Wrong turn into police station’s parking lot leads to couple’s arrest

SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. — A couple who was apparently unaware of where they were and failed to see a sign were later arrested when they ran into some Sedro-Woolley officers outside the police station.

On Sunday evening, two officers in full uniform were talking outside the police department while standing in front of a patrol SUV.

A passenger car with two people inside then drove down the alley to the police vehicle lot, which is marked with a “city vehicles only” sign.

A sergeant then waved down the car and asked the driver what he was doing. While talking with the driver, the sergeant noticed an open beer in the car’s center console, police said.

The sergeant said the driver admitted to not having a driver's license and taking a "couple sips" of the beer. Officers said the car’s ignition appeared to be punched, which allows it to be started without a key. A check of the license plate came back expired, yet it had a current tab taped onto the license plate that did not match the car, police said.

Authorities said the driver had to be forcefully removed from the car when he would not follow commands to stop reaching into his pockets. He was then arrested for driving with a suspended license and had a warrant out of Whatcom County.

Officers said they then spoke to the passenger, a woman, who admitted there were drugs in the car. Authorities said she handed officers a plastic bag containing what appeared to be methamphetamine.

She then tried to hide other items inside the car, and when officers told her to get out of the vehicle, she refused, police said.

She, too, was forcefully removed from the car.

Officers said they searched the woman and found methamphetamine and heroin that was individually packaged.

Once the woman was out of the car, officers said they could see drug paraphernalia where she had been sitting.

The car was seized pending a search warrant.

“It feels like I should remind everyone, we are still in the back lot of the Police Department,” a news release from the Sedro-Woolley Police Department said. “Both subjects are in custody while we tally up the total of charges for each.”

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