Lynden teen pleads not guilty to homicide charges

Mark Reimers
Tribune reporter

  LYNDEN — A 17-year-old male from Lynden pleaded not guilty in Whatcom County Juvenile Court on Wednesday, Jan. 20, after he was arrested this month in connection with the death last August of a 16-year-old Custer youth.
  The four charges leveled against the teen are controlled substance homicide, second-degree manslaughter and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance, according to documents filed on Jan. 13 by deputy prosecutor David Freeman.
  The documents state that on Aug. 8, aid units were called to a house in the 1600 block of C Street where Aaron Uitdenhowen was unconscious from an apparent drug overdose.
  Uitdenhowen died two days later at St. Joseph Hospital at multiple organ failure.
  The residence belonged to the father of the defendant. Uitdenhowen had spent the night of Aug. 7 there and in the morning, along with several other teens, purchased Ecstasy from the defendant. Interviews with others who were present indicated that Uitdenhowen began showing signs of overdose at about noon, including sweating, jittering, staggering and eyes rolled back in his head.
  According to the witnesses, suggestions to call an ambulance were resisted by the defendant because he was worried he could go to jail.
  When aid was called three hours later, the defendant’s father told personnel that Uitdenhowen may have tried to kill himself, since the father was missing 30 prescription Vicodin pills. He later admitted to police, however, that he had sold the pills and he had lied as a diversion.
  Several other conflicting stories were uncovered by investigators.
  The defendant, who was not present when aid arrived, claimed to have left because he was stressed. However, his father later admitted that the defendant was actually busy hiding drugs from the house.
  The defendant also stated in an interview with a detective that the overdose occurred at about 2 p.m. when he returned from a walk in town with a witness.
  This contradicted the information from that witness, which put the overdose at noon. Security camera footage from some of the areas where the two walked show them heading toward the residence at a time consistent with the witness’s account, according to the charging documents.
  Among the numerous drugs found in Uitdenhowen’s system were Vicodin, Valium, ecstasy, cocaine and marijuana.
  Uitdenhowen was a student at Lynden High School and Nooksack Valley High School.
  E-mail Mark Reimers at reporter@lyndentribune.com.