Maple Falls men pleads guilty to burglaries

PETER JENSEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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Two men from Maple Falls - one a witness in an upcoming murder trial - have pleaded guilty to burglary charges stemming from several break-ins near Sumas in August 2008.

Joelseph J. McCollum, 29, and Donald R. Cargill, 40, entered the guilty pleas in Whatcom County Superior Court Thursday, May 21.

McCollum also pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of stolen property from January. A charge of possessing a stolen firearm was dismissed.

He was sentenced to almost seven years in prison. Cargill's sentencing was postponed until June 25 because he is set to testify in the upcoming murder trial of Bruce Hummel, according to court filings.

Hummel has been charged with murdering his wife, Alice, who disappeared in October 1990. According to court filings from Whatcom County Prosecutor Dave McEachran, Hummel discussed his involvement in Alice's death with Cargill while the two were incarcerated in the Whatcom County Jail.

The credibility of Cargill's testimony is strained because of his interest in shaving years off his sentence in exchange for testifying, said Hummel's attorney, Whatcom County Public Defender Jon Komorowski, in a separate filing.

According to Komorowski's filing, Cargill wrote in a letter, "If you think my work is sufficient, then you can kindly reduce my sentence."

Komorowski's office has filed a motion to dismiss the case against Hummel due to a lack of evidence. Its next hearing is scheduled for May 28.

According to charging documents, McCollum and Cargill broke into two homes on Reese Hill Road and Halverstick Road on Aug. 21.

They stole a rifle, a shotgun, jewelry, a chainsaw, and electronics. A U.S. Border Patrol agent attempted to stop the vehicle they were driving on Halverstick Road, but McCollum, who was driving, sped off.

The pursuit ended on Park Road, where the pair tried to stash the stolen goods, and McCollum was arrested. Cargill was arrested a week later and told investigators they were breaking into the homes because McCollum owed money to a drug trafficker, according to charging documents.