Tag: bill elfo
By Caleb Hutton
A Bellingham man suspected of having a pound of methamphetamine was booked into jail Thursday afternoon Feb. 26.
Joseph Lee Garcia, 33, was the wanted man in a SWAT operation Wednesday morning in the 4500 block of Meridian Street. Deputies, with help from federal agents, were searching for Garcia at his business, Garcia Motors, said Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo.
He wasn’t there. But the next day law enforcement caught up with him in the 2200 block of Xenia Street. Garcia was booked into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver.
During an investigation that lasted several months, Elfo said, investigators found a pound of meth at a location Garcia owned or rented. The sheriff declined to go into further detail because the investigation is ongoing.
A pound of meth has a street value of about $12,000.
Garcia, considered by the sheriff’s office to be a member of the East Side Surenos gang, has past convictions for drug crimes.
By Caleb Hutton
Does it really count as a roundup if it’s only three things?
Here are a couple of blurbs from other reporters, and one blurb from yesterday evening.
1. From Dave Gallagher’s Biz Blog.
– According to its Facebook page, AB Crepes on Railroad is closed today and possibly for a few more days because an electrical fire has cut power to the restaurant.
2. From Zoe Fraley’s School Days Blog.
The public just got its first look this week at the sites that could be the home of a new county jail.
St. Paul’s Academy teacher David Fayram is already incorporating the issue into his high school geography class.
…
The students will read consultant reports for each site and try to persuade a student panel of which site is best, based on a variety of geographic criteria.
See the proposed jail sites here. Those PDFs include maps the county council and public didn’t see during an unveiling by County Executive Jack Louws on Tuesday evening, Dec. 4. Apparently some of the proposals were turned in late, and that prevented them from getting into the PowerPoint presentation.
3. At 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, South Whatcom firefighters rushed to Lakeview Road — pretty much across the street from the nearest fire station — to respond to a kitchen fire.
Turns out it was a stovetop fire. Smelled like smoke along Lakeview St, but no injuries and only $500 damage. twitter.com/bhamcrime/stat…
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) December 6, 2012
The fire authority posted some much better photos on Facebook. Here they are.
By Caleb Hutton
Sheriff Bill Elfo is asking for the public’s help in tracking down a known gang member who’s not abiding by the terms of his parole.
David Joseph Veliz, 27, of Skagit County, has frequented the Lynden area and is a confirmed member of a Sureno gang, Elfo said.
He has a long history of violent crime.
In 2010, for example, Veliz broke into a car parked outside the Bellingham Costco, according to court records. The car’s owner came back from shopping his wife and toddler son. Veliz refused to give up a bag of stolen goods, then pulled out a knife. The man pulled out a knife, too. Veliz fled, but was later arrested.
Veliz is 5-foot-6 and weighs 130 pounds. If you see him or know where he’s staying, call 911.
In a written statement, Elfo said it’s “frustrating to law enforcement that … Veliz’s continued liberty places our community at risk.”
Correction: Veliz’s age was corrected Friday morning.
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