San Juan County Sheriff’s Department reported responding to these calls:
Aug. 16: A late-night detour into a ditch prompted the arrest of a Lopez Island woman for DUI. The 63-year-old was taken into custody in the 6000 block of Fisherman Bay Road shortly before midnight after she reportedly failed a series of field sobriety tests.
Aug. 17: A 35-year-old Orcas Island man was flown off-island for treatment of a fractured femur and possible hip injury after his paraglider crashed on Deer Harbor Road only moments before touchdown. The man, an Issaquah resident as well, took off from the top of Turtleback Mountain and intended to land near the family home when a heavy gust of wind reportedly spoiled a would-be soft landing and slammed him against the pavement in the 2000 block of Deer Harbor Road, shortly before 6 p.m. He was dragged for a short distance within the wreckage before coming to a stop.
— An episode of erratic driving in the streets of Friday Harbor prompted an early morning arrest of a San Juan Island man for DUI. The 56-year-old, behind the wheel of a black Cherokee jeep at the time, was pulled over near the intersection of A and First streets at about 8 a.m.
— A dispute over an assigned parking space at a Friday Harbor apartment complex erupted into an altercation and subsequent noontime arrest of a San Juan Island man for harassment and assault. The 51-year-old, reportedly enraged that a taxi was parked in a space assigned to him, tried without success to first use his car as a blockade, hurled trash and profanities at the driver as he maneuvered around it, then used his body to prevent the taxi from leaving and allegedly punched the driver in an ensuing confrontation. After retaliating, the driver reportedly stumbled back into the cab and drew a gun on his adversary. The apartment dweller was taken into custody at the sheriff’s office, where he gone to alert authorities about skirmish.
Sept. 1: An alleged attack on his wife prompted the arrest of a Seattle man for assault at a Orcas Island home. The 45-year-old, who was taken into custody at about 10 p.m. at a Eastsound-area home, allegedly threw his spouse onto a coffee table, tried to choke her and then hurled her against a door. The woman fled the home and called 9-1-1.
— A late-night single car collision led to the arrest of an Orcas Island man for DUI. The 23-year-old, who was taken into custody at about 2 a.m. in the 1300 block of West Beach Road, veered off-road and through a yard, crashed into a deck and then ended up at the bottom of a deep ravine with minor injuries. The man’s license, issued in North Carolina, had reportedly been revoked because of a prior DUI.
Sept. 3: A meander over a fog line in the road led to an early evening arrest of a San Juan Island man for DUI, resisting arrest and two counts of assault. The 55-year-old, who was pulled over at about 5:30 p.m. near the intersection of Treeline Drive and Portland Fair Road, allegedly assaulted a deputy at the scene of the arrest and assaulted another while being booked at the Sheriff’s office.
— Scott Rasmussen
