Bellingham robber’s wig gives police key DNA evidence to put him in prison

In the end it was a Bellingham robber’s wig that gave him away.

The man in a blond wig and black sunglasses walked up to the counter at Yorky’s Market around 2 a.m. July 2, 2016, to ask for a pack of cigarettes. He then told the clerk he wanted everything in the till. He lifted up his shirt to reveal a small handgun, what looked like a .22-caliber pistol, tucked in his waistband. The suspect told the clerk: “I’m serious,” according to charging papers.

“I’m sorry for ruining your night,” he added, before running off with $200.

Hours later in the daylight, a customer found the long blond wig and sunglasses abandoned by a shed across Alabama Street. Police swabbed for DNA from both. Months later the sample came back as a match for Joshua John Vermaat, 34.

At the time Vermaat, a 13-time felon, had no violent convictions on his record. Over the past 15 years he’d been found guilty of drug possession, second-degree burglary, attempting to elude police and possessing stolen cars.

Six new felony charges were leveled against him in summer 2016, when he broke into a gardening store on Hannegan Road to steal two computer hard drives. He’d poured water over electronics in the business, broken a metal door frame, and cut the wiring to the security cameras. Still images of the burglar were posted on social media, and coworkers at a car wash identified the suspect as Vermaat.

He remained at large until July 11, when police saw a Yamaha motorcycle speeding east on Barkley Boulevard. An officer tailed the biker, later identified as Vermaat, who lost control and crashed into a median. He ran from the crash, even though he was hurt.

Police found Vermaat hiding in an exterior staircase of a commercial building. The bike had been stolen – the ignition damaged, the plates swapped, and the gray-and-white paint job covered by black spray paint. Vermaat had a suspended license. His backpack held nine shaved keys, a license plate belonging to another motorcycle, and a baggie of methamphetamine.

Vermaat remained in jail in October, when DNA from the wig identified him as the robbery suspect. Police got a warrant to swab his cheek, and a crime lab confirmed that the profile matched. He was charged with first-degree robbery.

Vermaat pleaded guilty on Thursday to a reduced charge of second-degree robbery. In the other case he pleaded guilty as charged: second-degree burglary, possessing a stolen vehicle, possessing meth, possessing motor vehicle theft tools, and first-degree driving with a suspended license.

State sentencing guidelines suggested a range of 5 ¼ to 7 years in prison, for someone with Vermaat’s felony record. Superior Court Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis sentenced him to 7 years, as suggested by the plea deal.

“He was employed in the community, doing well, and unfortunately he suffered a relapse of substance abuse, which led to this spree of bad decisions on his part,” said a deputy public defender, Leanne Stogsdill. “He has a substance abuse problem, and he needs to address it.”

Vermaat apologized in court.

This story was originally published April 15, 2017 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Bellingham robber’s wig gives police key DNA evidence to put him in prison."