Bellingham man who entered neighbor’s apartment, sometimes without pants, sent to prison
A Bellingham man who entered a female neighbor’s apartment without permission, sometimes while naked, more than a dozen times in summer 2022 will spend two years in prison.
Robert George Brown, 66, was sentenced Thursday, Nov. 30 in Whatcom County Superior Court to two years in prison, with three years probation, for one count of residential burglary with sexual motivation, a felony. Brown previously pleaded guilty to the charge Oct. 19, according to court records.
Brown’s burglary charge includes sexual motivation as an aggravating factor. Because he was convicted of the aggravating factor, Brown’s sentence includes a mandatory 18 months in prison.
Brown was originally charged Oct. 10, 2022 with 13 counts of residential burglary with sexual motivation, but 12 of his charges were dropped as part of an agreed-upon plea deal between the attorneys, court documents show.
As part of his sentencing, Brown will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and comply with any geographic restrictions for work and housing. He also will not be allowed to consume controlled substances or use or own firearms.
Brown will also be required to complete a sexual deviancy and a mental health evaluation and comply with any recommended treatment. He may also be required to comply with electronic monitoring and a curfew, if his probation officer requests.
A no-contact order was put in place between Brown and the woman until October 2033, according to court records.
Whatcom County senior deputy prosecuting attorney Kellen Kooistra declined to comment on the case.
The Bellingham Herald has reached out to Brown’s public defense attorney for comment.
The crime
On July 15, 2022, Bellingham police were called to an apartment complex in the 100 block of East Chestnut Street for a report of a residential burglary.
A then-73-year-old woman told police that roughly a week prior, on July 5, she woke up around 3 a.m. and went to her kitchen to get a glass of water. When she entered the kitchen area she found a man, later identified as Brown, standing alone in the dark inside her apartment. The woman screamed at Brown to leave, and he did so, according to court records.
The woman told police that she lives alone and regularly leaves her door unlocked. She told police she and Brown didn’t know each other and that she has never invited him into her apartment. Brown lived alone in an apartment down the hall from the woman.
It was later discovered that one of the woman’s neighbors had a camera that pointed down their hallway. When police reviewed video footage from the neighbor’s camera, it showed Brown entering the woman’s apartment roughly 14 times between June 25 and July 14, 2022.
Of the 14 times Brown was captured on video entering the woman’s apartment, he was not wearing pants or underwear on at least three of the occasions. Brown was also seen entering the woman’s apartment multiple times on the same day, and spent roughly a few seconds up to 11 minutes inside the woman’s apartment, court documents state.
When officers initially confronted Brown, he denied being in the woman’s apartment. After an officer informed Brown they had video footage of him entering the woman’s apartment and that he had a previous conviction for indecent exposure, Brown disclosed that he had a mental illness and suffers from sexual compulsions, the records state.
Brown later admitted that he had entered the woman’s apartment, but said that he never took any property and that the intent for entering the woman’s apartment was for voyeurism.
Brown said he has never hurt or raped anyone and that the incidents were “more of a voyeurism thing,” court documents state.
Brown told police that he had walked past the woman’s apartment some time ago, checked her door and found that it was unlocked. He also told police that he was unsure why he was fixated on the woman, as she was much older than his usual targets.
Brown also told police that he had previously received therapy for his compulsions and that it had helped, but that the compulsions had since returned. He told police that he needed help, the records state.
Impacts
When contacted by the state corrections department in late October 2023, the woman, now 74, told officials that she isn’t experiencing trauma responses from the incident that impact her sleep or diet. She told corrections officials that she now locks her doors, including when she uses the bathroom, and checks them frequently. She also said that she misplaces things and then becomes afraid that someone broke in and stole the item she misplaced.
The woman told corrections officials that she feels sorry for Brown and that she wasn’t sure “what to do with people like that,” court documents state.
The woman told officials the most challenging aspect was how long the court process took to get Brown’s case resolved, and said she believed it needed to happen faster. She also said she was unaware that Brown had entered her apartment multiple times, but said she wished “him the best, whatever it is.”
The woman told officials she did not want Brown to return to Whatcom County for his probation once he’s released from prison.
Corrections officials ultimately agreed with the plea deal recommended by the attorneys for Brown but noted that “whatever internal controls (Brown) developed (in therapy) did not prevent him from violating someone’s personal space many times; he only stopped when he was discovered and confronted.”
Corrections officials said Brown should be monitored once he’s released from prison “as his behavior poses a risk to community safety,” according to court records.
Resources
▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org
Brigid Collins Family Support Center professionals are on-call between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, to answer questions about children, families, abuse prevention or treatment at (360) 734-4616.
▪ Child Protective Services: Washington state hotline for reporting child abuse and neglect, 866-829-2153.
▪ 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/.
If you or a child is in immediate danger, call 911 and make a report to law enforcement.
To report child abuse or neglect call 1-866-END HARM.
This story was originally published December 4, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
