Hate crime alleged after man arrested on suspicion of terrorizing Bellingham store clerk
A Mount Vernon man is facing a hate crime charge in Bellingham, where he is suspected of terrorizing a store clerk and yelling racial slurs.
Kyle Philip Yoder, 36, was arrested shortly after the incident at a store in the 400 bock of East Holly Street late Sunday, Dec. 11, said Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy.
Yoder was booked and released Sunday, according to jail records, and he is facing a Dec. 30 court appearance on the charge, according to Superior Court records.
“(The victim) reported that Yoder entered the store, made a threat of violence and used a racially motivated slur toward (the victim),” Murphy told The Bellingham Herald.
He stole a can of soda as he left, Murphy said in an email.
Police caught him and issued a trespassing notice from the store, she said.
But he returned about a half-hour later, and the frightened clerk locked themselves in a room and called 911.
“Yoder had made a threat to (the victim) on the initial call, which caused great fear when he returned. Yoder told (the victim) that ‘I’m going to cut your forehead you (racist slur),” Murphy said.
Murphy said the victim believes that they were targeted because of their heritage.
That’s why Yoder was booked on a charge of malicious harassment, which is a class C felony, Murphy said.
Malicious harassment is what Washington state calls a hate crime.
Yoder also faces a burglary charge for returning to the store after he was issued a trespass notice.
