Georgia man suspected of attempting to extort money from Bellingham teen
Whatcom County authorities arrested a man suspected of extorting a teen by threatening physical harm if he didn’t receive cash.
Authorities suspect Lawrence J. Sluers, 28, had been harassing the underage victim for about a month before the behavior was reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Sept. 14 — after he had already shown up at the teen’s house and made threats, according to Lt. Claudia Murphy with the Bellingham Police Department. Court documents list a Georgia address for Sluers.
The victim is age 17, according to court documents.
The threats began after the Sluers’ girlfriend and her friend allegedly attacked the teen with pepper spray, according to court documents. The teen allegedly struck one of the women in self-defense. The incident was not reported to police at the time.
Earlier, Sluers had been messaging the teen “non-stop” through a social media platform, and there were several messages stating Sluers knew where the teen lived and that he was going to physically assault him if he did not pay him $1,000, Murphy told The Herald in an email.
Sluers sent the teen his own address multiple times, according to court documents, proving he knew where the teen lived.
While police interviewed the teen, an officer reported Sluers called the teen more than a dozen times and messaged him repeatedly, Murphy said.
Sluers has been charged with first-degree extortion, a class B felony, and harassment, a gross misdemeanor.
He has since been released from custody at Whatcom County Jail, pending his trial. He also has a no-contact order that prohibits him from having any contact with the teen.
.jpg)