A carrier delivering a Sunday paper reported a Ford Explorer in some bushes at 5:01 a.m., Feb. 19, in the 2200 block of 77th Avenue S.E. A 24-year-old man was unconscious in the driver’s seat after consuming alcohol. The vehicle went off the road and became stuck due to an incline and wet grass. An open beer can was in the center console. A police officer detected a strong odor of intoxicants around the man, who fumbled through money in his wallet when he was contacted. The suspect left his vehicle abruptly and was considerably off-balance, having to steady himself on the vehicle, according to the case report. His explanation for running into the bushes was that he was resting. He was cited and arrested at 5:20 a.m. and his vehicle was towed.
Feb. 15
Order violation: A 48-year-old woman reported being contacted by her ex-boyfriend, 50, via email after Feb. 10 in direct violation of a temporary protection order. The suspect was cited on investigation.
Accident: Police responded to a one-vehicle accident at 9:35 p.m. at Luther Burbank Park in the 2000 block of 84th Avenue S.E. The driver, 23, said a red pickup tried passing him to his right as he was leaving the parking lot. He steered to the left to avoid a collision with the truck and struck a concrete curb, which damaged the front end of his vehicle. He did not obtain the truck’s license plate number, and it left the scene.
Feb. 16
Accident: A 42-year-old bicyclist was cited for improper passing at 7:48 a.m. in the 7800 block of North Mercer Way. He struck a sedan that was making a right turn. There were no injuries, but dizziness was reported. One witness was present.
Theft: Someone stole a GPS Garmin worth $150 from a 66-year-old Mercer Island man’s bicycle left unattended for 10 minutes after 12:40 p.m. along the bike trail in the 2600 block of 80th Avenue S.E.
Feb. 17
Accident: A vehicle backed out of the Shell gas station, across both lanes in the 7700 block of S.E. 29th Street, and struck and knocked down a metal light pole at 3:35 p.m. The driver, a 65-year-old man, was not injured, and the vehicle was not towed.
Pedestrian hit: A bicyclist struck a 45-year-old woman from behind after dark at 6:25 p.m. in the 8900 block of North Mercer Way. The woman, wearing black clothing and carrying a small flashlight, was walking westbound on the wrong side of the road. The bicyclist, 55, had a headlight mounted on his bike. He sustained injuries to his head, face, shoulder and back, and the woman had back and hand injuries; both were taken to a hospital.
Lost wallet: A 29-year-old Maple Valley man lost his wallet, which contained $700 and his driver’s license, sometime after 5:30 p.m. He noticed it was missing at 7 p.m. and thought he left it at the Shell gas station on S.E. 28th Street. An officer responded.
Bike theft: A 15-year-old student’s bicycle was stolen from Mercer Island High School sometime between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. The bike, worth $600, had not been secured.
Feb. 18
Accident: A Ford Focus ran a stop sign at 8:50 a.m. in the intersection of S.E. 40th Street and Gallagher Hill Road, and struck an oncoming sedan driven by an 83-year-old man making a left-hand turn on a wet road. The 38-year-old driver of the Ford was cited for negligent driving. Both vehicles were towed, and no injuries were reported.
Lost wallet: A 71-year-old woman reported that her wallet was missing after 4 p.m., Feb. 17. She discovered it was missing while checking out at the South end QFC. The wallet contained $400, several bank cards, and an Ohio driver’s license.
Feb. 19
Assault: Police responded to a physical disturbance at an apartment complex in the 3200 block of West Concord Way after 1:10 a.m. The disturbance involved both an assault and malicious mischief. The 25-year-old male suspect fled the scene before police arrived. One witness was present.
Feb. 21
Swamped kayak: A 58-year-old woman reported a swamped 16-foot kayak floating near her dock in the 9700 block of S.E. 61st Place.
Feb. 22
Blackmail: A 43-year-old Mercer Island woman reported that three unknown men contacted her at work, trying to collect her ex-husband’s debt, after Feb. 16. They also contacted her via phone and gave her three days to pay “or else,” and they left a package of documents at her house indicating that she is under their surveillance.
