Man arrested after high-risk stop

Published 1:30 am Friday, April 3, 2026

Oak Harbor police conducted a high-risk traffic stop of a stolen car on the night of March 30, court documents state.

According to a police report on the incident, an officer checked on the registration of a 1995 Chevrolet Corsica that was parked at the gas pumps at the AM/PM station and discovered that it had been reported as stolen. When the car pulled away, law enforcement pulled the car over. In all, five officers were involved in the stop.

An officer officer wrote that he deployed his patrol rifle, chambered a round and took cover at the back of the patrol vehicle, the officer’s report states.

The officers ordered the driver, later identified as 46-year-old William Skinner, to exit the car, put his hands up and walk backwards toward the officer’s voice. The officers took him into custody

The officer also detained a passenger in the vehicle. He was released with Skinner’s dog.

Skinner told the officers that he didn’t know the car was stolen and that his late girlfriend had been driving it, the report states.

Skinner appeared in court March 31, and the judge found probable cause existed to believe he may have committed the crime of possession of a stolen vehicle. The judge released him on his personal recognizance.