Bellingham man arrested for sexual assault pending rape case

A Bellingham man has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting and threatening to kill a person while out on bail awaiting trial for allegedly forcibly raping a woman last September.

Nurlan Levi Varner, 20, was arrested Monday, April 22, on suspicion of second-degree rape, second-degree assault and felony intimidation (threat to kill), according to Whatcom County jail records and Deb Slater, a spokesperson for the Whatcom County agency. The sheriff’s office.

Varner has been out of jail since Sept. 6, 2023, on a $5,000 cash bond for a September 2023 case in which he is accused of forcibly raping a woman at his home in the 100 block of West Hemmi Road.

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Varner was charged on September 5 in Whatcom County Superior Court with rape in the second degree (forcible restraint), a misdemeanor. On September 15, he pleaded not guilty to the charges. A no-contact order was also issued between Varner and the woman, court records show.

Slater said the victims in the two cases are different people.

Recent arrest

On April 21, Whatcom sheriff’s deputies began investigating an assault in which Varner was identified as a suspect, Slater said.

Deputies spoke with two witnesses and the victim and developed probable cause to arrest Varner. Deputies requested an interview with Varner the next day, April 22. Varner invoked his right to have an attorney present, and he was taken into custody and booked into Whatcom Jail.

The crimes allegedly occurred over a three-day period, April 15 to April 18, in the 9700 block of Northwood Road and involved a person known to Varner, Slater said.

Varner made his first court appearance for the case on April 22, but records and information from that hearing were not immediately available Tuesday morning, April 23.

Varner is currently in custody in lieu of $1 million bail, jail records show.

The Herald has asked the sheriff’s office for more information about the incident.

The Herald has also reached out to Varner’s criminal defense attorney and the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office for comment.

Previous case

On September 4, 2023, Whatcom sheriff’s deputies were called to the 100 block of West Hemmi Road in the Laurel area for the report of a rape that had just occurred.

A woman told officers she had been at Varner’s home on September 4 around 11:30 p.m. While the woman was at Varner’s home, Varner told her he wanted to have sex with her. The woman told Varner no and said she was only at his house to hang out, according to court records.

“Levi told (the woman) that he would simply have intercourse with her when she fell asleep,” according to court documents.

The woman told officers that Varner then forced himself on her, took off her clothes and forcibly raped her, records say. The woman said Varner also punched her in the face several times, according to court records.

After the assault, the woman grabbed her clothes, left Varner’s home and called police, the documents state.

Varner was arrested shortly before 6 a.m. on Sept. 5 and released on alternative cash bail the next day shortly after 1 p.m., according to court and jail records.

Records show prosecutors requested $200,000 bail for Varner during his first appearance in the case on September 5. Varner’s attorney at the time requested his release on his personal recognizance, or if bail should be set, at $10,000. with a cash alternative of $1,000.

Records show a court commissioner ultimately set Varner’s bail at $50,000 with an alternative of $5,000 cash.

While Varner is out on bond pending trial in the case, the court has approved limited travel outside of Whatcom County for work purposes.

Records show Varner was allowed to travel to Winthrop, Washington, from February 9 to 11; to Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, March 1-3; and to Tacoma March 18-29.

Varner also has been given permission by the court to travel to Bristol Bay, Alaska, where he will work on a boat from June 1 through July 27, court records show.

It is unclear at this time whether Varner’s arrest Monday will affect his court-authorized travel.

His jury trial in the 2023 rape case has been tentatively set for August 26.

Sources

▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org

Brigid Collins Family Support Center professionals are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to answer questions about children, families, abuse prevention or treatment at (360) 734-4616.

▪ Child Protection Services: Washington State Hotline for Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect, 866-829-2153.

▪ Domestic violence and sexual violence services: 24-hour helpline: 360-715-1563, email: [email protected].

▪ Lummi victims of crime: 360-312-2015.

▪ Tl’ils Ta’á’altha crime victims: 360-325-3310 or nooksacktribe.org/departments/youth-family-services/tlils-taaaltha-victims-of-crime-program/

▪ Bellingham Police Department: You can call anonymously at 360-778-8611, or go online at cob.org/tips.

▪ WWU consultation and support in sexual violence for survivor lawyers: 360-650-3700 or wp.wwu.edu/sexualviolence/.

If you or a child are in immediate danger, call 911 and report the incident to the police.

To report child abuse or neglect, call 1-866-END HARM.