Police Blotter | Arson; Traffic Hazard; Runaway

February 12, 2024

An officer responded to an arson call at the River Crest Condos in North Bend. An employee reported that a smoke odor was noticeable during the morning inspection. The employee found hay bales in a garage storage area that had caught fire earlier.

The fire destroyed all the hay and damaged the structure. The officer made note of the damage, and a King County Sheriff’s Office fire investigator was called to investigate further.

February 15, 2024

At 7:38 pm, while officers were on patrol, a call was dispatched for an alarm trip at Mt. Si Quarry in Snoqualmie. The alarm system showed video footage of two subjects walking through the yard. Once officers arrived, they searched and found two young males hiding behind a dump truck.

Both males complied with the officers’ commands and were identified. The males said they were exploring the site because they thought it was cool. Officers did not observe any signs of theft or destruction on the site. Both males were strongly advised not to return to the property and left.

February 16, 2024

At 3:57 pm, officers were dispatched to an accident involving two vehicles at Frontier Ave SE and SE Jacobia. Dispatch reported a problem between the two involved parties while exchanging information; one party had left the scene. Once the officer arrived, he contacted one of the drivers, who explained the collision and that the other vehicle’s driver refused to provide insurance information, grabbed his personal belongings from the vehicle, and walked toward nearby apartments.

Officers cleared the scene and impounded the vehicle of the absent driver. The officers arrived at the apartment complex to review camera footage to identify the suspect potentially. Observing the footage, officers matched the suspect’s description from the car crash scene with the apartment complex camera footage and the vehicle’s license plate. An identification check showed the person having a suspended license. Charges were then forwarded to a prosecutor for a hit-and-run and driving with a suspended license in the 3^rd degree. 

February 16, 2024

At 10:54 pm, officers were dispatched to a traffic hazard call. Dispatch reported that a tree had come down on SE Kinsey Street and was blocking traffic. Once the officer arrived on the scene, he observed a downed tree that had hit a truck, noticing that the tree appeared to have been pulled out of the ground by the wind. The officer requested Snoqualmie Public Works to come out and clear the tree. The truck’s owner was provided with a case number for insurance purposes.

February 16, 2024

An officer responded to a call regarding a familiar subject who had run away. It was reported that the subject ran away on foot, and family members were actively searching. After conducting various area checks, an officer coordinated higher-level assistance from outside agencies. With family permission, an officer posted a photo of the runaway subject on social media to get community assistance.

Citizen calls came in about the subject, who was spotted in different areas. The last sighting report led officers to where the subject was. Officers contacted the subject, who initially was distraught from the interaction, but was able to calm with the officers’ help. The subject was safely taken home by a parent.

February 17, 2024

While patrolling in Snoqualmie, officers were dispatched to a collision involving a single driver. Upon arrival, officers observed a vehicle on its side that appeared to have struck a tree. The driver was already out of the vehicle and provided details on the incident, stating before driving, he had been playing golf and drinking with friends. He also stated he was fine and did not have any injuries. Fire and aid units evaluated him. During the officer’s conversation with the driver, he noticed that his speech was slurred and he was having trouble with balance.

The driver was asked to perform voluntary field sobriety tests. He declined. Shortly after being cleared by aid, the driver vomited on the fire truck. Once he was okay, he was placed in custody for driving under the influence. While in transport to the police station for DUI processing, the individual vomited several more times in the patrol car. During the DUI and Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) processing, he vomited more, causing incomplete errors in the process. The driver was then transported to the hospital to have a legal blood draw done off a blood warrant. Once the blood draw was concluded, he was released to his place of residence with a citation for DUI with a mandatory court date. 

February 18, 2024

While on routine patrol at the North Bend Outlet Mall, an officer noticed a vehicle slow down next to a business and suddenly speed off. The car did not have a rear license plate affixed to it. The vehicle entered the roadway on Bendigo Blvd, cutting into the far lane while turning right. The officer conducted a traffic stop and found that the vehicle had no valid registration. The driver had an expired license and multiple license suspensions. The man received a criminal citation for driving on a suspended license and operating a vehicle without valid registration.

February 19, 2024

While on patrol in Snoqualmie, officers were dispatched to the Snoqualmie Safeway to document an incident information report. The store reported that at 10:34 am, an unknown suspect had a cart full of miscellaneous food items in the self-checkout section. The female suspect’s cart contained merchandise totaling $800.

The female scanned about $100 in merchandise and would pay for it. The employee believed the suspect would try to push out the additional unpaid merchandise. When the employee confronted the female, she was given a $100 bill, and the suspect left the store without the merchandise. The employee provided the officer with a photo of the suspect and said she would call in the future if she saw the suspect in the store again. 

February 19, 2024

Officers responded to the 76 Station in North Bend to conduct a welfare check on an individual. It was reported that the man was confused about his current location and unsure how to get home. Officers recalled that they had previously helped a man with similar problems.

