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Bellingham Municipal Court — Arraignment Calendar

MEETING-2026-05-11 May 11, 2026 Committee Meeting City of Bellingham 30 min
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The May 11, 2026 Bellingham Municipal Court arraignment calendar was a routine morning docket session beginning at 9:17 a.m. The presiding judge processed approximately ten to twelve cases involving criminal defendants facing charges ranging from DUI and domestic violence assault to drug possession, theft, and driving-related offenses. The session was not a legislative or administrative body meeting and contained no policy votes, ordinance deliberations, budget discussions, or land use decisions within Real Briefings' standard coverage scope. The most substantively detailed proceeding involved Jessica Whitten, arraigned on a charge of Assault in the Fourth Degree as a domestic violence-based crime. The court entered a no-contact order protecting a named individual identified in the transcript as Devon Tenny or Tinus, imposed pre-trial monitoring requirements, and navigated several factual nuances including Whitten's employment at a restaurant that serves alcohol (she works as a baker) and her secondary employment as a road-crew flagger, which raised the possibility of incidental contact with the protected person who drives a truck. The judge addressed both issues from the bench, creating a specific exception permitting Whitten to remain at her restaurant job while not in the bar area, and instructing that incidental contact during flagging work would not constitute a violation provided no verbal or nonverbal acknowledgment was made. Andrew Nelson's case was resolved at arraignment: the city moved to amend a criminal charge of Driving While License Suspended in the Third Degree down to a civil infraction of operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver's license, with a recommended fine of $250. Nelson accepted the amendment and acknowledged present ability to pay, with a full payment deadline of July 10, 2026, or a payment plan option of $25 per month. Several defendants failed to appear. Bench warrants were issued for Earl Lyman ($500 bond) and Christopher Sm

**Meeting ID:** BEL-BMC2-2026-05-11 This session contained no legislative votes, ordinance approvals, resolutions, or agenda bills. Court actions taken were judicial in nature. The following dispositions were recorded: **1. Unnamed Defendant — DUI (Case No. 680291368)** - Charge: Driving While Under the Influence, alleged May 8, 2026 - Plea: Not guilty entered - Probable cause: Found prior to hearing - Bond: $1,000 previously posted; exonerated at city's agreement - Conditions: Standard DUI release conditions imposed - Next date: July 6, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. **2. Jessica Whitten — Assault 4th Degree / Domestic Violence (Case No. 6A0292757)** - Charge: Assault in the Fourth Degree as a domestic violence-based crime, alleged May 10, 2026 - Plea: Not guilty entered - Probable cause: Found - Release: Personal recognizance, no objection from city - No-contact order: Issued protecting Devon Tenny/Tinus; 1,000-foot restriction; firearm surrender ordered - Pre-trial monitoring: Ordered; d…

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**Meeting ID:** BEL-BMC2-2026-05-11 This session contained no policy discussions. All proceedings were judicial. No legislative, land use, housing, budget, or administrative policy matters were deliberated. The session did reflect several recurring themes visible in municipal court proceedings that carry policy relevance in a broader civic context: **Pre-trial monitoring and behavioral health conditions:** The judge's inquiry in the Alisa Johnny case — asking whether pre-trial monitoring should be "strict" or "behavioral health" — illustrates the range of supervision models available in Whatcom County District Court. The city prosecutor requested standard pre-trial monitoring. This mirrors ongoing regional discussions about how courts divert individuals with substance use disorders into treatment rather than purely punitive supervision. No formal policy determination was made. **Domestic violence no-contact orders and employment complications:** The Whitten case raised practical questions about how no-contact orders interact with defendants' employment circumstances. The judge's on-the-record reasoning about incidental contact during flagging work — finding that passing …
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**Meeting ID:** BEL-BMC2-2026-05-11 No public testimony was taken. Participants were limited to court personnel and case parties. Positions expressed: **Presiding Judge (unnamed):** Administered arraignments, imposed conditions of release, issued no-contact orders, resolved procedural complications (Meyer's unfiled citation, Whitten's employment conflicts), issued bench warrants for non-appearing defendants, and directed defendants to probation and clerk's window as appropriate. **City Prosecutor (unnamed):** Consistently requested standard conditions of release including no new criminal violations, pre-trial monitoring where substance use was a factor, and no-contact orders in the domestic violence case. Sought $10,000 bond for Christopher Smith, expressing concern about the harassment allegation. Agreed to exonerate the $1,000 DUI bond. Moved to amend Nelson's criminal charge to an infraction. Noted Meyer's citation filing failure and proposed a practical solution. **Defense Counsel (unnamed, representing multiple defendants):** Entered not-guilty …
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**Meeting ID:** BEL-BMC2-2026-05-11 **Presiding Judge, instructing Jessica Whitten on incidental contact with protected person during flagging work:** "In my mind you could not then make any nonverbal contact. What that means? So don't look his way. Don't nod, don't wave. Don't in any way indicate their presence. That would be an incidental contact. It would not be your fault. Can't escalate the situation." **Presiding Judge, on no-contact order mechanics:** "If you see them in public it's …
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**Meeting ID:** BEL-BMC2-2026-05-11 All dates are court dates for individual defendants — not public meetings or policy proceedings. - **May 13 or 14, 2026** — Juliana Grenda Suarez arraignment (in custody; exact date dependent on custody status) - **May 21, 2026** — Merritt Washburn continued hearing (multiple cases) - **June 11, 2026 at 1:30 p.m.** — Jessica Whitten next court date - **June 15, 2026 at 1…

