Bellingham crime spree allegedly includes theft of material for coronavirus masks
Bellingham police arrested two men suspected of a string of burglaries and thefts, including of supplies needed to make face masks to combat the spread of the new coronavirus.
Police also believe the two men — either independently or working together — have been responsible for three car thefts and at least four other incidents since the first of the year.
Dustin William Humphries, 39, and Jason Allen Jansen Jamie, 34, were each booked on suspicion of multiple charges, including malicious mischief, burglary and theft. Humphries also is suspected of theft and possession of a motor vehicle and attempting to elude police, while Jaime is suspected of possession of stolen property and trafficking.
Jail records show each is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail.
About 5:50 a.m. Tuesday, April 14, Humphries and Jamie entered the downtown Elevate Bellingham apartment building on Forest Street, according to Whatcom County Superior Court documents.
It appears the pair used a key to enter the building, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email, then used a delivery personnel fob to enter a third-floor bike room. It is not known how Humphries and Jamie got the fob.
Once in the room, Humphries and Jamie used knives to open packages that had been delivered for tenants, Murphy reported, and were captured on surveillance video leaving with more than $400 worth of packages and items. Reportedly among the items stolen were a Dremel tool, jewelry, speakers and five spools of plastic filament a tenant had intended to use to make 3D-printed face masks to combat the spread of coronavirus.
About 17 hours after leaving, video showed Jamie and Humphries returning to the building wearing hooded jackets and pulling on the doors, but they were unable to get in, Murphy reported.
Before the April 14 incident, Murphy reported, Humphries or Jamie (or both) were believed to be responsible for:
▪ A Jan. 11 theft of a Honda Accord in the 2800 block of Cottonwood Avenue. An officer found the car a day later missing the stereo, rear deck speakers and battery, and crime-scene investigators said they found a fingerprint belonging to Humphries.
▪ A Jan. 20 theft of a Subaru Legacy from the Value Village parking lot. Officers found the car about 13 hours later nearby, outside Home Depot, missing the battery and with damaged battery cables. Surveillance images reportedly showed Humphries park the car and walk into the store.
▪ A Feb. 18 theft of a Honda Accord from the 1300 block of Birchwood Avenue. Officers found the car a day later in the 4000 block of Northwest Avenue missing a stereo speaker and other personal items. The wheels and tires also were stolen and replaced with older ones, and crime scene investigators found a fingerprint reportedly belonging to Humphries.
▪ A March 16 incident, in which Jamie allegedly broke into a Walton Beverage vending machine in the 100 block of Chestnut Street, stealing $215.70 in cash and causing about $100 in damage.
▪ A March 19 commercial burglary in Fairhaven and theft of a $500 laptop computer. A day later, Jamie and an associate reportedly pawned the computer for $100.
▪ A March 26 incident in which Jamie reportedly drove into the Elevate Bellingham parking garage and video captured him breaking into two vending machines, causing more than $2,000 damage to steal $2.
▪ An April 4 incident at Elevate Bellingham, in which four cars reportedly were broken into. Video appeared to show Jamie smashing a window on one of the cars. He reportedly stole a backpack containing $300 worth of emergency preparedness supplies and medication. A second man, whom Murphy reported looked like Humphries and driving a vehicle Humphries purchased on March 10, accompanied Jamie and was seen looking into vehicles.
“Based on evidence gathered in the above cases, Jamie and Humphries targeted the apartment building ... and are a threat to the safety and security of the residents there,” Murphy wrote. “They have stolen essential items (medications, emergency preparedness supplies, and materials designed for the production of masks to combat COVID-19).”
Jamie has prior convictions for trafficking stolen property, burglary, malicious mischief and theft, and Murphy said he was arrested without incident April 16 during a traffic stop.
Also on April 16, Bellingham police attempted to stop a car owned by Humphries in the Birchwood neighborhood, court documents state. The vehicle entered northbound Interstate 5 and reportedly began to drive aggressively toward other cars and cut dangerously between two semi-trucks, prompting officers to discontinue the pursuit because of safety concerns.
A little later, a Whatcom County Sheriff’s deputy spotted the vehicle eastbound on Birch Bay Lynden Road. Before the deputy activated emergency lights, the vehicle began passing other cars on the right side of the road and attempt to speed off, according to documents.
The pursuit continued on Birch Bay Lynden Road and several other country roads, documents state, before Humphries stopped the vehicle on Enterprise Road and was arrested.
