Bellingham SWAT arrests man suspected of home break-in and jewelry theft
The Bellingham Police Department’s SWAT team was called Tuesday morning to help arrest a man suspected of burglarizing a Birchwood neighborhood home while the residents were out of town and stealing more than $7,500 in jewelry.
William David Jefferson Jr., 36, was booked into Whatcom County Jail Feb. 4 on suspicion of third-degree malicious mischief and residential burglary. Police also suspect Jefferson of first- and third-degree theft, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email, and charges will be forward to the prosecutor’s office for those alleged crimes.
Jail records show Jefferson is being held in lieu of $5,000 bail.
Police were notified Sunday, Feb. 2, that the victims’ home in the 3100 block of McLeod Road appeared to be broken into while they were out of town, Murphy reported.
The victims returned to find two doors had been forced open and several window screens cut, Whatcom County Superior Court documents show. It also appeared Jefferson had gone through several drawers and containers looking for valuables, court records state, and approximately $7,550 in missing jewelry was missing.
Damage done to the residence and garage doors was estimated to be about $300, according to court documents.
Crime Scene Investigators discovered fingerprints on items at the scene, Murphy reported, which led police to Jefferson, who was not known to either homeowner.
Officers learned Tuesday that Jefferson was in the 900 block of Mahogany Avenue and they got a warrant for the residence where he was.
Court records show Jefferson has felony convictions from 2018 for third-degree assault while resisting apprehension, eluding law enforcement and second-degree stolen property trafficking.
Because of that history and other previous interactions with law enforcement that showed a propensity for violence, the SWAT team served the warrant, Murphy reported. SWAT used a megaphone to instruct Jefferson to give himself up, and after several minutes he surrendered and was taken into custody without incident.
Inside the residence, police found some of the property that had been stolen, Murphy reported, though some of the items taken in the burglary had been pawned, resulting in a $205 loss for the shop.
