Whatcom Sheriff’s Office arrests man on suspicion of first-degree murder
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 47-year-old man suspected of murder, according to Whatcom County Jail records.
Brent Scott Gerber was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder Monday morning, jail records show. According to the jail log, the arrest type was for vehicular homicide.
Gerber lives in Maple Falls, LexisNexis records show, though he’s had previous addresses in Bonney Lake, Puyallup and Kettle Falls.
The sheriff’s office has not said if Gerber’s arrest is in relation to a suspected homicide the sheriff’s office reported late Saturday.
“Right now we are actively working an investigation and attempting to contact several more witnesses/suspects. (We) hope to have that wrapped up later this afternoon,” Chief Deputy Kevin Hester told The Bellingham Herald in an email Monday, adding that investigators did not want to release further information for fear it could jeopardize the investigation.
Around 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 4, two dog walkers at the South Fork County Park in the 1500 block of Mosquito Lake Road in Acme found what appeared to be a body in the middle of a gravel access road, according to a sheriff’s office release. When the dog walkers saw it was a human body, they immediately called 911.
When sheriff’s deputies arrived, they found the person “suffered significant trauma and was obviously deceased,” the release states. Detectives and crime scene investigators were called to the scene.
The sheriff’s office is not releasing age, gender or how the person died, until further investigation is done, the victim is identified and family is notified, the release states.
Foul play is suspected in the victim’s death, and it’s an ongoing homicide investigation, according to the release.
According to Whatcom County Superior Court records, Gerber previously has been charged with one felony — a second-degree assault charge from April 2002. That case was dismissed Oct. 7, 2005.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who may have information about what happened at the park between 6 p.m. Friday, April 3, and 8 a.m. Saturday, April 4 to call the tip line at 360-778-6663.
This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 9:40 AM.
