Bellingham man pleads guilty to harassment, child molestation
A Bellingham man pleaded guilty to two felonies, including a sex crime, in Whatcom County Superior Court on Monday.
Kenneth Tyrell Peterson, 30, was arrested Dec. 1, 2024 and charged with threatening to kill someone, telephone harassment and resisting arrest. His ex-girlfriend reported to police about a month prior that Peterson was threatening her and her current boyfriend.
Written messages and phone recordings showed Peterson threatening to kill the woman’s boyfriend and using a derogatory racial slur, according to court records. She said Peterson had been “constantly” texting and calling her from different phone numbers since they broke up.
Police found Peterson at a different woman’s house on Dec. 1 and told him he was under arrest. Instead of complying, he walked into the house, court documents state. When he was eventually taken into custody, officers asked him if he made threats. He replied that “of course he did.”
A prior warrant for Peterson’s arrest was issued for a sex crime in the summer of 2024. Court documents allege that Peterson, known by the street name Waykalo, provided a 13-year-old girl with fentanyl behind the Bellingham Dollar Tree.
While the girl was under the influence of the drug, Peterson made her touch his genitals. The girl said she believed something similar had happened to two other girls. Peterson was identified as a suspect in the case, and probable cause was established for third-degree child molestation and distribution of a controlled substance to a person under 18.
Peterson pleaded guilty to amended charges of felony domestic violence-related harassment and third-degree child molestation. His sentencing will be scheduled after a pre-sentencing investigation report is completed.
This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 11:08 AM.