Kent officers arrest two at illegal city park homeless camp

Kent Police arrested two people at a homeless camp illegally set up at Riverview Park near the Green River Trail.

Officers visited the camp in the 25500 block of Hawley Road South on June 6 and told four people they had 48 hours to remove their property from the park because it is illegal to camp in city parks, according to the police report. Officers also posted a trespassing warning notice on two campsites.

Police told the four people that if they didn’t move from the park, they would be banned from downtown parks for 45 days.

Two days later, officers returned to the site. Police arrested a man for investigation of second-degree criminal trespassing and littering for failing to leave the area and to remove his property. Officers arrested a woman for investigation of possession of stolen property and littering.

Police reportedly found the woman in possession of a custom-made metal pull wagon owned by Carpinito Brothers nursery, whose staff told officers they wanted charges pressed against anyone found in possession of one of their wagons, valued at about $200. The woman claimed that someone had given the wagon to her.

Officers noted in the report that the sites had damaged the natural environment at the park. They also found car batteries, propane bottles, bicycles, furniture, tools and human excrement. Police estimated they found about 1 cubic yard of debris.

Woman scratches boyfriend in face

Police arrested a woman for investigation of fourth-degree assault after she allegedly grabbed and scratched her boyfriend in the face during a dispute in a vehicle at about 1:53 a.m. June 9 along Central Avenue South.

A woman called 911 to report her boyfriend had hit her and said they were driving southbound on Central Avenue South, according to the police report.

The boyfriend told officers the dispute started in the parking lot of the Central Avenue Pub, 1404 Central Ave. S. He said they argued about his loyalty to their relationship. He agreed to drive her to a friend’s house in Auburn.

But the boyfriend said his girlfriend started to grab him and scratch his face with her fingernails as he drove. He eventually pulled over and told her to get out of the car. When she refused, he grabbed her shirt to pull her out but she refused to move. The boyfriend had a cut lip.

The girlfriend told police she was upset at her boyfriend because he was seeing another woman. She had no signs of injury or red marks. A witness saw a man trying to pull a woman out of a car, but said the man didn’t hit her.

Because the boyfriend had the injury, officers arrested the girlfriend.

Man tries to steal underwear

A man reportedly stole a package of men’s boxers and T-shirts at about 10:07 p.m. June 10 at the Fred Meyer store, 10201 SE 240th St.

Officers cited the man for investigation of third-degree theft, according to the police report. A store loss prevention officer saw the man take the packages of underwear and leave the store without paying. Store security stopped and detained the man in the parking lot.

The man said he had a receipt for the items, but the receipt he had showed other items that were returned.

Man flees crash scene

Officers arrested a man for investigation of hit-and-run after he reportedly left the scene of an accident at about 11:32 p.m. June 10 at the intersection of 64th Avenue South and West Meeker Street.

Three vehicles were involved in the accident but nobody was seriously injured, according to the police report. As many as three men were seen leaving one of the vehicles, with a couple of them carrying beer.

Police impounded the vehicle left behind. Two days later, a man showed up at the towing yard to get the vehicle. He had reported the vehicle as stolen. It turned out to be the same man driving the car when it was involved in the accident two days earlier, as identified by witnesses.