A 29-year-old woman was arrested early Monday morning after she allegedly broke into the Whatcom County courthouse and caused over $10,000 worth of property damage over five hours.
Law enforcement was notified at 5:30 a.m. of a burglary in progress at the courthouse and responded, said Deb Slater, the Whatcom County Sheriff public information officer. They found the suspect, who fled from them. She was later arrested.
The suspect, from Bellingham, was near the courthouse after she had been booked and released from the Whatcom County Jail around midnight for separate misdemeanor arrests, Slater said.
Video surveillance shows the suspect stealing a white metal box from the jail lobby as she was leaving, Slater said. The suspect then went around to the north side of the courthouse and broke a glass window before entering the building around 12:45 a.m.
Over five hours, the suspect allegedly vandalized items inside the courthouse, Slater said. The suspect also took the elevator to other parts of the courthouse but did not break any locked areas inside. Slater did not immediately provide an explanation for why it took hours to detect the break-in.
Cascadia Daily News observed graffiti on the first floor near security, a broken ATM machine and a broken window on the third floor at the courthouse.
Probable cause was established to arrest the suspect on second-degree burglary, first-degree malicious mischief, third-degree theft and resisting arrest, Slater said. The suspect remains in custody of the Whatcom County Jail.
Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu has asked the Whatcom County Facilities Division to develop proposals to strengthen security in the courthouse, especially after hours, Slater said.
Jed Holmes, the public affairs and strategy manager for the county executive’s office, said in an email the office is concerned about the damage to public property, the associated costs, and the health of the suspect involved.
“We’re working toward the construction of a therapeutic criminal justice center, where there will be enough room and quality services to accept folks that are booked on these kinds of charges and offer a path toward rehabilitation,” he said.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
