Police: Local woman threatens neighbor with gun after accusing her of witchcraft and pedophilia
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IDAHO FALLS — A 35-year-old woman faces felony assault charges after allegedly accusing a neighbor of witchcraft, satanic rituals and pedophilia.
According to a police booking affidavit, at around 5 p.m. on April 26, officers with the Idaho Falls Police Department were dispatched to a disturbance that included a weapon at an apartment unit on Woodruff Avenue.
The victim told officers she was asleep in her apartment when she heard loud pounding at her front door.
Upon opening it, she saw a woman, later identified as Samantha Marie Numbers, who started accusing her of witchcraft, satanic rituals and pedophilia.
The victim said Numbers had a purple hand-Taser in her hand and activated it before the door was closed. According to the victim, Numbers had identified herself as an upstairs neighbor before leaving the scene. The victim was not struck with the Taser.
Officers interviewed Numbers, who confirmed that she did accuse the victim of partaking in witchcraft and being a pedophile. When asked why she went downstairs, she claimed the victim was trying to come through the floor.
Regarding the Taser, Numbers confirmed she had used a Taser and had activated it before telling the victim to stay away from her.
Police learned that after the victim had shut her door, Numbers grabbed a wreath from the door and threw it on an outdoor overhang. Wanting to reclaim her wreath, the victim went out with a shovel to retrieve it, but both items fell to the street below.
The victim went to retrieve both items on the ground level and found Numbers with a handgun drawn.
Numbers confirmed the second incident to police, and identified the gun as a 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol. Numbers claims the victim had aggressively walked towards her, and she pulled the gun in self-defense.
The victim told officers that she dared Numbers to shoot her, then went on to gather her items from the floor before going back to her apartment.
Officers say the victim believed that Numbers was going to shoot her. She made the comment to Numbers because she thought life could not get any worse, according to court documents. The document states that the victim has post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
Numbers was placed under arrest and booked into the Bonneville County Jail, where she was charged with one felony count of aggravated assault.
She is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing at 1 p.m. on May 8 before Magistrate Judge John Dewey.
Though Numbers has been charged with this crime, it does not necessarily mean she committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty. If she is found guilty, she faces up to five years in prison.