by Meredith M. Griffith

Sounder contributor

The questions came thick and fast.

Nearly 50 islanders gathered at the Eastsound fire hall on Dec. 10 to discuss a rash of vehicle break-ins on and around Thanksgiving weekend. County Council Chairman Rick Hughes, Sheriff Rob Nou, Deputies Doug Maya and Ray Harvey and Michael Jennings of the county juvenile court answered queries that ranged from “Do you have a suspect yet?” to “What is being done to address the homeless camps on Orcas?”

“It’s still very much an active investigation,” said Nou. “Evidence has been sent to the lab.”

Due to the fairly narrow time window (less than 10 days) and the similarities seen in the crimes, he said the break-ins may have been committed by the same group of people – possibly holiday visitors.

The break-ins took place at the end of November, beginning with an attempt to force a vehicle door at Turtleback Mountain’s north trailhead. A second attempt at the south trailhead succeeded, followed by a third break-in at the north trailhead.

On Nov. 30, two vehicle break-ins occurred at the athletic center between 6 and 7:30 p.m., another at Orcas schools around 8:30 p.m., and the ferry tollbooth was broken into between 8:30 and 10 p.m. Stolen property from the vehicles was found scattered across the island, from a wooded corner of Eastsound to Rosario and Moran state park.

Nou and Harvey asked people to lock their cars, despite the potential cost of damage to vehicle windows, but also urged them to keep valuables out of sight.

“Not as much investigation can be done with a vehicle that’s unlocked,” Nou explained.

Many community members queried the sheriff about various residences widely believed to be engaged in illegal drug manufacturing and sale. They asked why more wasn’t being done; why undercover investigations aren’t being conducted; and why deputies in patrol cars weren’t sitting in those driveways instead of giving out speeding tickets.

“People just have to understand how difficult it is,” said Hughes. “If you stretched Orcas out, it’s the size of Manhattan.”

Orcas covers roughly 60 square miles, yet there are just two deputies on duty “on a good day,” said Nou.

Two deputies are required to respond to domestic violence calls, and if an arrest is made, one deputy must accompany the prisoner to the holding facility on San Juan Island.

Nou said the department does patrol areas of suspected criminal activity whenever possible. Maya said they haven’t encountered any activity at the rumored makeshift homeless tent sites.

Nou added that traffic stops can play a surprising role in bringing dealers to justice, since it’s a lot easier to stop a car for a minor traffic infraction than it is to show “probable cause” in order to obtain a search warrant.

According to Hughes, the county council is working with the Land Bank to identify parcels on which there is suspected illegal activity. Nou has been working with the Lummi nation to get direct authority to police Madrona Point. There are also plans to replace the wooded area behind the Buck Park skate park with an off-leash dog area, which Hughes said may discourage shady activity.

Multiple attendees continued to raise questions about ongoing problems with neighboring properties they believe house drug addicts and dealers. They asked whether the county could play a more active role in policing infractions like derelict vehicles in protected wetlands, burning of garbage and violations of residential density code. They also inquired about legal forfeiture of properties where drugs are involved.

Hughes responded by offering his phone number and email address, saying he can direct concerns like these to the relevant county personnel.

“If you don’t hear back, just pester me,” he said. “I’ll do my best to get to it soon.”

There was frustration evident on both sides: community members cited worsening problems with drug use and crime that have been going on – in one case, for more than 20 years. The sheriff, deputies and Hughes consistently responded by citing a lack of resources.

For example, Hughes said the sheriff’s department has requested an additional deputy for the past two years, and the request has been denied. Maya said there is no budget for additional, unmarked vehicles that would allow deputies to gather data less conspicuously.

There was consensus on one front: neighborhood watch-type action can be very effective at deterring criminal activity. While they cautioned against vigilante behavior or personally confronting suspected criminals, the sheriff and deputies did encourage islanders to call the sheriff’s department with any specific information they can gather, including license plates and unusual vehicle traffic patterns.

Callers who wish to remain unidentified can use the Anonymous Tip Line at 370-7629.

“Information that comes through the tip line is not generally actionable by itself,” said Nou.

But it’s certainly better than not calling in at all, he said.

“Sometimes there’s a little piece of information that brings the whole picture into focus,” Nou said.

He also promised to provide the community with more specifics on how islanders can help. Watch for more information in the Sounder soon.