Reports of smashed car windows at Larrabee State Park turn out to be much more
Two men were booked into Whatcom County Jail last week after they were arrested by the Washington State Patrol following a suspected crime spree that included breaking into cars near Larrabee State Park.
Ryland James Temperio, 32, was arrested Wednesday and remains in jail on suspicion of third-degree driving while license suspended, driving under the influence, possession of a controlled substance, identity theft, second-degree identify theft, first-degree vehicle prowling, first-degree theft, second-degree possession of stolen property, forgery, making a false statement to officers and obstruction.
Kody James Gummere, 30, was arrested July 10 on suspicion of second-degree vehicle prowling, a controlled substance violation and third-degree theft. He was released Sunday on $7,000 bond.
Police received a report at 5:24 p.m. July 10 that a Ford Explorer and a Ford Fiesta had windows broken on State Route 11 near Larrabee State Park, according to State Trooper Heather Axtman. Another report of a broken car window on a Subaru Crosstreck and a stolen iPad was received at 6:44 p.m., and the Washington State Patrol responded.
Witness said a white Honda Civic with two passengers, including one wearing a black bandana, was seen leaving the area, Axtman said.
On their way to the park, State Troopers saw a car that matched the description and stopped it shortly after 7 p.m. on State Route 11 just west of Interstate 5.
The driver of the Honda identified himself, but did not have any identification on him, Axtman said. State Troopers suspected he was driving under the influence and took him to St. Joseph’s Hospital for a blood draw. Troopers also took possession of the car, Axtman said, to await a search warrant.
A computer technical problem prevented the State Trooper from confirming the identity of the man, Axtman said, but at that time police had no reason to suspect he was lying about his name, and he was released from the hospital after the blood draw.
Later in the day when the State Trooper’s computer was functional, he attempted to look up the name the man had given him, Axtman said, but the picture didn’t match the suspect. The Trooper contacted the Bellingham Police Department to try to help identify the suspect, and Temperio’s name came up, Axtman said, along with the fact that Temperio had allegedly been driving on a suspended license. The State Trooper confirmed a photo of Temperio matched the person he’d arrested.
On Wednesday, State Troopers attempted to follow up on false information Temperio had reportedly given them, Axtman said, and went to his parents’ home, where police got the addresses of some of Temperio’s friends.
That led State Troopers to an apartment in the 2000 block of Queen Street in Bellingham, where a woman opened the door. She invited police in, and Temperio reportedly barricaded himself in the bathroom. Police were able to get Temperio to come out after a short time, Axtman said, and he was taken into custody without incident.
During their search of Temperio, Axtman said, State Troopers found heroin and an EBT card belonging to someone else in his possession. After obtaining a warrant, police also reportedly found heroin and methamphetamine in the car, along with an iPhone and a laptop that were confirmed to be stolen out of cars near Larrabee State Park.
Axtman said some of the stolen property was returned to the rightful owners on Thursday.
This story was originally published July 16, 2018 at 4:53 PM.