for her license, she handed over her credit card. When the deputy pointed this out, the woman handed over her driver’s license. The car smelled like marijuana, and the woman admitted she had smoked part of a joint before heading onto the island. When asked whether there was marijuana in the car, the woman said that, yes, there was a joint in the cup holder and a small baggie in the center console. She was cited in connection with possession of marijuana, less than 40 grams.

• An abandoned blue 1988 Chevrolet Beretta was discovered near the intersection of S. East Camano Drive and Beach Drive on May 4, with a note on the dash that read, “fuel pump broken — will be back.” The

car was still there on May 5, so deputies had the car impounded and mailed the registered owner a notice.

• On May 7, a deputy was parked on the shoulder of Good Road, facing SR 532 and observing traffic, when a white 1991 Mazda Navajo took a wide right turn off SR 532 and onto Good Road, nearly swiping the deputy’s patrol car. The deputy turned around and followed the vehicle on Good Road, observing that at one point nearly went into the ditch before careening back onto the road. The deputy stopped the vehicle near Amy Place and knocked on the window to get the driver’s attention. When asked what happened, the 49-year-old male driver responded with a blank stare. He displayed a lack of fine motor skills while fumbling for his license and registration. He couldn’t find his proof of insurance, and the deputy noticed an odor of intoxicants. The man said he had “a couple beer.” When asked again how much he had to drink, the man stared. The deputy asked if the man would voluntarily submit to field sobriety tests, and he said, “no.” Based on his observations, the deputy informed the man that he was under arrest, and the man said he was now willing to submit to the tests. The deputy explained that he’d already had his chance, and asked the man to exit the vehicle. The man ignored the request, staring ahead. When the deputy asked the man a second time to exit the vehicle, he began to plead with the deputy. He was eventually transported to the Camano Annex precinct, where his blood-alcohol measured .109. He was cited in connection with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with wheels off the pavement and no proof of insurance.

• On May 8, deputies observed a blue 2005 Chevrolet car traveling 59 mph in a 45-mph zone. Pursuing the car onto the island, they observed that it passed another vehicle on the right, using the slow-vehicle lane. Deputies caught up to the car and stopped it near the intersection of SR 532 and Good Road. The driver, a 44-year-old woman, smelled of alcohol and failed field sobriety tests. She was transported to the Camano Annex precinct where her blood-alcohol content was measured at .111. She was cited in connection with driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding and illegally passing on the right.