Community Police & Fire

Gig Harbor Police Blotter | Man arrested for allegedly targeting sharks for social media ‘trophy photos’

Editor’s note: The Blotter is written based on information provided by Gig Harbor Police , Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.

Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife officers caught a man dragging a sixgill shark out of the water near the Fox Island pier on July 13, according to a post on Facebook. 

Officers arrested the man and Pierce County prosecutors charged him with nine misdemeanor counts of unlawful recreational fishing and one count of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant, a gross misdemeanor. 

According to Fish and Wildlife, the suspect exhibited a pattern of targeting sixgill and sevengill sharks, wrestling them out of the water and posing with them for social media “trophy photos.” The department reported 14 complaints about the suspect, 11 involving sharks. 

Washington state’s Wildlife Action Plan lists sixgill and sevengill as Species of Greatest Conservation Need. 

Fishing for both shark species is banned in Washington waters.  

Officers, public works crew help keep boat afloat 

First responders likely stopped a boat from sinking in Gig Harbor on June 21. 

A 911 caller reported a boat taking on water at Jerisich Dock around 5:30 p.m. Gig Harbor Police and Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One arrived there to find about 18 inches of water in the boat.  

The boat owner said he was almost out of fuel for the pump he used to keep the boat afloat. City public works employees set up a larger pump. 

While this was happening, officers noted an oil sheen on the water. Public works set up a hazardous materials boom and a state Department of Ecology crew responded to the scene. 

The boat owners agreed to remain with the boat to monitor the pumps and the spill. They didn’t appear to have a long-term plan to repair the vessel. 

Driver found with booze bottle and shot glass

Gig Harbor police officers cited a 37-year-old woman on suspicion of driving under the influence after she drove her car into two parked cars at the intersection of Harborview and North Harborview drives on July 2. 

Police found her passed out in her vehicle, with a bottle of alcohol between her legs and a shot glass sitting in the center console. The collision occurred around 1 p.m. 

The 37-year-old Gig Harbor woman told officers that she didn’t know where she was or how she got there. They cited her for driving under the influence and took her to St. Anthony Medical Center for a blood draw and monitoring. 

Noise complaint leads to DUI citation

Officers cited a 41-year-old Gig Harbor woman on suspicion of driving under the influence after finding her dozing in the driver’s seat of a car in the driveway of someone else’s home. 

A neighbor called police to a residence on Hunt Street due to a noise complaint. Very loud music was coming from a car parked in a parking lot there. 

After police woke up the woman, she took her foot off the brake, which was when the officer noticed the vehicle was not in park. The driver managed to stop the vehicle before she hit anything.  

She believed that she was in the Mason County town of Union attending a retreat. When the officer convinced her she was in Gig Harbor, she admitted to having consumed several glasses of wine earlier. She lived at an apartment complex near the driveway where she parked. 

Police cited her for misdemeanor driving under the influence and released her after a stay in a holding cell.