It was one of our frozen mornings—Wednesday the 9th, around 11:30 a.m.—when medics were called to the 5200 block of SW Charlestown where a woman was seen slumped over the steering wheel of a car.

The streets were icy, the car was in gear, the engine was running, and the suspect—a 41-year-old West Seattle resident—was snoring, oblivious to the cries of her two daughters. (The 18-month old was strapped into a car seat, but the six-month-old was simply lying across the back seat and dressed in only a cotton sleeper.) An officer shook the mother's shoulder and tried to ask questions, but mom kept drifting off to sleep and couldn't focus. Crack cocaine was found in her pockets and she told medics she had taken 15 milligrams of methadone within the previous few hours. Officers were able to contact the children's grandmother to take custody of the kids while mom was transported to Harborview for treatment and for investigation of narcotics possession and reckless endangerment.

Three West Seattle High School students face investigation of property damage and disorderly conduct after shoving over a porta-potty and deliberately creating a hazard (by pouring water onto freezing streets) at 3 a.m. Thursday. Alert citizens reported the early-morning destruction (the water had formed a hazardous 5X8-foot sheet of ice at the intersection of Walnut and Hanford), and officers were able to find the three at one boy's nearby home—where they were deep asleep in a bedroom that smelled of marijuana and where an empty bottle of whiskey was lying on a table. The two juveniles were released to family members; the third culprit—who is legally an adult—was booked into King County Jail.

The 61-year-old High Point-area resident called 911 to report that someone was rummaging around in her attic. Officers found no signs of anyone and no signs of tampering—and no sign of the speakers and wire that the woman claimed were draped throughout her residence. The officers also gently informed her that the cat on the living-room floor was deceased and that she could stop her attempts at CPR. The woman admitted that she might have forgotten to take her mental health meds because she had been trying to care for the cat. Her house was orderly, she had food, and was not feeling like she wanted to hurt herself or others, so officers allowed her to remain at home. (She promised to keep a medical appointment later this month.) They did, however, alert outreach mental health professionals to pay a visit.

A 20-year-old claimed he was “just trying to get something to eat” when he tried to shoplift from a Westwood grocery and assaulted store guards who tried to stop him. An officer brought the thief's adventure to a halt by taking him down in the parking lot. The $449 of beef was returned to the store.

Burglaries/break-ins/car prowls/graffiti by block: 4100 Beach Dr. SW, 9800 32nd SW, 4300 SW Mills, 7600 8th SW, 9200 11th SW, 9400 15th SW, 6300 34th SW