DILLON BEACH - A woman notified deputies that an apparently suicidal man kept putting a gun to his head on Park Avenue. Two deputies raced to the scene from south of Point Reyes Station, and a helicopter was dispatched from Sonoma County. In fact, the man was watching birds and kept putting binoculars - not a gun - to his head. Moreover, hearing the sirens and seeing the helicopter, he started looking for them, hoping to taking a photo of whatever was going on. The officers and birder unwittingly chased each other around Dillon Beach until the helicopter spotted his car parked on Kailua Way. Deputies briefly took the man into custody and then released him.

BOLINAS - Deputies on Wharf Road arrested a man on charges of public drunkenness.

BOLINAS - Following an argument over a stolen radio, a man brandished a knife at people and lunged at them in an apparent attempt to butt them. He also made threats against their lives, the victims told deputies.

BOLINAS - Deputies arrested a homeless woman on charges of public drunkenness. They arrested her again on the same charges six days later after a merchant said she was disturbing children in front of the community center.

TOMALES - A burglar entered a locked, unoccupied, abandoned house on the Tomales-Petaluma Road and stole tools.

INVERNESS - A woman left binoculars in a restaurant. When she returned for them 15 minutes later, they were gone.

HICKS VALLEY - A motorcycle crashed at the Point Reyes-Petaluma Road intersection with Novato Boulevard. Deputies referred the mishap to county firefighters and the Highway Patrol.

MARSHALL - Deputies received a report of a vehicle stuck in the mud near Tomasini Point. Officers could not find the vehicle.

STINSON BEACH - A man complained of a party on the beach at 9:45 p.m. with celebrants playing drums. The problem was abated before deputies arrived.

INVERNESS - A homeless woman, who had an asthma attack, took medication for it but told deputies she still needed to get her oxygen tank from a church's shed. The church had told her she could not spend nights in its parking lot. She previously had asked deputies for advice in dealing with environmental pollution.

MARSHALL MARSHALL - A rancher complained that five pickup-truck loads of people were trespassing on his property. A deputy determined the people were not on his property.

BOLINAS - After Bolinas Fire Department found 12 people with three fires on the beach, three people became belligerent when told to put out the fires. A deputy dispersed the beachgoers, and the fires were put out.

BOLINAS - A merchant complained of 20 juveniles making too much noise on Wharf Road at 9:30 p.m. Most of the noise was coming from a car stereo although there also was a live band at the community center.

BOLINAS - A woman on Pine Road found a man with a ponytail in her rental vehicle, in which he had vomited. Both people were gone when a deputy arrived.

INVERNESS - A woman complained that a vehicle was blocking a large pair of gates and would block her son when he tried to go to work. A deputy cited the vehicle.

BOLINAS - A parent reported a juvenile girl missing when she didn't come home. The next morning the girl called to say she had spent the night with a friend and was on her way home.

STINSON BEACH - A woman on Calle del Resaca complained of people playing loud music at 1 p.m. The problem was abated.

BOLINAS - A man reported a group were playing loud music on Brighton Avenue at 1 a.m. They were gone when a deputy arrived.

FOREST KNOLLS - Deputies received a report of cars spinning donuts on Guadalupe Place. They were gone when a deputy arrived.

SAN GERONIMO - A vandal threw a rock through a school bus window during the night.

TOMALES - A man complained of a car with someone sleeping inside on Valley Street at 7:45 a.m. A deputy determined the car contained two travelers from Germany, and the problem was abated.

BOLINAS - A suicidal woman overdosed on Tylenol three miles up the Bolinas-Fairfax Road from Highway 1. She was airlifted to Petaluma Valley Hospital.

WOODACRE - A woman complained of a backhoe parked on her property. A deputy contacted the contractor who owned it.

WOODACRE - A Sylvan Way man said an unknown person in Millbrae was opening credit-card accounts in his name but with someone else's Social Security number. The man said he was getting bills for items he had not purchased. A deputy gave him advice.

LAGUNITAS - A woman said her ex-husband was en route to pick up their 12-year-old son. Based on a phone conversation, the woman said she believed her ex-husband had been drinking in violation of a court order.

BOLINAS - A man reported a Cadillac was blocking his driveway. It was gone when a deputy arrived.

FOREST KNOLLS - A woman reported hearing what sounded like people drinking in the town park. A deputy was unable to locate anyone drinking and checked a nearby creekbed, but it too was dry.

OLEMA - A boyfriend and girlfriend got into an argument. The disturbance was abated, but the girlfriend refused to leave. A deputy separated the pair for the evening.

