Six years after raping Bellingham woman, Whatcom County man sentenced
A 55-year-old man was sentenced in Whatcom County Superior Court on Wednesday for the rape of a Bellingham woman in the woods on the north side of Bill McDonald Parkway in 2023.
The investigation that led to the arrest of Andrew Albert Lenz began on Oct. 16, 2019 after a woman reported to the Lighthouse Mission that she was sexually assaulted. She said she was raped by a friend whose tent she was staying in, according to court records. She did not see or speak with the man when the assault occurred, but identified the assailant as the friend, who was not Lenz.
The woman agreed to a sexual assault exam at the hospital. When police received the results of the exam kit over four years later, it showed DNA belonging to Lenz. The woman didn’t know Lenz, court records state, but Lenz and the other man identified by the woman were previously incarcerated together.
Lenz was arrested Dec. 8, 2023 and charged with third-degree rape. He pleaded guilty to the charge Aug. 21.
At his sentencing Wednesday, prosecutors raised concerns about Lenz’s failure to engage with the Department of Corrections’ pre-sentence investigation, calling it a cause for “extreme alarm.” The report also recommended a higher sentence than the one recommended in the plea deal.
The victim spoke briefly at the hearing, stating that she’s experienced ongoing mental health issues and is receiving counseling. Lenz declined to address the court.
Judge Lee Grochmal followed the agreed sentencing recommendation of six months in jail custody followed by a year in community custody. She said the crime was an “egregious offense” with a “long-lasting” impact on the victim.
Grochmal said the most important part of the sentence was that Lenz must register as a sex offender for 10 years.
Lenz’s defense attorney, Richard Larson, said that the sentence — particularly the sex offender registration — has “life-altering consequences.” He said Lenz is looking to “move forward in a positive way.”