A Boise, Idaho, woman has been charged with malicious destruction of federal property by fire after prosecutors say she stole an ambulance, drove it to a building housing the offices of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and then poured an accelerant inside.
BOISE, IDAHO – A Boise, Idaho, woman has been charged with intentional destruction of federal property by fire after prosecutors said she… Stolen an ambulanceHe drove her to a building housing the offices of the US Department of Homeland Security and then poured an accelerant inside the building.
Sarah Elizabeth George, 43, was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Boise.
In court documents, FBI Special Agent Daniel Ramirez said the suspect believed to be George stole a Canyon County Paramedics ambulance from the St. Luke’s Hospital Emergency Center in the Boise Bedroom community of Meridian late on February 18. The suspect then drove the ambulance to a nearby parking lot, loaded at least two gas jugs and a plastic bag into the vehicle and then drove the ambulance through the front doors of a nearby office building before exiting and spilling the contents of the jugs on the lobby floor, Ramirez said.
The building is owned by St. Luke’s Health System and the hospital has faced criticism for leasing space in the building to the Department of Homeland Security while President Donald Trump’s administration carries out its immigration enforcement push.
Messages were left Tuesday for a public defender listed as George’s attorney and at a number listed for George.
Responding agencies apparently intimidated the suspect before the gas pedal ignited, Meridian Police Chief Tracy Pastrecchia said during a news conference shortly after the crash. Police were unable to locate the suspect at the time, but Ramirez wrote in court documents that investigators were able to identify George after reviewing footage from closed-circuit cameras in the area. Camera footage and receipts from stores in the area also showed that George purchased gas and gas jugs shortly before the ambulance was stolen, Ramirez said.
George’s Facebook page included a post with the phrase, “If it can be destroyed with truth, it must be destroyed; it was built with lies anyway,” above a photo depicting the White House burning, Ramirez wrote in court documents.
George is also charged with malicious destruction of property used or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, according to court documents. She has not yet had the opportunity to file a petition.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.