Tree branches, a street sign, and an SUV door are among the items which didn’t make out well in some of the more unusual crime reports from the latest round we reviewed at the Southwest Precinct — they were publicly released for review within the past few days, but some are from older incidents. Here are the toplines on 16 incidents of note:

SUV RAGE: This was reported on Memorial Day, but the report just now made it into the queue of what the police department releases to the media. Sometime between Sunday night 5/25 and Monday morning 5/26, a 1999 white Dodge Durango with Oregon plates was vandalized on its front passenger door – someone wrote GAS GUZZLER on the door in black marker. The SUV was parked In the 5200 block of California, while its owner was visiting from out of state.

TREE BRANCH RAGE: Around quarter past eight last Friday night, police got a report that someone was tearing down tree branches in front of a home in the 6000 block of 45th SW. The victim told police, according to the report, “an intoxicated male walked up to him at his car and asked for money to buy beer … After (he) was denied money he became frustrated and tore 4-5 branches off the tree in front of (the) residence. There was obvious damage to the tree.” The branch-tearer left, but then returned after about half an hour, walked onto the front porch of the house, and that’s when the victim called police. The man was gone when they arrived.

STREET SIGN RAGE: This too has just made it into the stacks though it happened around 4 am on May 24th. Police were called to California SW/SW Beveridge Place to come check out “four individuals who were hitting a dead-end sign with croquet sticks and tearing the sign of the street pole by hand.” The report also included a vehicle description. The activity was over when police arrived but they found a vehicle nearby matching the description, with four people inside, and two croquet sticks visible on the seats. The people in the car told police they’d been at a nearby bar and were on their way to Lincoln Park to play croquet. The person who’d reported them was able to single out the people seen damaging the sign; one of them agreed to “contact the city and financially take care of the damage.”

DRUG BUST FOLLOWS NEIGHBOR COMPLAINTS: Late last Thursday night, a special team from the Southwest Precinct staked out the 4700 block of 25th SW because of what the report describes as “numerous citizens’ complaints of narcotics activity both on the street and in the alley directly to the west.” They arrested two men and a woman, not just because rock cocaine was found in their car, but also because one was wanted on a warrant and the other was allegedly violating parole.

FLASHER AT WESTCREST PARK: Just before 5 pm Tuesday 5/27, a woman took her two dogs to Westcrest Park, and was confronted with a disturbing sight — a man standing at the Off-Leash Area’s southeast entrance with his pants down, touching himself. The woman told police she knew “this sort of activity” happened at the park and has reported it before but hadn’t encountered it in this particular area of Westcrest before.

RESTAURANT BURGLARY: A Junction restaurant in the 4700 block of California was broken into last Thursday night or Friday morning; the burglar(s) removed a door-lock cover to get in. The restaurant’s proprietor told police that $34 in coins was missing from the register.

RESTAURANT THEFT FOLLOWS APPLICANT VISIT: Another Junction restaurant in the 4700 block of California reported more than $1500 missing from its cash drawer after a woman came in at midday last Saturday and asked for a job application. The restaurant’s owner was counting money at the time; the would-be applicant had entered the restaurant from the rear, so the owner walked to the front of the restaurant with her to get an application, which the woman then left with. After she was gone, the owner discovered the cash missing.

BEERY BURGLAR: Sometime last Wednesday, a house in the 9200 block of 30th SW was broken into — and along with various loot, the homeowner said, the burglar made off with beer from the fridge. The house’s front door had been pried open. Cameras and an accordion were taken, but computers and other electronic equipment were left behind.

ALKI BURGLARY: A resident in the 2800 block of Alki called police just before 4 o’clock last Thursday to say she saw an intruder going through her things — after entering by prying open a laundry-room door. She thought the intruder matched the description of someone recently hired to work at a restaurant with which she is associated, but that person turned out to have an alibi.

COMPUTER EQUIPMENT STOLEN: Sometime between 8 am and 2 pm last Wednesday, a home in the 2800 block of SW Nevada was broken into by someone who threw a hammer through a window.

BURGLAR(S) TAKE NO HOLIDAY: Another Memorial Day report — that afternoon or evening in the 4700 block of 51st SW, someone entered a house through a door unintentionally left unlocked. The items taken included DVDs that were stored in an entertainment center with a glass door that the victim told police was usually hard to open — she believed a fork was used to pry it open, after spotting one on the floor nearby. Police checked it for prints.

CONSTRUCTION SITE BURGLARY: Last Wednesday, a local construction company discovered that model homes at their townhouse development in the 1500 block of California had been broken into sometime within the previous five days. The burglar(s) broke a front window to get in. Items taken included a surround-sound system and DVD player.

CAR BREAK-INS ON 16TH SW: Two drivers called police to report their cars had windows smashed and radios taken during the day on Tuesday 5/27 in the 6000 block of 16th SW. While investigating those incidents, an officer noticed a third vehicle had been broken into, and left a card with the case number, but noted that the vehicle’s owner must not have seen the card, as she later went to the Southwest Precinct to file a report. In addition to the radios, items stolen from the cars included a baseball cap and eight cooking knives.

ALKI POINT CAR BREAK-IN: Last Thursday morning, where Alki SW becomes Beach Drive, someone got into a parked car by reaching through its partially open window. They stole a bag that had textbooks inside.

PARKING LOT CAR BREAK-IN: A restaurant parking lot in the 1900 block of Harbor SW was the scene of a car break-in last Wednesday night. The victim told police a laptop was taken from the car.

WALLET LOST, CROOKS GET BUSY FAST: Late last Saturday night, a woman told police she had lost a cell phone and wallet that fell out of her stroller earlier that day at California/Fauntleroy – and “activity” was already showing up on her credit cards.

PURSE FOUND, WALLET FOUND: Both of these happened Memorial Day; a brown wallet with ID from someone in this state turned up on the sidewalk in the 7700 block of 31st SW. A nearby resident turned it in to police. And someone walking in the 5100 block of Admiral Way that morning found a purse in the bushes, tried to contact its owner, didn’t hear back, so called police to turn it in.

As we always remind you – don’t hesitate to call police when you see or hear something suspicious, and of course when you believe a crime has been (or is being) committed. In addition to 911, there’s a non-emergency line at 206/625-5011. A big collection of Seattle Police crime-prevention resources is linked from the Southwest Precinct’s Crime Prevention page. Previous WSB police-report coverage is archived on our Crime Watch page.