On the evening of Dec. 25, security cameras outside the Acme Diner in the South Fork Valley caught a man trying to break into the business. He succeeded in damaging the exterior of the building and cutting power, but never made it inside. With surveillance footage and tips from the community, the suspect was identified, and on Dec. 28, a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Starting around 9:30 p.m., the man appeared to be casing the cluster of Acme businesses on Highway 9, based on footage released on Dec. 26. He pulled into and out of the parking lots of the Acme General Store and Fire District 16 station several times before walking around the diner later that night and cutting power to the building. The man never entered the diner building but did destroy one of the electrical meters, and he cut wires to the septic system, the Christmas lights and one security camera, according to the diner’s Facebook post.
“We have an amazing community that rallied early this morning when we discovered the damage,” wrote diner owner Kim Cochran on Facebook the next day. “It makes you feel so blessed when you make a call and the person you called drops everything and heads to the diner to help.”
The diner is asking for help locating the man who attempted the break-in. Footage from the security cameras indicates he drove a silver 2010-2012 Honda Civic with a manual transmission. The car was later determined to have been stolen. Anyone with more information on the suspect should contact the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office. The case number is 24A43867.
The sheriff’s office was unavailable for comment.
This story was updated at 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 28 with additional information about the case.
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
