A Bellingham woman is suspected of threatening to blackmail her neighbors with releasing explicit photos of them if they did not return her daughter's cat.
The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office booked Katherine Christine Rearick, 31, into Whatcom County Jail Wednesday, July 29, on suspicion of second-degree extortion. Jail records show she was released Thursday on her personal recognizance.
Deputies responded at approximately 10 p.m. Saturday, July 25, to the 3600 of Bennett Drive for the report of harassment and blackmail, sheriff's office spokesperson Deb Slater told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
The investigation showed Rearick had threatened her neighbors with releasing the explicit photos of them if they didn't return her daughter's cat, Slater reported.
The neighbors had voluntarily shared the photos with Rearick previously, Slater wrote, but they said they had not seen the missing cat for some time.
Deputies contacted Rearick Wednesday at her home, where she admitted to sending the threatening messages, Slater reported.
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