Man arrested after allegedly raping Bellingham victims he met via a dating app
A Mount Vernon man is being held in the Whatcom County Jail for allegedly sexually assaulting two separate people in Bellingham who met up with him via a dating app.
Carlos Cruz-Garcia, 24, was arrested Friday, Feb. 24, on two charges of second-degree rape and one charge of disclosing intimate images, according to Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy.
A sexual assault report was first made against Cruz-Garcia to the Bellingham Police Department on Jan. 5.
An unnamed victim allegedly met Cruz-Garcia via a dating app in July of 2022 and engaged in a consensual sexual encounter that was recorded on an electronic device. However, when the two met again on another occasion, Cruz-Garcia allegedly forcibly raped the victim, would not stop when asked to and then left the residence, Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email
The victim reported the alleged rape and disclosure of intimate images in January after discovering the video and images taken during their consensual sexual encounter had been published on social media, according to Murphy.
Another sexual assault report was made against Cruz-Garcia to the Bellingham Police Department on Feb. 14, by a separate victim.
The other unnamed victim also allegedly met up with Cruz-Garcia near a Bellingham park via a dating app. Cruz-Garcia allegedly removed the victim’s pants, raped them and overpowered the victim’s attempts to stop him, Murphy told The Herald.
Cruz-Garcia was in custody at the Whatcom County Jail on no bail as of Monday morning, jail 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.
▪ 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 Survivor Advocacy Services at the Counseling & Wellness Center: 360-650-7982 or https://cwc.wwu.edu/survivorservices.
▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org.
