HARFORD COUNTY, MD – Christina L. Beattie, a resident of Edgewood, is facing charges of arson and attempted murder for intentionally setting her home’s front porch on fire while another person was inside.
At approximately 3:00 a.m. on October 1, the Joppa Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, along with other local departments and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, responded to a reported house fire at 1127 Shady Drive. Arriving first, sheriff’s deputies found a fire on the front porch and quickly extinguished it with fire extinguishers. They learned that Beattie was inside a neighbor’s house at the time.
Earlier that evening, the neighbor had offered Beattie a place to stay following an argument between Beattie and a man also residing in her home. About 20 minutes after Beattie had left the neighbor’s home, the fire broke out, with the man still inside Beattie’s residence.
Deputy State Fire Marshals were called to investigate the scene. Assisted by K9 “Sky,” the investigators determined that the fire had been set intentionally. Beattie was subsequently charged with arson and attempted murder.
