Bellingham man who stalked, attacked former coworker sentenced to nearly four years
A 36-year-old man who assaulted a former coworker with a crowbar in July was sentenced to almost four years in prison in Whatcom County Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon.
Jeff Orlando Enriquez pleaded guilty Feb. 6 to first-degree burglary, third-degree assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful imprisonment and felony stalking.
According to court records, Enriquez was terminated from his job at a Bellingham security company after harassing and talking about sexually explicit activities with a coworker for whom he developed unrequited feelings. He continued to text, email and call the woman, even following her on her security rounds.
On the morning of July 23, Enriquez used a crowbar to pry open the locked safety office door to enter the building. He hit his former coworker in the hand with the crowbar, according to court documents, and she took the crowbar and moved away from him. Enriquez tied the door shut so she couldn’t leave, and officers had to break the door down and use a Taser on Enriquez to take him into custody.
Enriquez later told police that he “came into this today ready to die,” court records state.
“This was an incredibly frightening event,” prosecutor Gordon Jenkins said at the sentencing.
Enriquez told the court that he felt “rejected and forgotten by the world.” He said he’d needed therapy for mental health issues prior to his firing, and that losing his job had only exacerbated the situation.
He said he was “driven by the desire to be forgiven” by his former coworker, whom he considered a friend, and had no intention of hurting her.
Judge Jennifer Slattery acknowledged the mental health problems that Enriquez was and continues to deal with, and said she believed he was sorry for what he did. Still, she said, “It’s not justification for terrifying someone.”
Slattery followed the state’s recommendations and sentenced Enriquez to 47 months in prison followed by 18 months in community custody. He will also be required to complete a mental health evaluation and any recommended treatment. A no-contact order between Enriquez and his former coworker has been put in place for 20 years.