A 17-year-old boy came home in the evening and found a strange woman inside, stealing items, on Tuesday, Nov. 20, in the 4300 block of West Mercer Way, south of West Mercer Elementary.

The intruder fled through the front door of the residence and drove away. Multiple items handled by the suspect were taken into evidence, including perfume bottles, a perfume box, toothbrushes and a pack of Glide dental floss. The woman also left behind a tote that she had been holding, and dropped a jewelry box along with a plastic bag full of clothes.

A sweater at the scene, similar to what the suspect was wearing, was also taken into evidence. Fingerprints were lifted from several places.

Nov. 16

Arrest: A 31-year-old man was arrested on a misdemeanor warrant and booked into the Issaquah Jail.

Nov. 17

DUI: The 17-year-old driver of a BMW was contacted by a police officer after entering the South Mercer Playfields parking lot in the 8200 block of S.E. 78th Street. The driver had been drinking, and he took standard sobriety tests that showed his impairment. He was arrested at 12:12 a.m. and was released to his father.

Fender-bender: A South end QFC male employee’s vehicle was struck and damaged while the victim was working between 2 and 10:30 p.m. His vehicle was parked in the QFC lot.

Forgery: Someone used forged prescriptions in an attempt to obtain prescription medication at 4:25 p.m. at Walgreens in the 7700 block of S.E. 27th Street. One witness was present.

Nov. 19

Burglary: A 58-year-old man interrupted a burglary at 10:30 a.m. inside a residence in the 3200 block of 74th Avenue S.E., in a neighborhood west of the Mercerdale Hillside. The man responded to a “thump” in the back bedroom. He discovered that a bedroom window was open, and it should have been locked. Dresser drawers were halfway open but no items were missing.

Nov. 20

Ditched: A police officer discovered an unoccupied Mazda in a ditch at 3 a.m. off a curve in the 5400 block of East Mercer Way during a routine patrol. When the vehicle’s registered owner was contacted, he said that his son, 18, had driven off the road when the road was wet, but was not injured. The vehicle was towed out of the ditch.

Burglary: A 66-year-old Mercer Island man found his garage door open when he came home in the 4100 block of 78th Avenue S.E., a neighborhood above West Mercer Way. Two Apple iMacs had been stolen out of his residence sometime around 7:30 a.m.

Lunch box mystery: A wallet, phone and other personal items were found inside a lunch box by the side of the road in the 7000 block of S.E. 24th Street at 1 p.m. A 76-year-old woman reported it to police. Police were unable to locate the owner.

Flat tires: Someone flattened the tires of a Mercedes-Benz between 2 and 10:30 p.m. in the South end QFC lot in the 8400 block of S.E. 68th Street. The vehicle, which belonged to a 40-year-old QFC employee, was also keyed from bumper to bumper. The total damage was $1,000.

Fraud: A 76-year-old Mercer Island woman reported that her name was used to open multiple fraudulent credit cards after Nov. 1.

Subjects used a 39-year-old North end man’s personal information, including his Social Security number and old home address, to open an AT&T phone account. Charges on the account, beginning May 8, amounted to $2,886.15.

Nov. 21

Lost: A Subaru was abandoned, high-centered, on a concrete retaining wall along a driveway in the 2200 block of 77th Avenue S.E. after leaving the main road and entering private property. A police officer contacted the driver’s wife four blocks away and she said that her 83-year-old husband had become lost while returning home at night, and lost his car. He searched for the car the next day but could not find it. A light standard was damaged on the property, and the Subaru sustained front-end damage. No charges were filed but the driver must take a driver’s license test.

Malicious mischief: Someone drove a vehicle onto private property in the 7600 block of S.E. 22nd Street sometime overnight. Two large bushes on the property line were damaged.

Assault: A North end woman called 911 when she observed a guest being assaulted on her front porch at 11:56 p.m., the evening before Thanksgiving. A 31-year-old man was physically assaulting his ex-girlfriend, also 31, for refusing to leave with him. The witness’s daughter confronted the suspect, a Seattle resident, who fled to his car and drove away. The suspect’s offenses included counts of kidnapping in the second degree; assault; and violating a protection order.

