BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office issued the following statement today, November 18th, regarding an incident where a woman proceeded to break into the Whatcom County Courthouse after being booked and released at the nearby Whatcom County Jail.
On November 18, 2024, around 5:30 am, Whatcom Sheriff’s Office and Bellingham Police Department responded to a report of a burglary in progress at the County Courthouse Building at 311 Grand Ave. Law enforcement quickly contacted the suspect, Victoria Coe, who fled from officers and was eventually taken into custody.
The previous evening around 11:30 p.m., the Lummi Nation Police Department booked 29-year-old Coe of Bellingham into the Whatcom County Jail for two counts of Obstructing a Police Officer (gross misdemeanor) and Resisting Arrest (misdemeanor). Coe was booked and released around midnight. Video surveillance shows Coe stealing a white metal box from the jail lobby as she was leaving. At approximately 12:45 a.m. video surveillance shows Coe breaking a window with the metal box on the north side of the courthouse. Coe spent nearly five hours vandalizing items inside the courthouse, damaging equipment and spreading debris. Coe did not breach any locked areas once inside the courthouse. Property damage is estimated to be over $10,000. Deputies found probable cause to arrest Coe for Burglary 2nd, Malicious Mischief 1st, Theft 3rd and Resisting Arrest. Coe was arrested and booked into the Whatcom County Jail.
County Executive Satpal Sidhu has asked the Whatcom County Facilities Division to develop proposals to strengthen security in the Courthouse, particularly during afterhours.
– Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (November 18, 2024)
As of 3:30pm, Coe remained in custody at the jail.
Discover more from Whatcom News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.