POINT REYES STATION - A restaurant's water line broke at 11:30 p.m. Deputies asked firefighters to check and possibly turn off the water.

BOLINAS - A woman complained about receiving annoying faxes.

POINT REYES STATION - A deputy helped a citizen with a possibly broken rib contact paramedics.

BOLINAS - A resident on Horseshoe Hill Road heard four or five gunshots, but a deputy found no one shooting.

BOLINAS - Deputies received a report of a reckless driver hiding in bushes across Olema-Bolinas Road from the school. A resident later reported the driver had fled into a marsh. The driver's car was towed away.

BOLINAS - A tree service was spotted dumping dry brush over a cliff at Ocean Parkway and Birch Road. The town fire chief told the company not to do so.

BOLINAS - Deputies were notified of a man, who was drunk and possibly trying to hitchhike, yelling in town. Officers could not find him.

DILLON BEACH - A burglar stole power tools from a man's locked freight container.

POINT REYES STATION - A woman found a two-party check for $1,000 signed by two people in Michigan.

BOLINAS - A man complained about four juveniles loitering and littering on Wharf Road. He later called deputies again to say they'd left. The same man was arrested on public drunkenness charges a few days later after a bartender reported the man was across the street yelling obscenities.

INVERNESS PARK - A deputy stopped a car at Vallejo Avenue and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard for a traffic violation and found a spotlight, three rifles, and a pistol in the vehicle. The driver was cited on charges of carrying a loaded weapon in a car, and a passenger was cited on charges of carrying a concealed gun.

DILLON BEACH - A burglar broke a padlock to the door of a trailer parked along Dillon Beach Road and stole power tools and other tools.

RED ROCK - A burglar broke into a vehicle parked at the nude beach and stole a stereo, CD player, and equalizer. The loot was valued at $1,665.

BOLINAS - A man was arrested on public drunkenness charges on Wharf Road twice in two days.

POINT REYES STATION - Someone, possibly a truck with a projecting load, smashed the rear window of a Marshall woman's parked car.

TOMALES - A Vallejo driver got into a dispute with another driver on the Tomales-Petaluma Road. The Vallejo driver said the other man had kicked his door, doing $200 damage.

MARSHALL - A thief stole a handbag from a woman's car parked along Highway 1.

BOLINAS - A woman said she has been receiving strange faxes from a man who claims to know where bodies are buried.

POINT REYES STATION - Deputies received a report that a filing cabinet stolen from the dump was lying beside a roadway, but they could not find it.

BOLINAS - A woman said a man had asked her permission to park on a lot overnight. She had told him no. Nonetheless, she said, he was still there the next morning.

MARSHALL - A resident reported seeing a green flare over Tomales Bay near the Giacomini Ranch. Deputies found nothing amiss.

WOODACRE - A woman said her husband, 36, had kicked her and threatened her. No weapons were involved, she noted, but he was refusing to leave.

POINT REYES STATION - A Humane Society officer looked unsuccessfully for a Labrador retriever reported to be running in and out of traffic.

MARSHALL - A pickup truck lost its camper shell on Highway 1 north of Nick's Cove.

STINSON BEACH - A resident complained that 12 to 15 people were holding a large bonfire near Seadrift Road. The gathering was over by the time deputies arrived.

SAN GERONIMO - A citizen reported that a group of juveniles had run away when spotted on the school campus at 9:40 p.m. Deputies determined that the juveniles were merely playing flashlight tag and that no school property had been damaged.

CHILENO VALLEY - A woman, who had been drinking, said she wanted her husband out of their residence. The dispute ended before deputies arrived.

POINT REYES STATION - For the second time in a week, a resident complained about people camping illegally near Papermill Creek. A deputy checked their identification.

MARSHALL - An aluminum fishing boat washed up at Blake's Landing. Deputies determined the boat had been stolen.

BOLINAS - A resident heard noises in the bushes outside at 1:15 a.m. A deputy checked and determined the noise probably came from an animal.

INVERNESS PARK - A burglar alarm went off in a house, but the occupants said a cat caused it.

INVERNESS - A woman said a neighbor had asked if she minded his holding a large party the next day. She said she did mind and would call deputies again if the party got noisy.

WOODACRE - A thief stole a $100 barbecue from the rear of a house on Scott Street.

POINT REYES STATION - Deputies received a report of a horse walking north on Highway 1. Officers corralled it and called its owner.

TOMALES - A woman living on the Tomales-Petaluma Road reported an $80 tent had been stolen from her yard. Deputies determined the tent had not been stolen but had merely been blown into a nearby field.

STINSON BEACH - A man complained about hearing very loud music and a very loud man on a deck along Francisco Patio. Deputies contacted the man, who agreed to quiet down.

