Hiker’s tip aids capture of inmates who reportedly escaped from Whatcom work crew
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has recaptured both inmates who escaped from a work crew Monday afternoon..
Christopher James McCracken’s captured was announced on a sheriff’s office Facebook post made at 8:43 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21. At the time, deputies were still searching for Jonathan Emery Pickett, but the post said “Mr. Pickett has been tracked to (Sumas) Mountain and is believed to be heading up the mountain.”
At approximately 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Picket also was taken into custody, sheriff’s office spokesperson Deb Slater told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
The sheriff’s office announced Monday that McCracken and Pickett — both minimum-security inmates — escaped from the in-custody work crew at approximately noon Monday, Oct. 19, near the intersection of Northwest and West Smith roads.
“Due to their actions, there is probable cause for (first-degree) escape for both men,” Undersheriff Doug Chadwick told The Bellingham Herald in an email Monday.
Deputies received a report Tuesday from a hiker who spotted McCracken and Pickett near the Gold Mine Trail in Everson, Slater reported.
A search was started, and deputies, with assistance from a Bellingham Police Department K9 and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter, were able to find and arrest McCracken in the 4200 block of South Pass Road, according to Slater.
Pickett was spotted by the Everson Police Department walking along Goodwin Road, according to a second Facebook post Wednesday.
McCracken began serving a nine-month sentence on Sept. 24 for a second-degree burglary conviction for breaking into a Blaine storage facility in August, court records show. He’s also awaiting a trial scheduled to begin Nov. 16 on first-degree possession of stolen property charges for allegedly having a stolen cargo trailer on property he lived on in April.
Pickett was in custody for a violation of a no-contact order and was scheduled to be released Oct. 31, according to the release. Whatcom County Superior Court records show he also has previous convictions for assault, criminal impersonation, making a false statement to a public servant and bail jumping.
This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 9:13 AM.