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**Meeting ID:** BEL-BMC2-2026-05-11 The following legal statuses changed as a result of this session: - **Andrew Nelson:** Criminal charge (Driving While License Suspended 3rd Degree) resolved and converted to civil infraction with $250 fine. No further criminal proceedings. - **Jessica Whitten:** Now subject to a domestic violence pre-trial no-contact order protecting Devon Tenny/Tinus; under pre-trial monitoring supervision by Whatcom County District Court Probation; required to surrender firearms immediately; specific employment-related exceptions to conditions established on the record. - **Alisa Johnny:** Now under pre-trial monitoring; public defender appointed; di…
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--- # Bellingham Municipal Court — Arraignment Calendar **May 11, 2026 | 9:17 a.m.** --- ## Meeting Overview At 9:17 on the morning of May 11, 2026, a judge called the Bellingham Municipal Court's arraignment calendar to order. The setting was a courtroom in what the transcript suggests is a shared or adjacent facility to the Whatcom County Courthouse — defendants completing their appearances were directed to the probation office on the fourth floor of the county courthouse, and the clerk's pay window was nearby. This was not a legislative meeting, a planning commission session, or a city council vote. It was a municipal court arraignment calendar: the procedural threshold at which people accused of crimes hear the charges against them, enter their initial pleas, and receive the conditions under which they will be released into the community while their cases proceed. The matters handled that morning included a DUI, a domestic violence assault charge, a driving with suspended license case that was amended to an infraction, a drug possession case, several failure-to-appear warrant matters, and a handful of administrative loose ends. The transcript captures the rhythm of a busy arraignment calendar — the judge moving briskly through cases, defense attorneys entering not-guilty pleas and negotiating conditions, city prosecutors making brief appearances, and defendants occasionally asking questions about what comes next. Scattered throughout are the human details that remind a reader these are real people navigating a system that can feel overwhelming: a young woman who is a full-time student, a baker who uses alcohol in desserts and needed an exception carved into her no-alcohol condition, a man who arrived late because he has no driver's license and depends on others for rides. The session concluded once all present defendants had been processed and bench warrants issued for those who failed to appear. --- ## The DUI Arraignment: A Student's First Appearance The first case called after the calendar opened was Case No. 680291368, involving a defendant referred to in the transcript only by the name "Miss" — her full name was not captured clearly in the available transcript. She appeared in person, having previously posted a $1,000 bond to secure her release from custody. The judge confirmed she had reviewed her rights with an attorney, and her counsel entered a not-guilty plea on her behalf. The court noted it had reviewed a probable cause statement…
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Public Safety Government Operations Bellingham Municipal Court Bellingham Police Department Public Defenders Office Whatcom County District Court Probation Alisa Johnny Andrew Nelson Christopher Smith Devon Tenny Earl Lyman Felix Garza Jessica Whitten Joseph Lance Juliana Grenda Suarez Merritt Washburn Randall Meyer Sony Ortiz White Floyd Alcohol Conditions Arraignment Bench Warrant Conditions Of Release Criminal Justice Domestic Violence Driving Offense Drug Possession Failure To Appear Firearm Surrender No Contact Order Pre Trial Monitoring Probable Cause Probation Public Defender Public Safety