FERNDALE, Wash. — Bruce David VanderWoude, age 34, has been held in Whatcom County Jail since February 13, 2019, pending being able to post a $500,000 bond after being arrested on a nationwide warrant issued in January 2019 for his arrest for 1st degree child rape.
On March 14th, VanderWoude was sentenced in Whatcom County Superior Court after pleading guilty to 1st degree rape of a child. According to court documents, he was sentenced to a minimum of 10 years and 3 months and a maximum of life in prison as per the requirements for sentencing of sex offenders set by Washington State law. His release from prison will be determined by an Indeterminate Sentence Review Board and, if and when that occurs, he will remain in community custody for life.
Ferndale Police were contacted by Colorado Springs Child Protective Services after a woman in Colorado Springs, Colorado found video recordings that showed the man sexually assaulting a sleeping child along with other videos and photos of children taking showers. She reported to have found the recordings while moving out of a house VanderWoude had live in with her temporarily.
VanderWoude was transferred to the custody of the Washington Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.