Bellingham transient reportedly grabs 11-year-old waiting for her parents near encampment
A resident at the Bellingham homeless encampment in the parking lot at Frank Geri Softball Fields was arrested Tuesday evening after he allegedly slapped or grabbed an 11-year-old victim on the buttocks as she was being picked up after practice.
Bellingham Police booked Brent Ecklev Oakley, 39, on suspicion of fourth-degree assault.
Because of the nature of the alleged crime, officers will ask the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s office to file the charge with sexual motivation, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
Officers were called at 6:33 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, to the 1700 block of Express Way for the report of a possible sex crime, Murphy reported.
Once they arrived they were told the victim was leaving practice and waiting to be picked up by a parent. Just before the victim got in the car, Oakley slapped or grabbed the victim’s buttocks with his hand, according to Murphy.
The incident was witnessed by others, who reported what they saw to police and pointed Oakley out to officers walking on the sidewalk near the encampment on Fraser and Puget streets, Murphy reported.
Officers took Oakley into custody without incident, according to Murphy, and he told police he lived at the encampment but denied the assault.
Jail records show Oakley also was booked on suspicion of second-degree vehicle prowl, third-degree assault and third-degree malicious mischief.
Those allegations stem from an incident Sunday afternoon, Feb. 28, when officers were called to assist the Washington State Patrol, which had received a report of a man running on Interstate 5 near Lakeway Drive, Murphy reported.
Officers located Oakley, still running, near Humboldt Street and Lakeway. Officers attempted to stop him to check on his welfare, according to Murphy, but instead Oakley climbed into the trunk of a car that didn’t belong to him, appeared to attempt to drive it from the backseat, broke off the rear-view mirror when he couldn’t and smashed a side window with it, sending shards of glass onto an officer.
Neither the officer nor Oakley were injured in the incident, Murphy reported, but Oakley was taken to the hospital for further evaluation based on his behavior.
This story was originally published March 3, 2021 at 3:35 PM.
