COLBY-ABBOTSFORD POLICE

D EPARTMENT

■ July 9 - An officer received an animal neglect complaint from an Abbotsford landlord. The landlord said they had been renting to an individual for the past few months but had not heard from them in weeks. The previous day, the landlord had gone to the residence to try to meet with the tenant about unpaid rent. They were unable to make contact with the tenant after knocking on the door for some time. The landlord could smell a strong odor of urine and feces coming from the residence and heard a dog whining on the other side of the door. The landlord had not realized that the tenant had their dog in the apartment still and went inside to check on its welfare. The landlord found the apartment in a bad state, and the dog appeared dehydrated as there was no water left for it and it did not appear to be able to stand up on its own. The landlord gave the dog water and reached out to the tenant regarding the lack of rent payment and dog’s condition.

The tenant got back to the landlord that morning and said they had a friend stop over periodically to care for the dog. The tenant didn’t have a good answer regarding the rent or living status. The landlord felt that the conditions the dog was left in were nowhere near appropriate and called law enforcement to check it out. The landlord was about to go back inside the residence to see if the dog needed more water and led the officer inside.

At the door to the residence, the officer could smell a strong odor of urine and feces. When the door opened, the smell was overpowering and made it hard to breathe. The officer observed feces covering the floor and what appeared to be large stains of dried urine. The windows were open to alleviate some of the stench. The dog was located in the living room. It stood up and took a few steps but did not move from its spot the entire time the officer was inside. It did not appear to be in imminent danger, but did not look to be in full health. The dog was not skinny or malnourished, but the officer suspected it was recovering from dehydration.

Numerous empty containers were placed throughout the residence. The officer suspected they had at one time been filled with water for the dog. There was a large bag of dog food on the kitchen floor with its top open. The bag was half full and accessible to the dog. The landlord said that when they first came in the day prior, they found the air conditioning unit was knocked over and not functioning, so there was no climate control for an unknown period of time. The landlord had filled a large soup pot full of water, but it had been emptied by the dog since then.

There appeared to be valuables left behind, but the state of the residence suggested that no one had been there for days, possibly a week or more. The landlord advised that they would check on the dog regularly to make sure it received food and water until the owner could be contacted. The officer was provided with the contact information for the tenant and attempted to contact them several times. On July 10, the officer contacted the landlord about the dog’s welfare. The landlord informed the officer that the tenant had shown up the day before, put the dog in a vehicle and left. The landlord was unable to stop the tenant and speak with them. The tenant did not respond when the landlord reached out again. The landlord confirmed that the residence was vacant, but in the same foul condition. The officer referred charges of failure to provide proper drink to confined animals and failure to provide proper shelter/ ventilation to the Clark County DA’s office.

■ July 11 - An officer received a report of a lost wallet. The owner had last seen their wallet while at a store in Abbotsford the day before. The owner said they may have dropped it in the store’s parking lot or at a fitness center they had gone to right after. The wallet is a black bifold Calvin Klein wallet, and has the owner’s ID and debit card inside. The officer called the store to see if anyone had turned the wallet in, but no one had.

■ July 11 - While on patrol, an officer observed a vehicle parked on the side of the roadway with its hazard lights on. The officer ran the registration, and the vehicle came back as belonging to an individual with four warrants and a revoked driver’s license. The officer then observed the vehicle turn into an alleyway. The officer got behind the vehicle and activated their emergency lights. The vehicle continued driving about three quarters of the way through the alleyway before turning and driving over a concrete parking barrier. The vehicle parked and the driver exited.

The driver looked at the squad car and then started walking away. The officer ordered the driver to stay in the car. The driver asked why. The officer escorted the driver to the squad car and asked for identification. The driver verbally identified themselves by an alias. The officer recognized the driver from multiple prior contacts and understood them to be the same individual with multiple warrants out for their arrest. The officer informed them of the warrants and placed the driver in handcuffs. The driver attempted to pull their arms away multiple times while the officer was placing them in handcuffs.

The driver was arrested on warrants for failure to appear in court for the following misdemeanor charges: operating while revoked, disorderly conduct, and resisting an officer. The officer was also advised that the bond conditions through Clark County stated that the driver should not be driving a motor vehicle without a valid license. The driver was transported to the Clark County Jail and issued a citation for operating after revocation due to an alcohol related offense. Charges of resisting an officer and bail jumping misdemeanor were requested.

■ July 11 - An officer took an animal neglect complaint regarding exotic birds inside an Abbotsford store. The complainant said the birds were living in poor conditions and appeared to be sick. The complainant also said the birds were missing nails and shaking. The officer went to the store and met with the owner. The owner led the officer to the corner of the store where there were four large bird cages and a smaller one on top. The cages contained multiple birds of various colors. In front of the cages were two stands, with a parrot resting on one of them.

