By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog

From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:

*Security officers on Harbor Island called 911 just after midnight Sunday to report that their video cameras were trained on two men with flashlights carrying something in an abandoned building. An officer was dispatched to the scene and met what he deemed “two amateur urban explorers” as they drove away from the complex in a “little white car.” In the rear was a large metal cabinet. The pair explained they had seen the structures on a website dedicated to “cool abandoned buildings,” readily admitted to taking the cabinet and had planned to keep it as a souvenir. The officer made them return the cabinet and lectured the two — ages 19 and 20 — on the legal and physical dangers of such adventures. Since neither had a criminal record, had legal driver’s licenses, and were not impaired by substances, they were let go with a warning to never return.

Eight more summaries, starting with a man’s odd explanation for being in a local park, ahead:

*Around 1:30 Sunday afternoon, a female jogger reported that she saw a man carrying what looked like a Taser come out of a heavily wooded area to follow a woman jogging in front of her. As soon as the man noticed the witness, he walked away. With the women’s descriptions, officers were able to stop and question a man driving out of the park parking lot. He denied having a Taser and said he had been taking pictures (he showed the officers a small camera). He also denied having a gun in the vehicle (though officers could see a box of ammunition on the floorboard). The 40-year-old Port Orchard resident said he had stopped at the park to let his dog relieve itself because, “last time I was arrested, my dog peed in the truck.” Officers asked if he expected to be arrested that day and why. The man laughed and would not answer, but said he isn’t in the park often because he doesn’t live in the area. He was released.

*A Kent resident reported getting hit on the head with a heavy object early Sunday as he walked to his car in a Junction parking lot. When he came to, his keys, wallet and car were missing. A passerby saw him staggering down California Ave. and transported him to a hospital, where officers interviewed him in the emergency room. His head and right hand were heavily bandaged. While submitting a stolen vehicle report, the officer discovered that the Washington State Patrol had impounded the vehicle around 2:30 a.m. from I-90 at Rainier Ave. S. It had been on fire and deputies found blood and a gun on the front seat.

*As their patrol car drove past a bus stop in the 8800 block of 35th Saturday afternoon, officers were given a nodded “hello” by a teen waiting in the shelter. One officer — who had dealt with the 17-year-old in the past — jokingly told his partner to listen for any strong-arm robberies (for which the young man has been known) in the area. About 15 minutes later, a citizen called 911 to report that as he waited for a bus, a young man had tried to sell him marijuana and then stole his prepaid bus card. The description of the suspect was a match. Alerted to the incident, a different officer spotted the suspect boarding a bus in the 6500 block of Delridge. As he was handcuffed, the suspect dropped the stolen bus card (with the victim’s name on it) to the ground and said, “Man, you guys sure like to mess with me!”

*Pulled over in the 5600 block of Delridge Monday evening, a 23-year-old Delridge resident was booked into King County Jail after officers in search of a warrant suspect found him possessing marijuana packaged for sale along with a scale, plastic baggies, and some spent ammunition. His four friends riding in the car were released. In addition to the drug charges, his Department of Corrections officer issued an arrest warrant based on his probation violations.

*Around noon on Friday, a Beach Drive area woman called 911 to report a disturbance: Her caregiver was fighting with a former roommate. The caregiver had told the man and another visitor to leave. The man kicked the caregiver twice in the abdomen and pushed his way back into the residence. He then pepper-sprayed the caregiver. When officers arrived, the visitor had left, but the former roommate was booked into King County Jail for investigation of domestic violence assault.

*Around 4:30 Saturday morning, a concerned citizen reported that a woman was in distress on the Highland Park Elementary school grounds. Officers found the Tukwila resident with her personal belongings and 20 needle syringes scattered on the ground. She said she was homeless, a heroin addict, and didn’t know how she had arrived at that location. An ambulance transported the fidgety victim — whose eyes kept rolling back in her head, and whose legs had multiple open and bleeding abscesses — to Harborview for treatment. The syringes were destroyed, her belongings were placed in the ambulance, and the area where she had been seated was washed down with soap, bleach, and water.

*Friday morning, citizens called 911 to report a suspicious man loitering at a business in the 7400 block of Fauntleroy Way. The man claimed he was just hanging out and panhandling for cigarettes. A records check showed that he was wanted on three misdemeanor warrants in San Juan County, worth a total of $4,800. The 40-year-old was booked into King County Jail.

*A 16-year-old Junction-area girl with a combative history was booked into the Youth Service Center early Sunday for investigation of domestic violence assault — repeatedly shoving her dad — while trying to retrieve some marijuana he had confiscated from her.

==============
WSB Editor’s Note: The WSBeat has an archive category of its own, though we’re still linking the weekly reports on the WSB Crime Watch page, so you can catch it there if you miss it in the main news stream. We also continue to publish crime reports the rest of the week, when we get tips or hear noteworthy incidents via the scanner, so don’t be shy about letting us know when you see/hear something happening.