Bellingham woman reportedly attacks transient, tells him to get out of her neighborhood
A Bellingham woman reportedly used a garden hoe to attack a transient man, cursing and swearing at him to “get out of her neighborhood” in the process.
The Bellingham Police Department booked Erin Noel Heft, 38, into Whatcom County Jail Aug. 4 on suspicion of second-degree assault. Jail records show she was released Aug. 5 on a $200 cash bail bond.
Officers were called at 12:53 p.m. Aug. 3 to the 2900 block of Moore Street after a witness reported an assault, Whatcom County Superior Court documents state. Another witness caught the alleged attack on video.
According to the documents, witnesses told police that:
▪ They looked outside after hearing yelling coming from the street and saw Heft yelling at a man.
▪ Heft was holding a garden hoe with a flat 10-inch blade on the end, while the man was holding a machete.
▪ Heft was “yelling and swearing at (the victim) to get out of her neighborhood” as she advanced on him.
▪ At one point, Heft began to strike the victim with overhead blows, prompting the victim to block the swinging hoe with his machete. At no point did the victim attempt to use the machete in any other way that to defend himself or raise it like he intended to strike Heft.
▪ The victim fell as Heft advanced on him and dropped the machete, but Heft continued to hit him with the hoe as he was on the ground unarmed.
▪ Heft picked up the victim’s machete and returned to her home after a neighbor yelled at her to stop.
“The witnesses clearly indicated that Erin was the aggressor,” documents state.
The victim was listed as transient, but he frequently visits his mother in the neighborhood, Lt. Chad Cristelli told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
