WCSO inmate attempts escape after door locks fail

BELLINGHAM — On July 4 at approximately 6:30 p.m., Whatcom County Corrections Deputies were alerted to an inmate out of his cell. The inmate, 23-year-old Christian Dillard, was being held in one of the highest security units in the downtown jail.

“When he kicked the cell door, the door lock experienced a mechanical failure and the cell door opened into an outer security area,” said WCSO Program Specialist, Communications & Outreach Deb Slater in a July 5 press release.

According to the press release, Dillard “then began kicking the lock on the door to the hallway.”

“Deputies responded and for over an hour, attempted to convince Dillard to return to his cell,” the press release stated. “He refused. The corrections emergency response team was deployed and moved Dillard to a safety cell.”

The WCSO press release explained that because of the age and failure rate of the locks and doors, the lock to Dillard’s cell was replaced in 2020, as part of a facility-wide project.

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