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Bellingham Police report arresting man for the 68th time

By David Rasbach, The Bellingham Herald
Published: October 6, 2022, 7:46am

BELLINGHAM — The Bellingham Police Department arrested Vaughn Anton Tufts on Sunday, Oct. 3, but that is nothing new — according to the department’s incident log its the 68th time they have arrested him.

You didn’t read that wrong: 68 times.

This time, according to the incident log, it was for “several local warrants, felony PC, and possession of a dangerous weapon.”

Officially, the Whatcom County Jail log shows Tufts was booked on suspicion of second-degree assault, third-degree malicious mischief and failure to appear warrants for fourth-degree assault and third-degree theft. As of Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 5, jail records show Tufts was being held in lieu of $5,000 performance cash bail.

Tufts’ most recent arrest, according to Whatcom County Superior Court documents, stems from a Sept. 8 incident in which he allegedly used bear spray against another man behind the Bellingham Walmart.

The victim reported that he attempted to purchase 10 fentanyl pills for $100 from Tufts, but after the transaction was completed, Tufts demanded another $300, documents state. When the victim refused, Tufts reportedly sprayed him in the face with the bear spray.

Police have not yet responded to The Bellingham Herald’s request for information about the other incidents Tufts was arrested for Sunday.

Washington state court records show Tufts has appeared in 61 court cases since 1998 — 27 in Whatcom County Superior Court, five in Whatcom County District Court, 38 in Bellingham Municipal Court and one in Skagit County Superior Court.

Superior Court records show that since 2008 Tufts’ convictions include assault, theft, possession of stolen property and malicious mischief. He’s also awaiting trial on 2020 charges of possession of a stolen vehicle and two counts of first-degree burglary, along with a 2021 charge of second-degree robbery, with a trial scheduled to begin Nov. 7 on those charges.

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