Sarah Elizabeth George of Idaho was arrested on Monday for an attack on a Department of Homeland Security building.
The 43-year-old Boise woman is accused of stealing an ambulance from outside St. Luke’s Meridian on February 18, and proceeding to crash it through the Portico North before pouring accelerant and fleeing the scene. Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea says that the suspect was identified through “good old-fashioned police work” such as pulling surveillance videos from local businesses and following vehicle records.
“The suspect took that ambulance and drove it into the Portico North building, where they had also staged gasoline and poured gasoline inside of the ambulance as well as on the floor, outside of the ambulance, in what we believe was an attempt to burn the building,” Basterrechea said.
A criminal complaint filed within the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho indicates she is currently facing charges of malicious destruction of government property by fire and malicious destruction of property used in or affecting interstate commerce.
“According to the affidavit, investigators found a social media post allegedly made by George the morning of Feb. 18 depicting an AI-generated image of the White House on fire with the caption, ‘If it can be destroyed by truth then it should be destroyed; it was built in lies anyways,'” Fox News reported. “Authorities said George stole the ambulance while a crew was transporting a patient inside. According to the affidavit, surveillance footage shows a dark pickup truck parking near Primary Health roughly 22 minutes before the ambulance was taken. A person matching George’s description was seen walking toward the hospital shortly before the theft.”
This is point, it is alleged that George parked the ambulance nearby while she retrieved a plastic bag and two gas cans into the vehicle before heading to the building, which was leased by the U.S. General Services Administration for the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the time.
The affidavit also includes images from Walmart surveillance video showing a woman matching George’s description purchasing lighter fluid and two red gas cans. This purchase is corroborated by a timestamped receipt from a self-checkout register.
“Video from a Fred Meyer gas station later that night allegedly shows George pumping gasoline into the two cans shortly before the crash. The affidavit states that a loyalty or rewards card used during the purchase was registered in her name,” the Fox article notes.
As the investigation continues, additional charges could be filed.
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Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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