Whatcom County maintenance employee reportedly assaulted in courthouse restroom
A resident of the encampment outside Bellingham City Hall reportedly assaulted a Whatcom County facilities and maintenance worker in a restroom inside the Whatcom County Courthouse Wednesday morning.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office booked Emmanuel Nathaniel Gonzalez, 33, into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of second-degree assault, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, possession of a weapon by a prisoner, tampering with a fire alarm and five counts of possession of a dangerous weapon.
Deputies responded at 10:15 a.m. Jan. 6 to the courthouse for the report of a fight, according to a sheriff’s office news release on the incident.
The investigation showed that Gonzalez entered the courthouse and was using the restroom, when facilities maintenance workers approached and asked him to leave so that scheduled maintenance could be done, the release states.
Gonzalez refused to leave and became confrontational, according to the release, pushing a county employee, ultimately blocking the escape route, and a fight ensued. During the fight, the employee’s finger reportedly was broken.
Deputies arrived and arrested Gonzalez, the release stated, and a search of his backpack revealed methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, a hatchet and four knives.
Deputies also learned that Gonzalez had tampered with the fire alarm on the wall of the restroom, activating the alarm, according to the release.
While Gonzalez was being booked into jail, deputies found another large, fixed-blade knife, the release stated.
Gonzalez was a resident of the downtown Bellingham homeless encampment outside City Hall and the Bellingham Public Library — known as Camp 210 — Sheriff Bill Elfo told The Bellingham Herald Thursday.
Elfo said his office has continued to receive a number of complaints from county employees and other Bellingham residents after they reported being intimidated, threatened and even assaulted by residents at the camp.
In December, Elfo asked Whatcom County Executive’s office to send a warning to all county employees who worked at or near the courthouse to be careful as they traveled between the office and their vehicles.
After Elfo’s warning, volunteers with the camp, which was set up in November for people protesting a lack of homeless shelter space in the area, told The Herald that they knew of no harassment or threats.
“We want everyone to be safe,” Camp 210 volunteer Kainui Rapaport told The Bellingham Herald in an email, adding that “everyone” includes unhoused community members.
Whatcom County Superior Court records show Gonzalez already was scheduled to stand trial on two counts of second-degree assault for reportedly trying to pick a fight April 16 with a man and his mother with a screwdriver outside the Loft restaurant and a third-degree assault charge from a March 29 incident.
Court records show he also has a previous conviction in Whatcom County for malicious mischief, burglary and possession of stolen property.
This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
