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Suspect Charged with 1st Degree Assault
Spokane County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team Members and Negotiators successfully ended a tense situation at a residence in the 900 block of East Tudor yesterday afternoon. The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Michelle R. Warne (Aka: Schultz), was later charged with 1st Degree Assault.
The incident began on January 31st, 2016 at approximately 1:15 p.m., when Deputies responded to a possible robbery or abduction call at the North Arby’s located at 14414 North Newport Highway. When Deputies arrived, Warne and her teenage daughter had already left the location in a vehicle.
Store employees stated Warne arrived and was acting very erratic, saying people were following her. She was holding a pistol in her hand and seemed very confused. Warne began swinging the pistol around and at one point, became even more agitated. She pointed the pistol at an employee and asked her, “Are you one of them?â€Â The employee stated she feared for her life and thought Warne would shoot her. The employee unlocked the back door and Warne ran out and left in a vehicle with her daughter.
Deputies began looking for Warne and soon located her vehicle at the Tudor address. Deputies contacted the residents and learned Warne and her daughter were inside. They said Warne was “freaking out†and was seen with a gun earlier, but was now in a bedroom with her daughter and would not come out. It was unclear if Warne’s daughter was being held against her will or remained willingly.
Deputies ensured no one else was inside the residence as the SWAT Team and the Hostage Negotiation Team (HNT) responded to the scene. After nearly two hours, Warne and her daughter exited the residence peacefully and were detained.
Deputies learned Warne’s daughter was attempting to calm her mother and was not taken against her will. Warne’s daughter was not arrested or charged.
Warne was transported and booked into the Spokane County Jail for 1st Degree Assault. The firearm was located after a search warrant was obtained and served.
This is a great example of a successful use of our SWAT and HNT teams. They did an outstanding job maintaining the safety of everyone involved while taking the suspect into custody peacefully.
Deputy Mark Gregory
Spokane County Sheriff’s Office
Public Information Officer
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