Whatcom County man sent to prison for sexually abusing teenage girl
A Whatcom County man will spend a little more than two years in prison for sexually abusing a teenage girl in 2017 and 2018.
Joseph Jude Fuller, 67, of Nooksack, was sentenced Monday, April 18, in Whatcom County Superior Court to two years and four months in prison, with three years probation, for one count of first-degree incest and one count of third-degree child molestation.
Fuller was originally charged with one count of first-degree incest, one count of third-degree rape of a child and one count of third-degree child molestation, but his charges were reduced as part of a plea deal, according to court records.
As part of his sentencing, Fuller will be required to register as a sex offender and will also be required to complete a sexual deviancy evaluation and comply with any treatment, court records show.
In late November 2018, Everson police responded to Whatcom County school for a child abuse report.
A then-15-year-old girl had disclosed to a school counselor that Fuller, who was known to her, had been sexually abusing her since May 2017, the court records state.
Evidence collected in the case and analyzed by the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab showed DNA evidence was present from two people, including the girl. The state crime lab determined it was 14 octillion times more likely the other DNA sample was Fuller’s than an unrelated individual’s selected at random from the U.S. population, court records show.
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.
▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.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/.