The owner said the birds got fed and watered everyday, and the cages got cleaned every week. The officer observed bird feces covering the cages and on the ground around the cages. The owner said they had rescued all but two of the birds. They said they took the birds to the vet and provided an invoice for an appointment for two of the birds. The owner said they did not sell the birds in the store and treated them like their children. The owner said they were currently building a larger cage against the east wall of the store and would be placing all the birds there. The owner said the birds had been in the store since it opened, and that health inspectors come once a year and haven’t said anything to them about having the birds in the store.

The officer observed the birds to be in good condition. The officer believed there was possible a health/sanitary issue with having the birds in an open room where produce and consumable goods were being sold. The officer took pictures of the scene and forwarded the report to the health department.

■ July 12 - An officer was dispatched to a Colby residence in reference to a disturbance. The caller said her boyfriend had hit her and she was trying to get away from him. The officer arrived on scene and observed the complainant walking without shoes on and bleeding from both knees. The complainant was crying and still on the phone with dispatch. The officer asked where the boyfriend was. The complainant said he was in her car. The complainant started to cry loudly and stated, “I don’t want him to hurt me.”

The officer escorted the complainant to the back of the squad car and asked about the whereabouts of the couple’s two children. The complainant said they were staying at the boyfriend’s mother’s house. The complainant said they were scared and that the boyfriend was “drunk and high on weed.” The officer asked if the boyfriend possessed any weapons. The complainant said he did not. She said she did not want him to go to jail, but she just didn’t want him to hurt her. She was also worried about him fighting with law enforcement. The officer knew from previous law enforcement contacts that the boyfriend was resistive and uncooperative. While waiting for another unit to detain the boyfriend, the officer asked the complainant what happened. The complainant said they were supposed to have a good time this weekend and she did not know what happened. She also said her boyfriend often chokes her, and the last time he left marks on her neck. She had taken pictures of the injuries but he deleted them. The officer observed bruising on the complainant’s cheekbone and eye, as well as on her forehead. She also had bruises on the side of her chin.

The officer asked if the boyfriend had choked her that day. She said she did not know if he had. The officer asked if she had been pushed. She said he had pushed her by the face, and had also punched her in the face. She said her wrist hurt due to her covering her face when he was punching her. Deputies from Clark County arrived on scene and attempted to detain the boyfriend. The officer was advised that the boyfriend had fled and the officers were pursuing on foot. The complainant got out of the squad when she heard that the boyfriend ran. The officer advised her to stay in the squad for her safety. She said she did not want him to get shot and began crying again.

The officer asked the complainant to explain what had happened today. She said they went to a bar to drink with friends and family, and after a while, the boyfriend got upset with her. She did not know why he was upset and did not remember what the argument had been about. She said she left and got a ride home from a family member. She said she already had the injuries to her knees before she arrived home. She said her boyfriend was brought home by friends and he began yelling at her. His friends tried to calm him down, but he got angrier that they were seemingly taking her side. The complainant noticed that he was getting upset and asked everyone to leave. Once they were alone, she said the boyfriend rushed towards her. She pushed him, and he got mad and started to punch her several times. She was pushed onto the couch and that was when he started to punch her and pull her hair. She was able to break free and ran outside to call 911.

The complainant said they had been living together for four years and had two children together. The officer asked if there was a history of domestic abuse. She talked about an incident that had happened a week prior, but had not resulted in police intervention. The officer documented the complainant’s injuries and advised her not to stay at home, due to the boyfriend not having been detained yet. The complainant stated she would call her parents to pick her up.

The officer took the complainant to the police department while officers continued looking for the boyfriend. EMTs checked the complainant’s injuries while the officer filled out a domestic abuse packet with her. The officer then asked about the incident that had occurred the week prior. The complainant said they were home, and she had asked her boyfriend to help her out with one of the girls. They got into an argument, and the boyfriend ended up throwing his belt towards her. The complainant was able to get out of the way and the belt hit the wall. She then left him alone. She went to the kitchen and he came to apologize to her. She told him that he could have hit her in the face. He then got upset and used both hands to push her. She pushed him back. He then grabbed her by the shirt and began to choke her. She was able to push him off, but he threw her towards the ground. She started to scream and cry. He then stopped. She said their children had been home and could hear them.

The officer was advised that the boyfriend had been located and detained. He was transported to the police station, but was unwilling to cooperate with any questioning. He was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct, battery, strangulation/suffocation, and false imprisonment - all domestic related. He was transported to the Marathon County Jail.

The family member who took the complainant home was later contacted regarding the incident. The family member said the couple were already arguing when they arrived at the bar. The family member was able to separate them and was talking to the complainant inside, while the boyfriend and his friends were outside. The complainant got upset and went outside where she started to get physical with the friends. She fell on her knees and started to bleed, according to the family member. At that point, the family member took her home. Later, the boyfriend and his friends came home. The family member and the friends were trying to calm the couple down, and the family member eventually left. They confirmed that the only injuries the complainant had when they saw her were on her knees. They had not seen any bruises on her face when they left.