Upon contacting the man, officers confirmed the individual’s confusion regarding his current location and what year it was. Officers requested an involuntary commitment for the individual to Snoqualmie Valley Hospital out of concern for his mental health.

February 19, 2024

Officers responded to a non-injury accident call near Ballarat Ave in North Bend involving a young male who had gotten into an accident in someone’s front yard. The subject, who admitted to being the driver of the vehicle, knocked over a fire hydrant and drove through a homeowner’s fence. The officer identified the driver of the vehicle as being a minor and noticed a strong odor of intoxicants on his breath.

Before conducting a field sobriety test, the officer requested aid for the driver. The driver had some difficulty performing the tests, and after being medically cleared, he blew past the legal limit for a breath sample. The officer transported the driver to get blood alcohol content (BAC) levels tested before having the driver’s parents come to pick him up with a DUI criminal citation. 

February 21, 2024

At 12:01 pm, an officer was dispatched to a malicious mischief call on SE Center St in Snoqualmie. Dispatch said that the reporting person wanted a phone call from an officer to report juveniles throwing fireworks off the roof onto patrons.

The reporting person explained that around 8 pm, a group of juveniles climbed up on the roof of No Boat Brewery and threw fireworks at patrons as they were leaving. The reporting person believed the individuals had climbed a 6-foot retaining wall and a fenced area to gain access, but no damage was reported.

February 21, 2024

An officer was at the North Bend Outlet Mall when a theft in-progress call went out. It was reported that a male and female had walked out of the Nike store with unpaid merchandise. The officer quickly located a vehicle that the two suspects were in – sitting in the back of the vehicle. The vehicle driver was not involved in the shoplifting but had multiple warrants.

The two suspects in the back seat matched the description of the theft in progress call. The driver was arrested and transported to King County Jail on a warrant. The male suspect charged with theft 3 was arrested and booked into SCORE Jail. 

February 22, 2024

While on patrol in downtown Snoqualmie, an officer noticed subjects sleeping in the gazebo at Railroad Park. The City of Snoqualmie owns the park, and several signs are posted advising that nighttime use is prohibited. The officer contacted the two subjects, recognizing them from previous encounters.

Both subjects were told that they were trespassing. Dispatch ran both subjects’ names, and both came back with warrants. One subject had a non-extraditable warrant out of the Edmonds Police Department. That subject was advised of his warrant and was warned of trespassing. The other subject was placed in custody under his warrant out of the Snoqualmie Police Department and booked into Issaquah City Jail.

February 24, 2024

While on patrol in Snoqualmie, officers were informed that a citizen would like a phone call from an officer to file a report. A coach of a local soccer team explained that he was receiving threatening texts from a player’s parent, who was complaining that his son needed to start in the games and that the coach did not know how to coach the team.

After the most recent game, the parent sent another text to the coach saying that once again his child was not started, and that the next time he saw the coach, he would beat him up. The officer explained options to the coach, who stated he would just like the officer to talk to the parent and explain that if he were contacted again, he would be met with criminal charges. The officer attempted to call the parent but was unsuccessful. He left a message asking the parent to return his call. The coach gave a written statement about the incident. 

February 23, 2024 – Theft In-progress

An officer arrived at the Sunglass Hut in the North Bend Outlet Mall for a theft in-progress call. The officer located the two suspects who were witnessed stealing a pair of sunglasses. Upon questioning, the suspects were detained by the officer and admitted to stealing the sunglasses. The officer retrieved the stolen sunglasses with still attached price tag, and returned them to the store. The male suspect who had stolen the sunglasses received a criminal citation for theft in the third degree. 

February 24, 2024 – DUI

At 9:49 pm, dispatch reported a reckless driver near Snoqualmie Parkway and Fairway Ave SE. It was reported that a suspected DUI driver drove into the curb twice, popping two tires, and was driving into oncoming traffic. Officers were able to locate the vehicle with two popped tires in a residence’s driveway. The officer contacted the owner of the house, who was the suspect’s wife. The officer explained the reason for the contact. The wife seemed surprised by the damage to the car and explained that the car was her husband’s and did not realize he was home.

A short while later, the husband came to the door with an obvious odor of alcohol, slurred speech, and swayed balance. The husband explained that he was drinking at a North Bend restaurant approximately an hour earlier and decided to drive home. The officer received enough information to place the husband under arrest for investigation of DUI. 

February 24, 2024

Officers assisted a suicidal person near downtown North Bend. The individual had called in requesting help from the police department as she was feeling suicidal. An officer arrived, along with Eastside Fire. The officer convinced the individual to go to the hospital, and she agreed. The case has been forwarded to the police department’s mental health professional for follow-up.

[Information provided by the Snoqualmie/North Bend Police Department]