Police Department

Malicious Mischief Arrest

Sgt. Terry Preuninger, PIO

Friday, November 20, 2020 at 4:19 p.m.

Woman breaks into vacant apartment, destroying it, as she claims to be rescuing a 6 year old child, (who is not there).

On November 17^th, 2020 around 9pm SPD responded to a call from a woman in the 1900 block of N Washington Street.  SPD Dispatch advised responding officers that the woman was yelling at 911, claiming that someone was coughing into her wall from the vacant apartment next to hers. She continued to claim that her identity had been stolen and people were being tortured in a garage.

At around 9:24 pm a call came in from the property manager of the apartment complex in the 1900 block of North Washington. He explained that one of his tenants, (later identified as the 911 caller mentioned above) had used a chainsaw to cut through a pipe causing a large water leak.

SPD arrived on scene where a witness explained the following; the female tenant said there was a 6 year old child in the apartment. She said that the child was in the hole in the concrete where a toilet had once been and she was “trying to rescue them”. She then proceeded to set a fire in the hole where she indicated the child was. The Witness then had to put the fire out. He then said that she hooked up an electric chainsaw and cut a large section of the wall between the vacant apartment and her apartment. This led to exposed wires and spraying water. The witness shut the water off to the apartment.

Officers confirmed there was not a hidden child in the apartment and there was nothing to indicate a child was missing.

The property manager, estimated the damage at approximately $3,000 and did press charges.

The woman was booked into the Spokane County Jail for 1st Degree Malicious Mischief.

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