Whatcom County corrections deputy suspected of smuggling contraband to female inmate
A veteran Whatcom County corrections deputy is suspected of smuggling contraband items, including marijuana edibles, to a female inmate at the Whatcom County Jail’s Work Center.
Corrections Deputy Christopher Frederic Baetz, 41, was booked into Skagit County Jail Monday, Feb. 8, on suspicion of second-degree introducing contraband into a correction facility, which is a Class C felony, according to a Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office release Tuesday. Whatcom County Jail records show Baetz was transferred back to Whatcom County Jail Tuesday afternoon and released without bail.
“Members of the Sheriff’s Office charged with the custody, care, and well-being of inmates are held to very high standards,” Sheriff Bill Elfo said in the release. “The criminal conduct of Mr. Baetz in this matter represents a complete abrogation of those standards, expectations, and organizational norms. His actions are not representative of the value of other Sheriff’s Office employees.
“I appreciate that this incident was quickly reported and swiftly dealt with.”
Corrections deputies at the Work Center on Sunday, Feb. 7, learned that a female inmate had a cell phone, headphones, a phone charger, vaping materials and marijuana edibles within her dormitory, the release states, adding that all the items are prohibited for inmates.
Deputies began a preliminary investigation, according to the release, and found the contraband had been smuggled in by a corrections deputy began to arise.
Command staff was notified, a full investigation ensued and probable cause was established for Baetz’s arrest when he reported to work Monday afternoon, the release states.
Baetz has been employed by the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office since 2006, but the release said he will be relieved of duty pending appropriate administrative action.
The investigation is ongoing, according to the release.
Baetz is the first employee at the Whatcom County Jail or the Work Center to be arrested since two incidents in 2019, when a Mount Vernon woman who worked for a jail food service vendor was suspected of smuggling Suboxone strips and heroin to jail inmates and a male corrections deputy was accused of having an intimate relationship with a female inmate at the jail.
This story was originally published February 9, 2021 at 3:37 PM.
