The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a total of 295 calls for service from April 11-18. Deputies conducted 74 traffic stops, of which 3 resulted in criminal (misdemeanor/felony) charges.

April 11: Deputies arrested a man in Brinnon for physical control of a vehicle while under the influence, and possession of drugs, after discovering the man slumped over in his vehicle, while they were investigating a separate incident, with obvious drugs and paraphernalia scattered around him. Suspected methamphetamine and fentanyl were discovered during a search.

• A deputy investigated a fraud case in Port Ludlow, after Kitsap Bank called with a concern for one of their customers who seemed “under duress” when they closed all of their accounts down, and stated they weren’t allowed to discuss why they were doing so. The deputy found the client of the bank was a victim of a scam, with the scammers posing as federal agents on the phone and via email. The victim’s computer had been taken over by the scammers, which the deputy recognized based on suspicious activity on the computer’s monitor, and assisted the victim with securing it, to prevent any further identity theft from occurring.

April 12: A sailboat was reported adrift in the Port Ludlow area, a mile north of the Hood Canal Bridge. This appeared to have been a vessel which has repeatedly been reported as adrift or grounded on various beaches the past few days. The Coast Guard was notified of the rogue vessel.

April 13: A caller in the greater Irondale region reported dirt bikes in Irondale Park tearing the place up. A deputy, who was in the area at the time the call was made, did not witness any motorized bikes of any sort in the area. A large family gathering was taking place in the park.

April 14: Animal Control took a report of an animal bite in the Brinnon area, after a caller stated a dog had bit them while they were walking along the roadway. The caller was unsure of where the dog might live, and had never seen it before.

April 15: A deputy responded to a report of an overdue person in the Brinnon area, after a hiker did not return home from their trip and report to work as they were expected to. While heading to the last known location of the hiker, the deputy passed by the missing hiker as they were driving back home. The caller reported to the deputy they’d heard from the hiker, and they were indeed fine.

April 16: Deputies assisted Port Townsend Police with a report of gunshots. Additional callers eventually clarified the gunshots were actually just the sounds of a vehicle backfiring and running very, very poorly. The driver of the vehicle was contacted, after the vehicle was parked on the roadway in a manner that made it hazardous to other drivers. 

April 17: Animal Control responded to a loose dog in the Port Hadlock area. The dog was running loose throughout a neighborhood, and had residents concerned it would be struck by a vehicle. The dog was not located in the area.

April 18: A deputy investigated a report of fraud in the Brinnon area. A caller reported being the victim of credit card fraud, and was seeking a police report to assist with reversing the charges, as well as tracking down who the suspect is. The victim was provided a written statement form to fill out, along with a request to provide bank statements detailing the fraudulent charges.