CHILENO VALLEY - A resident reported a man was sitting on the resident's porch at 11 p.m. and refusing to leave. Later the resident reported the man had left. Still later, the resident reported the man was back again.

SAN GERONIMO - A vandal threw a rock through a school bus window during the night.

LAGUNITAS - A burglar broke into a vehicle parked along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and stole a woman's cellular phone.

STINSON BEACH - A bartender at 1:20 a.m. reported four women were fighting outside. Although they were kicking each other, no weapons were involved. The bartender later reported, "All have been drinking [and are] still fighting...very violent." Still later, the bartender reported the women had left.

POINT REYES STATION - A deputy dispersed a group of juveniles playing football in the roadway at Highway 1 and Fourth Street.

TOCALOMA - Deputies received a report of a steer on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard but could not find it.

LAGUNITAS - A burglar pried open the window of a vehicle parked on Arroyo Road and stole a boombox, clothing, and a computer.

INVERNESS - A 19-year-old man was found sleeping in the postoffice at 8 a.m. A deputy sent him on his way.

DILLON BEACH - A woman said a burglar had tried to break into her house but got only into the garage.

WOODACRE - A Carson Road man complained that his neighbor's 12 roosters make noise all morning, beginning at 4 a.m. A deputy gave him advice.

NICASIO - Deputies received a report of two gunshots along Nicasio Valley Road at 1 p.m. They checked with a rancher, who had heard nothing. Officers were unable to find anyone shooting.

TOMALES - A man reported a stationwagon had run into a ditch near his house.

BOLINAS - A child was found with lunch tickets which had been stolen in a burglary. Deputies also found other property possibly taken in the burglary.

STINSON BEACH - Deputies received a report of a mentally disturbed man throwing large rocks at a house where the residents were away. Deputies talked to the man's mother, but she refused to intervene.

FOREST KNOLLS - A resident told deputies she was hitchhiking when a white van driven by a man in his mid-50s picked her up. While driving over White's Hill, the man pulled his pants down to his ankles and masturbated, she said.

SAN GERONIMO - A resident reported an unkempt man was waving a knife around at Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and San Geronimo Valley Drive. Deputies could not find him.

POINT REYES STATION - The homicide division of the San Francisco Police Department ransacked a Mañana Way home looking for evidence against a man who was a friend of a family member a decade ago. Although a West Marin deputy was present, police officers emptied drawers on the floor and generally trashed the home's interior. The officers' drawn guns frightened students at nearby West Marin School, which called deputies.

BOLINAS - A vehicle crashed into a deck on Ocean Parkway, damaging the deck and a valuable potted plant. The vehicle then fled.

CHILENO VALLEY - A woman said a car with a spotlight was searching her property. Deputies checked with Sonoma County Sheriff's deputies and Petaluma Police. Neither said it was their car. Marin deputies could not find the vehicle.

WOODACRE - Deputies notified the Highway Patrol about a vehicle accident on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.

INVERNESS - After a resident of Via Sobrante complained that Jehovah's Witnesses were trespassing on his property, a deputy advised him to post a sign saying, "No soliciting."

SAN GERONIMO - A woman said a man called to say her daughter "better watch her back." The woman said the caller was a friend of her daughter's ex-boyfriend.

FOUR CORNERS - Deputies received a report that a truck pulling a horse trailer was blocking a traffic lane. The truck and trailer were gone when officers arrived.

STINSON BEACH - Deputies received a 911 call from a Calle del Arroyo home. They said they could hear a man's and a woman's voice in the background but also baby sounds. Officers determined a child was playing with the phone.

NICASIO - A woman reported that someone had entered a house under construction on Nicasio Valley Road, damaged the building, and possibly taken tools.

POINT REYES STATION - Deputies received two complaints of people sleeping in a tent near Fourth and C streets. An officer found the tent and checked the identifications of its occupants.

TOMALES - A woman reported that a man in a cafe acted strangely and then tried to get into a car but appeared to have no keys. He was gone when a deputy arrived.

TOMALES - A citizen downtown found a makeup bag with $20.65 inside, as well as various other items.

STINSON BEACH - A man complained of Jet Skis coming close to swimmers. A deputy contacted the skiers, and they left the area.

BOLINAS - A "very upset" man told deputies that a teenager on Wharf Road had yelled obscenities, called his wife and him "tourists," and warned them to get out of town.

PLATFORM BRIDGE - A motorcycle went over an embankment. Deputies referred the mishap to the Highway Patrol.

INVERNESS PARK - A woman reported a large party of unsupervised juveniles. Deputies contacted the juveniles, who said the party would be over by 9:30 p.m.

