Man accused of vandalism at Blaine motel may be charged with hate crime
A 28-year-old man was arrested Saturday on suspicion of committing a hate crime, according to the Blaine Police Department.
Deputy Chief Brent Greene said police were dispatched to the Northwoods Motel in Blaine at 11:25 p.m. following a report of a man breaking a window. When officers arrived, they found a basketball-sized hole in one of the windows.
Further investigation determined the man was outside making noise and hitting the window before he threw a wooden decoration through it, Greene said. When the motel owner confronted him, the man allegedly told her to “go back to India” and “this is not your property.”
Greene said police found probable cause to arrest the man based on the owner’s race and the damage to her property. He is being held at Whatcom County Jail without bail.