He allegedly broke into the impound lot to retrieve meth and heroin from a seized car
A man allegedly broke into the Bellingham Police Department’s impound lot in an attempt to retrieve heroin and methamphetamine he had stashed in a car and planned to do it a second time when he had a second car seized.
Cody Lee Wilson, 31, was booked into Whatcom County Jail Saturday, Nov. 23, on suspicion of attempted tampering with physical evidence, second-degree burglary, third-degree malicious mischief, second-degree vehicle prowling and manufacturing/delivery of narcotics. Jail records show he was released Sunday on $25,000 bail.
Wilson was initially stopped for a routine traffic violation at approximately 8:30 a.m. Nov. 14, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald, when officers found he had a suspended license.
Wilson, who has prior arrests for delivery of methamphetamine, granted a search of his car, Murphy said, and officers located a digital scale with what appeared to be heroin residue on it and a large number of baggies, commonly used for the resale of narcotics. A police dog also alerted officers to the possibility of drugs in the car, Murphy said, and Wilson’s car was seized.
A search warrant was granted, and on Nov. 15 officers found 30.8 grams of suspected methamphetamine and 19.1 grams of heroin, which field tested positive, Murphy said, and officers established probable cause for Wilson’s arrest for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
On Nov. 19, police learned that Wilson was planning to break into the impound lot to retrieve the drugs he had stashed in his car, Murphy said. Officers checked the lot found a person-sized hole cut in the lot’s 6-foot chain link fence with razor wire on top and the front driver’s side window of Wilson’s car smashed out.
Since the warrant for the car had already been served, police had removed the drugs from Wilson’s car before the break in, Murphy said.
Surveillance video reportedly showed a small-statured white man crouching behind the car, Murphy said, adding that Wilson is 5-foot-5 and 130 pounds. The man appeared to be wearing a balaclava-style mask, a black hoodie jacket, dark blue jeans with rips on both sides of the front legs and Air Jordan 4 shoes.
Video also showed the man attempt to pop the hood of the car, which is where the drugs were hidden, Murphy said, when the alarm sounded and headlights flashed, and the man fled back through the hole in the fence.
Two days later on Thursday, Nov. 21, officers found Wilson driving a different car — a Nissan — in the 3700 block of Byron Avenue, Murphy said. Wilson was arrested for the probable cause established from the first stop and booked into Whatcom County Jail. He was released on $50,000 bail a day later, jail records show.
A police dog again alerted officers to the probable presence of drugs in the Nissan, which was seized and impounded, Murphy said. After a warrant was obtained, police found 75.3 grams of suspected methamphetamine and 3.4 grams of heroin, and both substances field tested positive. Murphy said more baggies and a scale with residue also were located in the Nissan.
On Nov. 23, Murphy said police again learned that Wilson was planning to break into the impound lot to retrieve the drugs in the Nissan. But at approximately 4:40 a.m., Wilson was found at the 7/11 on Lakeway Drive and arrested on suspicion of the probable cause established on Nov. 21.
At the time he was arrested, Wilson was wearing a black hoodie, dark blue jeans with the same rip patterns and Air Jordan 4 shoes that were seen in the video of the Nov. 19 burglary at the impound lot.
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
