BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A Ferndale man is in custody after allegedly kidnapping his infant child and attempting to flee.
Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy told My Bellingham Now that officers responded to a burglary in-progress call on 32nd Street early Monday morning.
911 operators learned from the caller that the suspect had entered the home and took their eight-month-old infant against the mother’s will.
According to police, the 21-year-old suspect is the father of the infant but does not have full custody nor does he have permission to be at the residence.
After grabbing the sleeping child from their room, the suspect headed for the door, ‘shoulder-checking’ the mother in the process and threatening both her and the other adult at the home. Detectives thought the suspect may flee to Nevada after he made a statement about fleeing to the state and contacted Skagit County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol (WSP).
Investigators eventually found the suspect’s car in King County, stopping the SUV near Bellevue on I-90.
WSP troopers were able to take the suspect into custody without incident and were able to reunite the infant with their mother unharmed.
The suspect was transported to the Whatcom County Jail on probable cause charges of Burglary and Kidnapping.