Melee over money, burglar targets booze, Chihuahua nearly barbecued ; San Juan County Sheriff’s Log

— A Seattle woman could possibly face criminal charges for leaving a chihuahua inside a Honda sedan, in the sun and without water, after parking it in downtown Friday Harbor. The incident is under review as a potential case of animal neglect.

San Juan County Sheriff’s Department reported responding to these calls:

April 22: A San Juan Island man claims someone broke into his Cattle Point Road home, ate some of his food, and stole about $310 worth of booze during an apparent home invasion. Three days earlier, an unidentified amount of liquor also disappeared in an apparent break-in of the home in which the 70-year-old’s daughter lives as well; the two live about a mile apart.

A Lopez Island man faces a possible DUI charge following a single-car collision near the intersection of Airport and Fisherman Bay roads. The 46-year-old drove off the roadway and into a ditch at about 4 p.m. Although he initially claimed to be uninjured, the man reportedly was unable to stand up on his own and, following an evaluation at the scene by EMS personnel, was flown off-island for medical treatment.

April 28: Someone smashed out the driver’s side window of a pickup parked near Turtleback Mountain trailhead at Crow Valley Road and stole $100 in cash and a GPS device in an apparent early evening theft. The driver of the pickup, a 17-year-old Orcas Island girl, and a 17-year-old female friend, discovered the damage and items missing after reportedly returning to the parking lot at about 9 p.m.

April 29: Nearly $1,000 in personal belonging vanished from a Subaru sedan in an apparent mid-afternoon theft at the Lopez Island ferry terminal parking lot. The owner of the sedan, a 27-year-old Lopez Island woman, reportedly left it in the parking lot at about 1:30 p.m. and discovered $998 worth of belongings were no longer inside the vehicle when she returned at about 7 p.m.; report of the incident does not indicate whether it was locked at the time.

May 3: Accusations of a free-roaming pit bull and threats of violence are the latest in a long-running series complaints — No. 17, to date — in a dispute over a trailer parked on property belonging to a Lopez Island woman. The 53-year-old accused the couple who reportedly have resisted moving their trailer from her property of Aleck Bay Road of allowing their pit bull to run loose in her yard. A 34-year-old woman claims that the woman’s boyfriend recently threatened her with harm. Local prosecutors reportedly notified the combatants earlier that law enforcement officials will not take sides in the property dispute.

May 4: A dispute over money between two Orcas Island men erupted into a mid-afternoon altercation in Eastsound village. The two men reportedly came to blows in the 100 block of Prune Alley shortly before 3 p.m., after a 52-year-old man, who claims he is owed money, began yelling at his 22-year-old adversary during the confrontation. Neither of the men reportedly intend to press charges at this time.

A Seattle woman could possibly face criminal charges for leaving a Chihuahua inside a Honda sedan, in the sun and without water, after parking it in downtown Friday Harbor. The incident is under review as a potential case of animal neglect. The dog reportedly appeared to be nearly comatose when a deputy arrived at the scene, at about 11:30 a.m., and called for a locksmith to unlock the car doors. Given water and shade, it recovered from the apparent bout of heatstroke and was taken to the animal shelter, and later released to its 21-year-old owner, who reportedly was concerned about its condition and vowed never again to leave it alone in a car.

May 9: A warrant issued in a Ferndale courtroom prompted an early afternoon arrest of a Bellingham man at San Juan Island’s Jackson Beach. The 47-year-old was taken into custody shortly after 1 p.m., about two hours after another Bellingham man was pronounced dead at Jackson Beach following a fatal diving accident earlier in the day.

— Scott Rasmussen