Attempted theft from Whatcom storage facility allegedly ends stuck in the mud
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Bothel man last week when they found him asleep inside his truck stuck in a marsh after his alleged plan to break into a storage facility and steal a tote full of tools went terribly wrong.
Spencer John Foster, 32, was booked into Whatcom County Jail Friday, March 6, on suspicion of second-degree burglary, and jail records show he’s being held in lieu of $5,000 bail.
Deputies were called to the scene of a storage facility on Portal Way after someone had cut the facility’s fence and broken a handle on of the unit’s roll-up door, according to information provided to The Bellingham Herald by Chief Deputy Kevin Hester in an email.
Deputies found a large, heavy tote that contained multiple tools, that it appeared someone had attempted to drag to the hole in the fence but abandoned in the middle of the property due to its weight, Hester reported.
Deputies then spotted a pick-up truck sitting in a marshy area several hundred yards away in the woods, where they contacted Foster, who was sleeping inside.
During questioning, Foster reportedly admitted to cutting the hole in the fence, breaking into the storage unit and stealing the tote, according to Hester.
Foster then reportedly lost his way in the dark and couldn’t find the hole he’d cut. He got tired from dragging the tote, so he opened it, removed some tools and abandoned the rest so he could return to his truck, Hester reported.
But when Foster returned to his truck, he found that it was stuck in the soft, marshy ground where he parked, according to Hester. He called a friend to come tow him out, but the friend could not get into the area without also getting stuck, and Foster fell asleep in his truck until deputies woke him.
