This wasn’t the first time she’s allegedly led Whatcom Sheriff’s deputies on a pursuit
A Whatcom County woman is suspected in leading sheriff’s deputies on a pursuit before it reached speeds that forced deputies to break off the chase Tuesday in Maple Falls. Her abandoned car was later found a few blocks from Mount Baker High School, and the resulting search forced the district to issue a shelter-in-place warning for the Deming campus.
Arielle Danielle Whitaker, 23, was booked into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of third-degree driving with a suspended license, attempting to elude a police vehicle, DUI and obstructing a police officer.
In 2016, Whitaker pleaded guilty to leading deputies on another high-speed chase in the area.
According to information on Tuesday’s incident provided by Chief Deputy Kevin Hester in an email to The Bellingham Herald Wednesday, traffic deputies observed a black Ford Explorer driving recklessly at approximately 10 a.m. in the 8000 block of Kendall Road in Maple Falls. The deputy attempted to make a traffic stop, but the truck continued, going into the on-coming lane of travel, passing on corners and in no-passing zones and traveling at speeds up to 90 mph as it headed westbound on the Mount Baker Highway.
Due to safety concerns, the deputy ended the pursuit, Hester said, and radioed ahead for other sheriff’s units to watch for the truck. Shortly afterward, it was spotted abandoned in the 5000 block of Water Street in Deming — only a couple of blocks east of the Mount Baker School District offices and the junior and senior high schools.
A police dog led deputies to a small RV trailer parked down the street, Hester said, where Whitaker and a man were found hiding and taken into custody without incident.
During the search, the Sheriff’s Office notified the school of the increased law enforcement presence in the area, Hester said.
High school principal Matt Durand decided to issue the shelter-in-place warning, district Director of Finance and Operations Ben Thomas told The Bellingham Herald Wednesday, and the district placed a recorded call to parents to inform them of the situation.
Thomas said the district was notified by a 911 dispatcher at approximately 11:15 a.m. that the suspect had been taken into custody, and the shelter-in-place order was lifted.
The sheriff’s investigation determined that Whitaker was the driver of the truck, that she had a suspended driver’s license and was suspected to be under the influence of narcotics, Hester said. The man was released at the scene, but the truck was impounded after it appeared to contain numerous stolen items.
According to court documents, Whitaker has previous convictions for fourth-degree assault, residential burglary and bail jumping in 2015 and 2016 and on the evening of Sept. 9, 2016, she led deputies on a pursuit that again began in Maple Falls in a red Honda Accord.
In that incident, deputies also had to break off the pursuit, court documents state, but deputies continued to follow at a safe speed. Deputies re-initiated the pursuit and it reached 70 mph before Whitaker turned onto Mosquito Lake Road and continued for 3.5 miles.
At one point, Whitaker slowed enough to allow a passenger to get out, court documents state, but she again sped off. During the pursuit, she threw random objects at patrol vehicles and lit a small duct tape-wrapped object that she dropped out of the car. The object, which appeared to be an explosive device, was later found and secured by the Bellingham Police explosives unit, and the pursuit ended when the deputy used a pursuit-intervention technique maneuver.
On Nov. 3, 2016, court records show, she pleaded guilty to eluding a police vehicle, possession of methamphetamine and first-degree negligent driving and was sentenced to six months in custody with a year probation.