Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office arrested an Anacortes man March 23, on suspicion of firearm theft, burglary, unlawful imprisonment, felony harassment, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen vehicle.
Around 7 p.m. on March 22, deputies responded to a burglary in progress at a residence in the 4800 block of Northwest Drive near Slater Road. A neighbor knew the residents weren’t home and made the call when they saw men in the house.
“Upon arrival, deputies confirmed the residence had been broken into and a large amount of property stolen,” said Deb Slater, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office community programs coordinator, in an email to Cascadia Daily News. “A gun safe was pried open and over 10 firearms were taken.”
The next day around 2:30 a.m., Ferndale Police responded to a home in the 2300 block of Douglas Road to try to locate a vehicle reported stolen from Oak Harbor, Slater said. Oak Harbor police believed Cameron Bielman, 28, to be the suspect in the auto theft.
Slater said Ferndale police were able to find the stolen vehicle, and inside they noticed a shotgun and other stolen property. Ferndale police confirmed the shotgun had been stolen in the burglary on Northwest Drive.
“WCSO SWAT and crisis negotiators served the warrant on the residence at 7:30 am,” Slater said. “Negotiators requested Mr. Bielman to exit the home. After about 20 minutes, Mr. Bielman exited the residence and was arrested without further incident. Another individual who was in the home provided a statement to deputies saying that Mr. Bielman threatened to kill her if she tried to leave. She was able to leave when Mr. Bielman fell asleep.”
Bielman was booked into Whatcom County Jail.