BOLINAS - An elderly woman told deputies she wants a person from Germany to stop accusing her of writing "the beautiful song."

TOMALES - An innkeeper complained about a drunken guest in his 40s urinating off the balcony. Marin deputies asked Sonoma deputies to handle the case.

DILLON BEACH - A man reported that at his Oceana Drive residence a woman had been assaulted by a second man. The resident said the woman's belongings and kitten were at a campground and that she was afraid the second man would kill the kitten.

SAN GERONIMO - A woman complained of a loud party on Juniper Avenue. Deputies could not find the party.

NICASIO - Deputies received a report of male and female voices yelling inside a residence. The caller said there has been a history of guns in the residence.

MARSHALL - A man reported a $50 piece of stained glass was stolen from his car parked along Highway 1.

BOLINAS - A citizen reported an intoxicated man with a juvenile were in a rubber boat on Bolinas Lagoon. Deputies asked Bolinas firefighters for help in contacting the boat.

LAGUNITAS - A woman complained that a man was sleeping overnight along Mountain View Avenue. A deputy advised the man about county restrictions on camping.

TOMALES - Deputies received a 911 call from Whitaker Bluff Road and could hear a man yelling in the background and objects being thrown. The phone company checked the open line and confirmed a fight could be heard in the background. An operator then said it sounded as if the parties had left.

FOREST KNOLLS - A resident complained of an older Toyota running up and down the street at 10:30 p.m. Deputies checked the area but did not find the car.

INVERNESS PARK - A resident said he found a man in his late 40s walking on his property. He said the man appeared to be drunk, although he said he was looking for a dog. A deputy determined the man was not drunk and that no crime had occurred.

NICASIO - Lucasfilm security reported an injured deer on Lucas Valley Road. Deputies cleared the road and called the Humane Society.

TOMALES - A woman said a man was refusing to let her leave a home on Whitaker Bluff Road. She hung up and then wouldn't speak with a deputy and would not answer phone calls. Deputies then contacted the man, who sounded as if he had been drinking, and the man said the woman was very drunk.

LAGUNITAS - A man reported that his construction equipment on Spring Road had been damaged during the weekend. Part of the vandalism included greasing the gear knob, he said.

WOODACRE - A girl, 13, said her half-brother, 26, was trying to assault her. She said her father was arguing with him at the front door.

BOLINAS - A man said a second man punched him in the face on Wharf Road. The second man was cited on battery charges.

BOLINAS - A 20-year-old man was found face-down on Wharf Road apparently having overdosed on LSD. Deputies reported that while "tripping out," the man came out of a store yelling and swinging his arms. He hit a bystander in the face but caused no injuries. He was taken to Marin General Hospital for treatment.

FOREST KNOLLS - A drunk former tenant returned to his old residence to pick up some property and was met by his landlord who brandished a gun, the tenant said.

BOLINAS - A woman said she fell outside the Rod and Boat Club because the streetlights were out and the club has no railing where the mishap occurred. Deputies advised her to contact the utility district.

POINT REYES STATION - An Inverness Park man lost his laptop computer downtown.

OLEMA HILL - A deputy shot a deer which had been seriously injured on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.

DILLON BEACH - A deputy stopped a Jeep at the end of Oceana Drive and spotted open beer containers inside. When he pat-searched the occupants, he found one occupant was carrying .25-caliber bullets. Inside the Jeep was a loaded .25 Colt plus some methamphetamine between the seats. Deputies arrested a woman from Chileno Valley on charges of carrying a loaded firearm in a public place and of possessing a stolen gun. The man, who is from Cotati, was charged with possession of methamphetamine.

TOMALES - Deputies found a delusional woman acting bizarrely on Dillon Beach Road and took her to Marin General Hospital for observation.

POINT REYES STATION - A woman lost her backpack at a restaurant.

NICASIO - Two women got in a quarrel over money owed. One said the other threatened, "I'll take you down."

POINT REYES STATION - A man left two small children in a vehicle with the motor running. When he returned to the vehicle, he told deputies he was just dropping off some boxes in a market, but officers said they would file a report with the DA about his parking a vehicle without turning off the engine.

BOLINAS - A Malibu woman said a thief stole her wallet on Brighton Beach.

BOLINAS - A vandal kicked in a gate on Wharf Road, doing $800 damage.

INVERNESS - An aluminum boat belonging to a San Rafael man was stolen from a marina.

BOLINAS - A vandal smeared excrement on restroom walls at the community center and broke the toilet-paper hanger.

