A frightening Christmas Eve situation for two Portsmouth families, a strange woman wandered into their homes.
The first incident happened on 17th Street. A woman texted a friend to say the “apparently high” stranger had just waltzed in. When officers arrived, they discovered a woman with open warrants and took her into custody.
The second incident happened about an hour later, when a caller said a woman tried to walk into her Mabert Road home, but then walked off down the middle of the road toward Gallia. Officers caught up with the woman at Taco Bell and took Julia Thomas into custody.
Thomas caused trouble at several local businesses last week. Employees of Cash America on Gallia said there was a woman inside the business ‘talking out of her head.” They said she did not appear intoxicated. She left before officers arrived, but an hour later, employees at the Royal Inn said the same woman was causing problems there.
They reported she was knocking on room doors and harassing guests. When officers arrived on the scene, they barred the woman from the property.
Ten minutes later, she returned to Cash America, and officers took her into custody for disorderly conduct.
Julia Thomas, 43, has been arrested five times this year on various charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct. However, in each case, the charges were dismissed.
Thomas was released from jail fairly promptly, because officers were called to a local medical facility at 1:30 pm the next day to say a woman was harassing staff and patients. When officers arrived, they called for an ambulance for Thomas, who was transported to SOMC for treatment.
