Whatcom County woman accused of using drill to steal gas, setting vehicle on fire
Whatcom County authorities recently arrested a woman for reckless burning for allegedly setting a truck on fire when attempting to drill into the vehicle’s gas tank.
Deputies with the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to an incident at 5:30 a.m. May 23 in the 7000 block of Hannegan Road regarding a vehicle fire. A Chevrolet Silverado at the scene was fully engulfed in flames, according to court documents
Once the fire was extinguished, deputies discovered a melted Milwaukee power drill under the truck. A small gas can was discovered under another nearby Silverado, which had a hole in its fuel tank, according to court documents.
Court documents suggest the suspect, Jan Marie Either, 51, was attempting to use the drill to steal gas from the vehicles and while drilling into the gas tank, the fuel ignited, causing the vehicle to catch fire.
A witness reported a white Dodge minivan was parked near the two Silverados. The witness said someone was messing with the vehicle.
Earlier in the year, deputies had arrested Wayne Moses for drilling into gas tanks to steal fuel. Moses used a white Dodge minivan during the thefts. However, Moses was already in custody at the time of the May 23 fire.
Ethier is in a relationship with Moses, and police knew she would sometimes use his vehicle. The same day as the fire, police located the minivan on West Bakerview Road. The vehicle smelled like gas and a gas can was seen outside the vehicle, according to court documents. Deputies also observed stress marks on the side of the vehicle, likely caused by extreme heat, according to court documents.
The morning of the fire, Ethier visited Moses in jail. Jail phone records show the conversation between the two of them was regarding a large, out-of-control fire, according to court records.
Ethier was arrested Aug. 14, when deputies approached her outside the minivan. She was booked into Whatcom County Jail and remains in custody.
She has been charged with first-degree malicious mischief, a class B felony. She was also charged with two counts of second-degree malicious mischief and first-degree reckless burning, class C felonies.
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