BELLINGHAM - Three men were arrested Monday, Feb. 4, on suspicion of trying to scrap about $2,000 in metal stolen from a Bellingham steel distributor.
Workers at Morse Steel called 911 at 8 a.m. Monday about a theft of metal from outside their business in the 3000 block of Illinois Street. They reported the thieves must have taken the metal over the weekend, said Whatcom County Sheriff's Sgt. Doug Burks.
The steel company informed recycling businesses of the crime, according to the sheriff's office.
As they were still looking for clues at the crime scene, a white van rolled up to Z Recyclers, Inc., 6129 Guide Meridian. Three men in their 20s were inquiring about metal they had in the van, Burks said.
Deputies showed up and found the metal in question appeared to be the property missing from Morse Steel. One of the men later confessed to the theft, Burks said.
Anatoliy P. Dutov, 23, of Ferndale, Pavlo A. Shershen of Whatcom County, and Vladimir Eduardovich Sudnach, 26, of Ferndale were booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree trafficking in stolen property:
Reach Caleb Hutton at 360-715-2276 or caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com. Read his dispatcher blog at blogs.bellinghamherald.com/dispatcher or follow him on Twitter at @bhamcrime.
