Police arrest woman suspected of driving ambulance into Meridian office building
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KIVI Staff
MERIDIAN, Idaho (KIVI) — During a Monday evening press conference, Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea said that a suspect is currently in custody in connection with last week’s ambulance attack on St. Luke’s Portico North building.
That suspect has been identified as 43-year-old Sarah Elizabeth George of Boise. George is currently charged with Attempted Destruction of Federal Property by Fire, a felony, and Malicious Destruction of Property Used in or Affecting Interstate Commerce by Fire.
If convicted, George faces between five and 20 years in prison.
The St. Luke’s Portico North building includes office space leased by the Department of Homeland Security, a spokesperson previously confirmed.
Meridian Police Department holds a press conference Monday evening regarding the Feb. 19 ambulance attack on St. Luke’s Portico North building:
George is accused of stealing a Canyon County Paramedics ambulance from outside St. Luke’s Meridian Medical Center and intentionally crashing it into the nearby Portico North building. She then allegedly tried to ignite the building using an accelerant but fled before starting the fire, as police arrived on the scene.
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According to a federal criminal complaint, the Canyon County Paramedics ambulance was stolen at approximately 11 p.m. last Wednesday.
At roughly 11:06 p.m., CCTV footage from the stolen ambulance shows George stopping in a nearby parking lot and loading two gas jugs and a bag inside the vehicle, the complaint states. The bags appeared to have been stashed in bushes that lined the parking lot.
At 11:10 p.m., police say George drove the ambulance into the building and poured gas onto the lobby floor before fleeing south on foot just minutes later. She headed toward a nearby Primary Health, according to the complaint, where she had parked a Dodge Dakota truck before allegedly stealing the ambulance.
George then fled the area, driving north on Eagle Road, the complaint states.
Watch how federal investigators tracked down the suspect after a stolen ambulance was driven into the St. Luke’s Portico North building on Feb. 18:
The federal document goes on to say that a Walmart bag was found on the floor of the ambulance with lighter fluid in it. Law enforcement visited the nearby Walmart, where store records provided a receipt documenting several items authorities identified as being in Sarah Elizabeth George’s possession during the crime. The receipt was dated Feb. 18, 9:17 p.m.
Walmart provided photos showing George purchasing the aforementioned items, the complaint states. These photos also showed that her clothing and the Dodge Dakota truck she departed in matched that of the person who stole the ambulance, according to police.
Three days after the ambulance crash, law enforcement obtained CCTV footage of a Fred Meyer located at 1850 E. Fairview Ave. in Meridian. The footage showed George had purchased gas at the store’s gas station and, according to business records, used a loyalty card in her name.
Authorities also obtained the financial transaction card number used, but no name was associated with the number, as provided by Fred Meyer. An additional legal process is needed to determine the cardholder’s identity.
On Feb. 6, roughly two weeks before the incident, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop with George, who provided her Idaho state driver’s license. The federal complaint says she was also driving the blue Dodge Dakota, which matches the suspect’s vehicle, as seen in surveillance footage.
Research was done on names/vehicles using Idaho DMV records, investigators said. The records, according to the document, showed a 2005 Blue Dodge Dakota truck registered to Russell and Crystal George. The relation to Sarah Elizabeth George to the vehicle’s registered owners was not known at the time of publication, but authorities submit that this truck is the same truck used on the night of the crime, based on surveillance footage and other photographs.
Investigators also compared a DMV photo with surveillance footage from Walmart and Fred Meyer and said they found that the subject’s physical characteristics matched.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and additional charges could be forthcoming, authorities said.
