A Bellingham man allegedly used a gun-shaped torch to force a man he didn't know to buy a pack of cigarettes for him last week at the Bellingham Safeway.
Bellingham Police booked Paul Michael Ford, 39, into Whatcom County Jail Thursday, Nov. 4, on suspicion of charges including first-degree robbery and felony harassment. Jail records show Ford is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Officers were called at 11:13 p.m. Wednesday to the Safeway parking lot on Sunset Boulevard after the victim reported that a man who was a stranger to him had pressed what appeared to be a handgun again his stomach and told him to buy a pack of cigarettes inside the Safeway, Whatcom County Superior Court documents state.
The victim said that the man, later identified as Ford, continued to press the weapon into his ribs and threatened to kill him as the two walked into the store together, documents state. The victim reported he bought Ford the pack of cigarettes, and Ford left the store.
Police collected security camera footage from the store and spoke with employees, who reported had previous interactions with Ford, according to documents.
A day later, Safeway employees called the police to report that Ford had returned to the store, documents state.
Police placed Ford under arrest, according to documents, and during a search found that he was carrying a gun-shaped torch.
During questioning, Ford admitted that he was the person seen in photos from the store's security cameras and that he walked into the store with a person he did not know and that that person bought him a pack of cigarettes, court documents state, but Ford said he did not threaten to use force to get the victim to make the purchase.
