One of the assailants from the shooting and stabbing incident at the Ferndale Motel 6 in March has been sentenced.
My Ferndale News community news partner, The Bellingham Herald, first reported the August 2nd sentencing of John R. Vaughn for his role in the March 8th incident.
Vaughn, age 36, was charged and booked into Whatcom County Jail by Ferndale Police under suspicion of 1st degree assault and held in custody pending $420,000 bail (later reduced to $250,000) for the stabbing of Jason Riemland during a what was reported as an altercation between the 2 men that morning in the parking lot of the motel. The altercation became physical and resulted in Vaughn seriously injured by a gunshot to his chest and Riemland with a stab wound to his lower jaw. Riemland’s case has yet to go to court. Both men were transported to PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center. Vaughn was listed in critical condition and Riemland with non-life threatening injuries.
Court documents indicate Vaughn, who provided the court with a Bellingham address, pled guilty in Whatcom County Superior Court on August 2nd to 1 count of 2nd degree assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 30 months in prison plus 18 months in community custody, with credit for time served. Vaughn’s criminal history dates back to 2004 and includes felony convictions for controlled substance abuse crimes and possession of a stolen firearm. Vaughn was also ordered to pay $700 in criminal filing fees and a victim fund assessment.