BLAINE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A man accused of committing a hate crime was arrested in Blaine over the weekend.
Deputy Chief Brent Greene tells My Bellingham Now that officers were called to a disturbance at the Northwoods Motel late Friday, Nov. 14.
They arrived to find a “basketball-sized hole” in one of the motel windows, which witnesses say was caused by a man who threw a wooden decoration through it.
Blaine Police found the suspect, identified as a 28-year-old transient man, nearby.
The owner of the motel told officers that the man told her to “go back to India” and said “this is not your property” when she confronted him. Based on those comments and the damage to the motel, officers developed probable cause to arrest the man on suspicion of a hate crime.
He was booked into the Whatcom County Jail early Saturday morning before being released on personal recognizance earlier on Tuesday.
