Tag: northwest washington fair

In advance of the Lynden fair, suspected gang members targeted in warrant sweep

Written by Caleb Hutton | The Bellingham Herald | August 10, 2012

By Caleb Hutton

A warrant sweep dubbed “Fair Game” by the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office ended with the arrest of several suspected gang members this week.

Here’s the press release from the sheriff’s office, with a full list of everyone arrested (and credit to all the involved law enforcement agencies).

One confirmed gang member, Jimmy R. Abitia, was booked into jail Thursday, Aug. 9, for failing to appear for second-degree malicious mischief.

According to the sheriff’s office, six other people with gang connections were also booked into jail on a variety of charges: Michelle C. Bogart, 42; Angela D. Hoover, 33; David C. Amador, 26; Jacob S. Humphrey, 21; Jonathan M. Rodriguez, 19; and a 14-year-old boy.

A seventh man with suspected gang connections, Nicholas G. Lorden, was booked into jail from court at the conclusion of his robbery trial.

“(A warrant sweep) is something we do on a routine basis,” said Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo.

But specific people were targeted in advance of the fair, he added.

Read this Ralph Schwartz story for background on the Northwest Washington Fair and its effort to keep out gangs. We’ll also have another story about the issue in Sunday’s paper.

And for fair measure, Fair Manager Jim Baron submitted this op-ed last week.

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Lynden fair organizers post YouTube video highlighting anti-gang security measures

Written by Caleb Hutton | The Bellingham Herald | June 28, 2012

By Caleb Hutton

In this YouTube video, Jim Baron, manager of the Northwest Washington Fair, points out some new security features at the upcoming fair.

For some context, here’s the story we had above the fold Wednesday, June 27. The online comments section was a flurry of debate — with many asking exactly how security guards and police plan to pick out who won’t be admitted.

The video was posted Wednesday to the fair’s Facebook page.

And here’s a link to a commentary about the video by Gerald Baron, Jim’s brother, who blogs about crisis communication. Gerald’s new production company put the video together.

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