Bellingham DUI suspect who allegedly crashed into parked cars has lengthy criminal history
A Whatcom County man with a lengthy list of previous convictions recently was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and crashing into two parked cars in Bellingham.
Witnesses reported to police around 1:35 a.m. Jan. 11 that a red Subaru Forester had collided with two parked in the 2100 block of Cornwall. One of the witnesses reported that a single male, later identified as Vaughn Anton Tufts, 34, kicked out the windshield of his car, crawled out and began to walk away. Witnesses told Tufts to stay until police arrived, and he did, according to Lt. Claudia Murphy with the Bellingham Police Department.
Tufts was bleeding from the mouth with minor scrapes on his head. He was taken to the hospital for his injuries and a DUI investigation, Murphy said. Officers on the scene could not find evidence of alcohol consumption, but Tufts reportedly displayed signs of illegal drug use.
Tufts had been arrested by police 10 hours earlier on Jan. 10 for illegal drug use after he was discovered in a red Subaru Forester in the parking lot of Sunset Square, Murphy said. Police had responded to a call of a man passed out behind the wheel, and reported finding Tufts slumped over the center console with a piece of foil and white powder on a piece of foil. The powder field tested positive as fentanyl.
Police arrested Tufts up and he was taken into custody. He was cited by summons for use of a controlled substance and then escorted from Sunset Square. He was released from custody, according to Murphy.
Tufts has been arrested and tried in court at least 77 times in Washington between 2009 and 2024. His arrests since 2009 range from disorderly conduct to felony assault.
The Herald reported on Tufts many arrests in 2022, including an incident where he used bear spray against another man behind the Bellingham Walmart. He was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault, third-degree malicious mischief and failure to appear warrants for fourth-degree assault and third-degree theft in that case.
Both parked vehicles damaged in the Jan. 11 crash belong to Bellingham resident Cam MacPherson and his wife.
“I am deeply relieved that nobody was hurt from this act,” MacPherson told The Herald in an email. “Yet I am both extraordinarily disturbed and disappointed to discover that this individual has been arrested at least 68 times — 68 times! — by local law enforcement (as of 2022) for crimes ranging from violent assaults, thefts, intoxicated driving and narcotics dealings, and yet has remained free to continue to act as a social menace.”
As a result of the Jan. 11 crash, Tufts has been charged with DUI and using a controlled substance in a public place, both gross misdemeanors. He has also been charged with driving without insurance, a misdemeanor, according to court documents.
This story was originally published January 28, 2025 at 12:46 PM.
.jpg)