Woman accused of taking part in Bellingham kidnapping plot faces multiple felony charges
A woman accused of leading a kidnapping plot Oct. 29 has been formally charged in Whatcom County.
Janelle Hill, 34, will face multiple felony charges for allegedly kidnapping a man known to her in Bellingham with the help of two associates, according to court records. Authorities suspect one of her associates stole a car near the scene of the kidnapping earlier the same day.
Around 12:32 a.m. Oct. 29, a red 2015 Nissan Rogue Select pulled into the parking lot on the Irongate Business Park off East Bakerview Road. A man in a black ski mask got out of the vehicle and broke into a Cadillac before driving it away. The incident was captured on surveillance cameras, according to the court documents.
About 20 minutes later the Nissan and stolen Cadillac returned to the business park, where the kidnapping victim worked, with the Cadillac stopping and the Nissan driving off. Hill exited the vehicle, along with two men wearing black face masks and armed with pistol-style Tasers, according to the documents. Hill reportedly was known to the victim, but the two men were not.
Court documents indicate Hill demanded the man give them property from his shop, claiming he had stolen property from her. Hill and the two men “ransacked” the shop, stealing items such as 3D printers, an Apple desktop computer, power tools, an electric scooter and a drone. The alleged theft also was captured in part by security cameras, according to court documents.
Hill and the two men then led the individual inside his carpet cleaning service van and Made them drive them to a place he was supposed to clean overnight in Burlington. During the drive, Hill had something pointed at the individual and made comments indicating it was a firearm and not just a Taser. At one point Hill struck the individual in the face with a weapon, court documents state.
When the group arrived at the location the man was supposed to clean, they had him get in the back of the van and tied him to a chair using tape, zip ties and bungee cord. They also used bandage material to gag the victim, court documents state.
The suspects then drove the van out of the area.
The man was able to get an arm out of one of the zip ties, then used a key to cut the other restraints before exiting out the back of the van near Skagit Speedway and getting help from a nearby resident. Skagit County Sheriff’s deputies then responded to the area, according to court documents.
The victim’s van was recovered on Farm to Market Road in Skagit County.
Police located and arrested Hill inside a storage unit Nov. 11 just outside Bellingham city limits, Megan Peters with the Bellingham Police Department told The Bellingham Herald.
Hill has since been charged with first-degree kidnapping and first-degree robbery with a deadly weapon, both class A felonies. She was also charged with theft of a motor vehicle, a class B felony.
Police located a rifle belonging to Hill in the storage unit. Hill has been convicted of multiple felonies and is prohibited from possessing a firearm. She also was charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, a class C felony.
Authorities have not released the names of Hill’s associates. The investigation continues.
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