Man arrested in Bellingham abduction attempts

BELLINGHAM — Police in Bellingham say they have a man in custody in the attempted abductions of a teenage girl and a young woman.

The Bellingham Herald said Jake Unick of Bellingham turned himself in on Thursday.

The separate attacks on March 1 occurred near Bellis Fair mall and targeted a 13-year-old girl and a 24-year-old woman. In both cases, police said the attacker ordered the victims to come with him and sprayed an unknown substance in their eyes when they refused.

Police spokesman Mark Young said Unick had earlier been identified as a suspect. Police got a call from his lawyer Thursday afternoon. Police released sketches of the suspect earlier this week.

Unick was booked into jail for investigation of two counts of attempted kidnapping and a third count of kidnapping.

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Young said no details about the third charge are expected until Friday. He added that it’s not related to two other recent assaults on college-age women near Western Washington University.

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