The Port Townsend Police Department received a total of 151 calls between Friday, May 27, and Thursday, June 2.  Below are selected reports.

At 7:10 a.m. Friday, May 27, a caller in the 2600 block of Highland Loop reported that a resident they had been assisting had received death threats online. The victim received a message the day before from someone in a Google chat room that said they were going to come over and kill them. The same user sent an image of a gun to the victim right after.

Then, they told the victim to give them money or else they would shoot them. The user was blocked by the victim and they reported the incident to police as well as Google. The messages are likely a scam, and law enforcement later discovered the scam was coming from a user in Africa.

At 2:30 p.m. Friday, May 27, a caller near the Sherman Street and Third Street intersection reported to police that two men appeared to be digging in a city right-of-way with backhoes.

After the caller conversed with the two men, they said that they were helping with drainage. The men didn’t respond after the caller asked if the city was aware of what they were doing. The city was advised of the situation and told police they would send a supervisor to visit the right-of-way and check it out. 

At 3:15 p.m. Friday, May 27, in the 1200 block of Sims Way, a caller told police that their bank account had been hacked for $36,000.

The hacker had access to the caller’s bank account and email. The crime is under investigation and authorities are awaiting further records.

At 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 27, a resident in the 600 block of Hancock Street reported potential animal abuse.

They said a dog nearby appeared to be abandoned and is left outside all the time. The canine appeared to be an elderly Labrador or retriever, and the caller said it was whining. Officers arrived and the canine was observed to be nourished with access to healthy food and water.

The dog was also able to open the apartment door of its owner at will. The animal opened the door and went inside when officers approached. They attempted to contact the owner, but nobody answered.

At 4:45 a.m. Saturday, May 28, an attempted lumber theft was reported in the 100 block of Taylor Street.

A man was reportedly seen taking lumber from a nearby construction site. Officers found the suspect and he told the officers that he was staying at the Palace Hotel nearby and got into an argument with his spouse, then started walking around downtown.

Officers noted that the man appeared to be intoxicated. Considering that the man didn’t have a vehicle or any way to steal the lumber, officers chose to let the man go and trespassed him from the construction site.

At 3:20 a.m. Sunday, May 29, a welfare check was requested in the 200 block of Monroe Street for a woman who appeared to be having a mental breakdown.

Officers arrived on the scene to speak to the woman, who was upset because her boyfriend broke up with her.

The officers attempted to speak with her but she kept crying and cursing and wasn’t responding to deescalation attempts. She was also offered medical treatment and refused.

The woman was living in a homeless shelter nearby, and staff requested that she be removed for the outburst. The woman gathered her belongings and left. Officers asked if she was suicidal or had any thoughts of hurting herself, and she said no and then left the area.