Whatcom man suspected of hate crime against neighbor whose landlords are of Russian descent
A Whatcom County man is suspected of committing a hate crime against a neighbor whose landlords are of Russian and Ukrainian descent after he reportedly threw fireworks at the property, left a vulgar message and handcuffs he fashioned at the front door and walked angrily around carrying a gun.
Because of other recent dealings with the man, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies said they suspected the man was suffering from “a spiraling mental health condition,” Whatcom County Superior Court records state.
Charles Phillip Perry, 45, was booked into Whatcom County Jail on Friday, March 4, on suspicion of malicious harassment (committing a hate crime). Jail records show he is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail.
Deputies were called at 4:37 p.m. Saturday to the 100 block of Sudden Valley Lane after receiving a 911 call about an agitated man pacing around the area, court documents state. The caller reported hearing a loud pop before noticing the man, later identified as Perry walk by with a gun on his hip.
Another neighbor also reported hearing the pops and feared they were gunshots, prompting her to go inside, court documents state.
At approximately 5:17 p.m., the victim called 911 to report that he came home and found fireworks debris on the front step to the home he is renting, documents state.
A short time later, the victim reported hearing a loud bang from in front of the house, according to documents. He went outside and found more fireworks debris along with some zip ties with a metal ring fashioned into handcuffs at the front door. Also on the front door, documents state, was a note with a penis drawn on one side and “Assassinate Vlad Putin” written on the back.
The victim reported seeing Perry walking past the house and throwing more fireworks a short while longer, documents state. The victim described Perry as angry, carrying a pistol in his pants pocket and walking around the yard toward the back of the victim’s property.
The victim reported going to Perry’s house in an effort to resolve the problem, according to documents, but Perry picked up a shotgun at the front door and handed it to another man before opening the door and staring at the victim. Fearing for his safety, the victim immediately left.
The victim told deputies that the reference to Putin in the note left on his door was meaningful because his landlords are of Russian and Ukrainian descent, especially in light of the recent war in Ukraine, documents state.
Investigators contacted the property owner who had no explanation for Perry’s behavior and said they did not know him, documents state. The owner also was fearful for his property.
The owner reportedly provided investigators video from his front door camera that showed Perry throwing fireworks and leaving the note on the front step, documents state. The video also showed he was carrying a handgun in his pocket.
Deputies went to speak to Perry at his home and found him actively barricading the door and with six human silhouette paper shooting targets set up around his yard, documents state.
Perry admitted to deputies that he had been to the “Russian’s” house, according to documents, and said he believed he was justified because of a conspiracy by the property owner to keep him from getting lumber scraps, but he denied he was targeting them because of their ties to Russia.
Deputies seized a handgun and a shotgun while arresting Perry, documents state.
In the past few days, Perry had twice been contacted by deputies after some aggressive rants about decaying world events and politics at the Lake Whatcom Market and a run-in with another neighbor, documents state, leading deputies to believe his mental health was “spiraling.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
