Man suspected of raping incapacitated woman at Bellingham hotel
Bellingham Police have arrested a Clark County man suspected of raping a woman who was incapacitated by alcohol in a Whatcom County hotel late in 2020.
Coloton Lee Bellikka, 25 of Battle Ground, was booked Friday, Feb. 4, into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of second-degree rape, incapable of consent.
Police were sent Dec. 28, 2020, to the Best Western Heritage Inn on East McLeod Road for the report of a rape, according to Whatcom County Superior Court documents, where they made contact with the victim.
Officers noted that the victim was extremely intoxicated, documents state, and she reported she had been in a hotel room with three men and that one had raped her. The victim was taken to St. Joseph hospital to have a sexual assault exam.
Police talked to the three men, including Bellikka, who reported that they met the victim inside the Meridian Liquor store, and she joined them back at the hotel, where they drank in the parking lot before inviting the victim inside, according to documents.
Bellikka initially only admitted to kissing the victim, but later told police he had sexual contact with her, according to documents.
The victim later told police she remembered meeting the three men at the liquor store, listening to music and drinking in her car, documents, but she didn’t not remember telling police that she had been raped.
Bellikka told police that he remembered the victim was “clearly obliterated,” that he didn’t realize how intoxicated she was until it was “too late” and that his friends would not have had sex with her because “she was too far gone,” documents state.
On Dec. 1, 2021, the results from the Washington State Patrol Lab showed that DNA collected during the victim’s sexual assault exam at the hospital matched with Bellikka’s sample, according to documents.
A warrant for Bellikka’s arrest was issued Jan. 13.
Resources
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault, you can contact the following local resources for free, confidential support:
▪ Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services: 24-hour Help Line: 360-715-1563, Email: info@dvsas.org.
▪ Lummi Victims of Crime: 360-312-2015.
▪ Tl’ils Ta’á’altha Victims of Crime: 360-325-3310 or nooksacktribe.org/departments/youth-family-services/tlils-taaaltha-victims-of-crime-program/
▪ Bellingham Police: You can call anonymously at 360-778-8611, or go online at cob.org/tips.
▪ WWU Consultation and Sexual Assault Support Survivor Advocacy Services: 360-650-3700 or wp.wwu.edu/sexualviolence/.
