Suspect slipped past a security door and Bellingham Police arrested him for these charges
A Bellingham man was arrested on suspicion of several crimes, including burglary, theft and indecent exposure, police said.
Whatcom County Jail records show that Derrick Brown, 29, was being held Monday, April 5, on several charges related to crimes investigated by Bellingham Police.
Most serious of the allegations is second-degree burglary of a business in the 1200 block of Cornwall Avenue on the night of March 31-April 1, said police Lt. Claudia Murphy.
That business was locked and required electronic access to enter, Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
“Video surveillance shows that a person lawfully entered the building and then the suspect sneaking in behind the person with access before the door re-latched. This suspect, later identified as Brown, hung around all night until 5 a.m., when an employee noticed Brown and escorted him out of the building,” Murphy said.
Second-degree burglary is a Class B felony, according to the Revised Code of Washington.
Murphy said Brown stole food and an employee’s phone charging cord, with a total value less than $750, which prompted the third-degree theft charge, Murphy said.
Brown was arrested on an indecent exposure charge because he exposed himself after locking himself in a bathroom in the 200 block of West Holly St.
Further, since February, Brown has been issued 11 notices of criminal trespass from businesses in downtown Bellingham, where he has “scared and frightened quite a few employees,” she said.
