By Caleb Hutton
BELLINGHAM — Three men were arrested Monday, Feb. 4, on suspicion of trying to scrap about $2,000 in metal stolen from a Bellingham steel distributor.
Workers at Morse Steel called 911 at 8 a.m. Monday about a theft of metal from outside their business in the 3000 block of Illinois Street. They reported the thieves must have taken the metal over the weekend, said Whatcom County Sheriff’s Sgt. Doug Burks.
The steel company informed recycling businesses of the crime, according to the sheriff’s office.
A brief investigation led deputies to think the suspects might be driving a white van. And as they were still looking for clues at the crime scene, a white van rolled up to Z Recyclers, Inc., 6129 Guide Meridian. Three men in their 20s were inquiring about a couple dollars worth of metal they had in the van, Burks said.
After getting the tip, deputies showed up and found the metal in question appeared to be the property missing from Morse Steel. One of the men later confessed to the theft, Burks said.
The following suspects were booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree trafficking in stolen property:
- Anatoliy P. Dutov, 23, of Ferndale. Dutov was awaiting trial on charges of trying to sell stolen Craftsman tools. Prosecutors filed those allegations in June. A month earlier he was accused of stealing a CD player and an iPod. And three weeks before that, he was accused of trying to pawn a stolen subwoofer and amplifier. And a little more than a month before that, he was charged with stealing debit cards and trying to use them at WalMart and gas stations. Officers noted, in one probable cause statement, they had records of Dutov pawning 23 different items — mostly bikes, car stereos and speakers – in a span of two months. He has entered not guilty pleas in each case.
- Pavlo A. Shershen, of Whatcom County, who has no criminal history in Washington state.
- Vladimir Eduardovich Sudnach, 26, of Ferndale. He has past convictions of assault and harassment. He was charged in December with a felony for allegedly using a screwdriver to rip off security tags from video games at WalMart. He was arrested a few blocks away in a white minivan.
Looks like Pavlo needs to be a bit better about choosing his “friends”…