A 29-year-old Bellingham woman who allegedly broke into the Whatcom County Courthouse and caused thousands of dollars of damage over five hours was arraigned in court on Thursday, Dec. 5.
Victoria Coe faces four charges: second-degree burglary, second-degree malicious mischief, third-degree theft and resisting arrest, related to a November incident at the county courthouse. Two of the charges, burglary and malicious mischief, are felonies and have a 10-year maximum sentence if Coe is found guilty.
Law enforcement was notified at 5:30 a.m. Nov. 18 of a burglary in progress at the courthouse, according to Deb Slater, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office public information officer. Officers responded and found Coe, who then fled from them.
Coe had been released from the Whatcom County Jail only hours prior and then proceeded to steal a white metal box from the jail lobby as she was leaving, Slater said. Coe then allegedly went around to the north side of the courthouse and broke a glass door before entering the building at 12:45 a.m.
Over five hours, Coe allegedly vandalized multiple items in the courthouse and broke an ATM machine as well as the X-ray machine.
Skagit County judge Tom Verge oversaw Thursday’s hearing to avoid a conflict of interest. He set Coe’s bail at $500 or a $5,000 cash alternative. A Whatcom County prosecutor had requested Coe’s bail be set at $50,000 due to the nature of the charges.
Originally, Coe’s attorney, Whatcom County Public Defender Charles Parrish, had requested she be released on personal recognizance, but Verge said he was not inclined to do so because of the seriousness of the allegations.
Coe’s next court appearance is set for Dec. 31.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