BOLINAS - Two merchants separately complained of a very drunk man downtown. However, townspeople said they would handle him.

BOLINAS - Several townspeople reported seeing flares from a boat in distress off Agate Beach. Deputies summoned the Coast Guard, which rescued the boaters.

SAN GERONIMO - A woman found near the golf course a bag containing a metal detector and other property.

LAGUNITAS - A resident complained of eight to 10 adults swimming in the Ink Wells, which he said is on his property. Deputies dispersed the group and cited one vehicle on charges of illegal parking.

BOLINAS - A large tour bus became stranded with transmission problems. Deputies briefly closed Highway 1 so the bus could back out onto the roadway.

NICASIO - A Nicasio Valley Road resident reported hearing screams and someone saying, "I don't want to die." Deputies determined the screams were from children playing outside.

NICASIO - A woman living on the Point Reyes-Petaluma Road heard 50 gunshots at 11:30 p.m.

NICASIO - A woman asked deputies if they had released her husband's guns to him, noting that troubles between them were starting to escalate again.

FOREST KNOLLS - A woman reported hearing a gunshot downtown.

FOREST KNOLLS - After she almost hit a skateboarder, a female motorist detained him and asked deputies to admonish the 10-year-old boy. Deputies transported the boy home but determined no crime had occurred.

SAN GERONIMO - A Tamarack Drive woman reported a transient in his 40s had entered the downstairs of her house but left when asked.

WOODACRE - A naked woman wandered into the firehouse with some injuries. She said someone was after her but was uncooperative in providing details. She was taken to the county crisis unit.

DILLON BEACH - Deputies were called when 25 juveniles caused problems for security guards, who had asked them to leave. The youths refused to go until officers showed up and dispersed them.

WOODACRE - A resident complained that a woman had stolen the resident's vanity. Deputies determined there was no merit to the complaint.

STINSON BEACH - A woman complained of a large bonfire near Calle del Ribera. Stinson Beach firefighters were dispatched.

WOODACRE - A woman at 1:40 a.m. reported her 15-year-old son came home after curfew and that she wanted a deputy to talk with him. However, she later called back to say he had gone to bed. The next day she called again, saying this would be a better time to talk.

NICASIO - A van ran into a ditch on Nicasio Valley Road, causing minor injuries to the occupants. Deputies referred the mishap to the Highway Patrol.

RED ROCK - A man with a dog reported that another man with a dog had threatened to bring a gun to the nude beach this coming Saturday and shoot the first man's dog if they return. Deputies gave the caller advice.

FOREST KNOLLS - A merchant reported that seven boys in his store were refusing to leave. The problem was abated before a deputy arrived.

FOREST KNOLLS - In a separate incident, the same merchant reported a 14-year-old skinhead had stolen wine from his store and taken it to the town park.

BOLINAS - A homeless man threatened a bartender and then left the area.

WOODACRE - A young woman who showed up to housesit was met at the door by the owners' naked son. She then went to her parents house and called deputies, who noted the son has a history of psychological problems.

BOLINAS - A man asked for advice in dealing with a neighbor who cuts across the man's property to reach his own.

BOLINAS - A woman on Wharf Road complained about loud music from a vehicle at 11 p.m. Deputies could not find the vehicle.

FOREST KNOLLS - A woman complained that a group of males was drinking in the town park. They were gone when deputies arrived.

BOLINAS - A woman on Nymph Road reported a possible attempted burglary at her home. She said she knows who did it.

OLEMA - A woman told deputies a two and three year old were running naked down Bear Valley Road unattended. Deputies gave her advice and returned the children to their father.

WOODACRE - A woman said her ex-boyfriend refuses to return their child if he picks him up. Deputies gave her advice.

DILLON BEACH - A very drunk woman said a drunk man was going through her drawers. She asked deputies to mediate. Deputies later reported the problem was abated.

LAGUNITAS - Three girls, two of them 14 and one of them 13, reported hearing footsteps in their house while the parents of one of them was at the airport picking up someone.

BOLINAS - A woman on Evergreen Road reported hearing 30 gunshots at 10 p.m. Deputies were unable to find anyone shooting and surmised the noise may have come from fireworks.

HICKS VALLEY - A tractor-trailer rig lost its front axle at the intersection of Point Reyes-Petaluma Road and Novato Boulevard.

SAN GERONIMO - A newspaper rack was dismantled and left in the bushes at the cultural center.

OLEMA - After a quarrel, a woman threw beer and soda cans at a man. The cans were empty and missed the man, but he asked deputies to admonish the woman if they could find her.

More sheriff's calls
August, 1996
July, 1996
June, 1996
May, 1996
April, 1996