Tenant Says Landlord Terrorized Her—Deputies Make Arrest

A woman told deputies she was too frightened to answer her own front door after her landlord allegedly kept showing up, pounding on the house, and turning on an outside water faucet. The incident ended with an arrest. Deputies responded to the Chesapeake home after receiving a complaint that a woman was repeatedly banging on a tenant's door and tampering with the home's outside water supply. According to the report, the deputy was already familiar with the suspect from previous encounters involving mental health concerns. The tenant told deputies the woman had repeatedly come onto the property, turned on an outdoor faucet, and allowed the water to run. To stop it from happening again, she said she eventually shut the water off at the main valve, leaving herself without hot water. According to the report, the tenant pays the water bill and said the account is in her name. She also told deputies she refused to answer the door because she feared what the woman might do. A home health aide who was present at the residence backed up the tenant's account. She told deputies she arrived for work and saw the woman aggressively knocking on the front door before walking away. After entering the home, she said the woman returned and again began pounding on the door while mumbling to herself. The tenant asked deputies to pursue charges. While another deputy collected written statements from the tenant and the home health aide, an officer searched the neighborhood for the suspect. She was located a short distance away at her residence and taken into custody without incident. According to the report, investigators determined there was sufficient evidence to charge the woman with menacing after the tenant stated she feared for her safety because she did not know what the suspect might do. She was also charged with theft from an elderly person in connection with the water-related allegations. The woman was transported to the Lawrence County Jail and booked on the charges. When Harassment Crosses the Line Repeatedly going onto someone else's property, pounding on doors, or interfering with utilities can become a criminal matter if the conduct causes someone to reasonably fear harm or results in the unlawful taking or use of property or services. Investigators often rely on witness statements, surveillance footage, and the history between the parties when deciding whether criminal charges are appropriate.

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