Accident: A van rear-ended a Honda sedan waiting at a red light at the intersection of North Mercer Way and 80th Avenue S.E. at 3:05 p.m. The driver of the van, who said he thought the sedan was going forward, was cited for driver inattention. The driver of the sedan reported neck pain.

Fraud: An 84-year-old Mercer Island man was defrauded out of $2,300. He was tricked into wiring money, through Western Union, to a man who claimed to be his grandson, in trouble in Mexico City. The real grandson is a resident of Hawaii.

Checkbook theft: A 22-year-old Shorewood woman’s boyfriend, 27, stole her checkbook in the 9000 block of West Shorewood Drive and wrote three checks to himself. The loss was $400.

Nov. 22

DUI: A 79-year-old intoxicated woman nearly drove into a police vehicle in the 7800 block of S.E. 27th Street. The woman, in a Honda Civic, was driving in a wrong lane and was arrested at 10:58 p.m. She was later released.

Nov. 24

Marijuana DUI: A significantly impaired 18-year-old male was arrested at 1:41 a.m. in the 4100 block of Island Crest Way during a traffic stop. Police found a pipe and marijuana in the driver’s pocket, and he also had a fake Maryland driver’s license. He was released to his mother after a blood draw.

Driving offense: Police stopped a Chevrolet truck at 2:40 p.m. in the 2900 block of 78th Avenue S.E. when a check showed the registered owner’s license was suspended. The 25-year-old driver exited the truck and “said she wasn’t driving,” according to the case report. She was cited for driving with a suspended license but was released at the scene. The vehicle was registered to a 26-year-old Bellevue man, and it was impounded.

Minor liquor violation: A police officer contacted three teenagers in a vehicle at Islander Middle School at 11:44 p.m. When a strong odor of alcohol became apparent, two teenagers, both 16, admitted consuming four beers. The driver had not been drinking. The two passengers were picked up by their parents at the scene.

Nov. 25

DUI: Police stopped a Pontiac for speeding 13 mph above the limit at 2:48 a.m. in the 4500 block of Island Crest Way. When a strong odor of intoxicants was evident, the 23-year-old driver admitted consuming alcohol and failed standard sobriety tests. He was arrested and later released.

Arrest: Police arrested a 27-year-old man at 11:54 p.m. in the 4000 block of Island Crest Way for not having a valid operator’s license and no other ID. Police initially stopped the vehicle for a suspended license violation. The driver denied being the registered owner and gave a false name. Later at the police station he gave his correct name and police found a no-bail Kelso warrant for his arrest. He was booked into the King County Jail.

Nov. 26

Fender-bender: A police officer parked in the 2800 block of West Mercer Way at 5:23 a.m. heard a minor collision behind his patrol car. A sedan rear-ended a vehicle stopped to make a left turn. The driver of the sedan said that he was distracted by the patrol vehicle — which had its regular lights on — and the stopped vehicle did not have a turn signal on. The other driver, however, said that his turn signal was on. No citations were issued.

Metal theft: Copper pipe was stolen from a construction site in the 2400 block of 76th Avenue S.E. sometime after Nov. 12. An estimated $6,600 worth of pipe was taken. No security surveillance is available, but employees are suspected.

Statue theft: A wooden deer statue worth $50 was stolen out of a 75-year-old man’s yard in the 6200 block of 84th Avenue S.E. The man had just set up five wooden deer — which he had purchased in Montana — next to his flower bed, the previous day.

Phone theft: A cell phone worth $650 was stolen out of a backpack in the Mercer Island High School gym around 4:50 p.m. at 9100 S.E. 42nd Street. The phone cannot be tracked.

Nov. 27

Suspected burglary: A 24-year-old live-in nanny returned home with the children in her care and heard a loud bang after the kids went upstairs, in the 2200 block of 82nd Avenue S.E., in the neighborhood adjacent to the community center and Luther Burbank Park. The nanny found that drawers were open in both kids’ bedrooms and the bathroom around 4 p.m. She took the kids and left the house, called police and went to another residence. Police searched the house and found the open drawers. No items were missing.

Generator theft: A 38-year-old man left his portable power generator next to his garage for two weeks and noticed it was gone around 4 p.m. in the 3700 block of 77th Place S.E. Workers at a new neighbor’s residence are suspected.