Suspect pleads guilty for January 2021 burglary and high-speed chase

One of three suspects arrested in a January 2021 high-speed pursuit while fleeing Pantec Mini Storage with stolen firearms pleaded guilty to all charges March 31. The other two suspects have jury trials tentatively scheduled for May and June.
Cory Mezo was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to two charges of second-degree burglary, two charges of a protection order violation and harassment threatening to kill or bodily injury, according to court documents.
Mezo and fellow suspects Dillon Wilson and Brandi Sestrom were charged with second-degree burglary and felony conspiracy and booked into Whatcom County Jail on January 13, 2021. Wilson, the driver of the getaway vehicle, was also charged with attempting to elude a police vehicle, first-degree robbery and resisting arrest.
Around 12:30 a.m. January 13, 2021, Blaine police officers were dispatched to a commercial burglary at Pantec Mini Storage on Boblett Street where three suspects were seen on security cameras. A Blaine police officer arrived and observed a black coupe leave the area toward I-5 southbound. The officer pulled the vehicle over but it then fled at a high speed.
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Washington State Patrol assisted in pursuit as the vehicle reached speeds of 117 mph.
The black coupe then got stuck in the mud in front of a residence on Conifer Drive, just north of Ferndale, after exiting I-5 and turning onto a dead-end road to avoid oncoming deputies. Wilson tried to run from the vehicle but was quickly apprehended by a sheriff’s office K-9 unit.
Pantec Mini Storage on-site manager Annie Lagerwey previously said 11 storage units were found forcibly entered. Stolen items included multiple firearms, an air conditioning unit and other personal belongings, she said. Pantec has over 600 units.
Sestrom’s trial is tentatively set to start May 16. Wilson’s trial is scheduled June 13. Both face attempting to elude a police vehicle and second-degree burglary charges. Wilson also faces a first-degree burglary charge.