Court denies bail request for man accused of rape at Bellingham park
A judge has denied bail to the man accused of raping and robbing a 48-year-old woman with Down syndrome at Little Squalicum Park in Bellingham.
Joseph Fawler Drager, 35, was arrested Aug. 27, 2025, one week after the incident was reported. An emergency alert was issued by Bellingham Technical College about an hour after the report, and police used drones and K-9 units to attempt to locate the suspect.
They were able to locate the woman’s stolen phone and purse, but it took further investigation to identify and find Drager.
The woman told police that she was walking by herself on a trail in Little Squalicum Park when the assault occurred. She said Drager led her off the main trail and into the bushes to rape her, according to court records, and held a knife to her head during the assault. He then robbed her and ran off.
Drager was charged with first-degree rape, first-degree robbery and second-degree assault with a deadly weapon. He pleaded not guilty Aug. 29 to all charges, and a court commissioner ruled that he would be held without bail.
Drager’s attorney, Kayla Wolfe, filed a motion in Whatcom County Superior Court on Jan. 15 asking the court to set a monetary bail. She argued that there was “significant new information” in the case since Drager’s arrest. She said the victim was unable to identify the perpetrator, there were no witnesses to the incident, and Drager was excluded as a contributor to the DNA found in the victim’s underwear.
Wolfe added that Drager has a “very limited” criminal history, and that there is “substantial evidence” that he will appear for future court dates.
The state argued that Drager did present a flight risk, as he changed his appearance after seeing a Facebook post from police with a description of him. The court filing also states that there is “very strong support” that DNA found on the victim’s finger belonged to Drager.
The victim’s brother also submitted a letter to the court asking for bail to be withheld.
“It is, quite frankly, shameful and disturbing that the defense has filed a motion for bail that chooses to omit the mountain of evidence while simultaneously attempting to discredit the testimony of a victim based on her intellectual disability,” he wrote. “To suggest that (the victim’s) vulnerability makes her account less valid is a hurtful tactic that only compounds the trauma our family is enduring.”
The court ruled that the state met its burden to force Drager to remain in custody. He will continue to be held in Whatcom County Jail without bail ahead of his trial, currently scheduled for April 20.