An Island County Sheriff’s deputy who was a victim of budget cuts likely saved a woman’s life during his last week on the job, according to Detective Sgt. Mike Beech.
With the help of a victim, investigators solved dozens of theft cases and uncovered a group of Oak Harbor thieves who were selling stolen electronics on eBay, according to the Island County Sheriff’s Office.
Detective Sgt. Mike Beech said investigators arrested three people last week in connection with a rash of boat break-ins on North Whidbey.
Oak Harbor police and Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents arrested a suspected OxyContin dealer Wednesday.
An undercover agent purchased a bottle of 42 pills of 80-milligram OxyContin from 24-year-old Joshua Adams of Oak Harbor, according to Oak Harbor police. The agent paid $2,500 for the small bottle of pills, then police promptly swooped in and arrested him.
A man suspected in the Jan. 4 armed robbery of Linds Pharmacy and Drug in Coupeville was caught after committing a similar crime in Oregon, according to the Island County Sheriff’s Office.
George Skurtu, a 22-year-old Bremerton resident, and his alleged accomplice were stopped by police Jan. 7 after a robbery at the Pill Box Pharmacy in Dallas, Ore.
A 28-year-old Oak Harbor man who raped a child received the maximum sentence.
A jury in Island County Superior Court found Jason Bridges guilty of the rape of a child in the first degree following a trial last November. His victim was a 6-year-old girl.
The total assessed value of Island County decreased in 2009 for the first time in at least two decades.
Island County Assessor Dave Mattens said the county’s total assessed value dipped by about 2 percent to $14,629,093,831 in 2009. That assessment will be used for the tax year 2010.
A 61-year-old child molester who was wanted on a warrant out of Island County Superior Court for more than 30 years finally faced justice Monday.
Judge Vickie Churchill revoked the deferred sentence William Minish received in a 1978 plea bargain and sent him to prison for 10 years.
Deputies are searching for a man who robbed a bank in Freeland Thursday at about 5:45 p.m.
Island County Sheriff Mark Brown said the masked man walked into the Chase Bank on N. Main Street and demanded money, implying that he was armed with a gun. A teller placed an undisclosed amount of cash into a small blue bag that the robber brought with him.
A former member of the Aquajets swim team who was allegedly sexually abused by a swim coach in the 1990s has filed a $15 million claim for damages against North Whidbey Park and Recreation District.
Police are conducting extra patrols around the Whidbey News-Times office in Oak Harbor after employees discovered evidence that someone — or something — may have been staying overnight in the building.
Circulation director Lynette Reeff said employees became suspicious after a series of mysterious incidents in recent weeks.
Island County commissioners replaced the chairman of the county’s planning commission with a man who brings a much different perspective to land-use issues.
A couch-surfing Oak Harbor resident who tried to molest an 11-year-old boy faces a contested sentencing hearing next month.
Brandon Cole, 26, pleaded guilty in Island County Superior Court Jan. 4 to attempted child molestation in the first degree. His sentencing hearing will be Feb. 16 at 1:30 p.m.
A 25-year-old Oak Harbor man is facing jail time for threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend, court documents indicate.
Prosecutors charged Leo Mathis in Island County Superior Court Dec. 14 with harassments (threats to kill), misdemeanor violation of a court order and telephone harassment. He pleaded not guilty Dec. 28.
