Bellingham woman said he took her money, so she allegedly tried to burn his trailer

BELLINGHAM — A 24-year-old Bellingham woman is suspected of attempted arson, after she reportedly started a fire Saturday with the intention of burning down a Marietta travel trailer, claiming the owner had taken her money.

The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office booked Nickiala Roshelle Harwood into Whatcom County Jail Saturday, Oct. 5, on suspicion of attempted first-degree arson. Jail records show she is being held in lieu of $40,000 bail.

Deputies were sent at approximately 7 p.m. to the 1800 block of Marine Drive for a report of a woman with a butcher knife threatening to kill people, Chief Deputy Kevin Hester told The Bellingham Herald.

As deputies arrived, Hester said witnesses directed them down the road, saying “She’s trying to burn his trailer.”

Deputies found Harwood crouching behind a fifth-wheel trailer, Hester said, where she had lit a fire under the trailer using paper and plastic. Flames were estimated to be 5 to 7 inches high, and deputies reported smelling smoke.

Deputies quickly extinguished the flames, Hester said, and found that the trailer was being used to live in. When Harwood was arrested, she reportedly yelled that the trailer owner had taken her money and said, “I’m going to burn that (expletive) trailer down.”