Three arrested after suspected burglary and theft of guns from Whatcom County home

Three Blaine residents have been arrested after police suspect they burglarized a Ferndale home and stole numerous items, including a shotgun and a .22-caliber rifle.

Aaron Nicholas Hale, 34, was booked into Whatcom County Jail on Friday on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm, second-degree possession of a firearm, first-degree burglary, second-degree theft, theft of a firearm and possession of a firearm.

Martin Anthony Vargas, 35, was arrested on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm, residential burglary, second-degree theft, theft of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm and is being held on a Department of Corrections detainer.

Natalie Rae Wiley, 31, was booked on suspicion of first-degree burglary, second-degree theft, theft of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm.

Whatcom County Sheriff’s deputies got a report of an interrupted burglary at 5 p.m. Friday in the 7000 block of Elk Road, after citizens reported seeing two men and one woman leaving the home with several items they believed to be stolen.

The trio left in a black Honda, and witnesses were able to get the license plate number. One of the men was armed with a handgun, a witness told deputies.

A short time later, deputies located the Honda in the 8000 block of Harborview Road in Birch Bay. Deputies contacted a man and a woman, while a third man ran away, the sheriff’s office said. A K-9 was able to track the man nearby and he was taken into custody without incident.

Deputies obtained a search warrant for the Harborview residence and the Honda and found numerous stolen items from the Elk Road residence, including the shotgun and rifle, the sheriff’s office said.

According to court records, Vargas previously has been convicted of identity theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, burglary, vehicle theft, theft, controlled substance violation and possession of stolen property from 2003 to 2014 in Snohomish and Skagit County.

As of Wednesday, Hale was being held on $60,000 bail, Vargas remained in jail on $50,000 bail and Wiley was being held on $5,000 bail.

This story was originally published September 19, 2018 at 8:23 AM.