A Boise, Idaho woman is facing federal charges after prosecutors alleged she stole an ambulance, drove it into a building that houses U.S. Department of Homeland Security offices, and then poured accelerant inside the property, according to court documents.
Sarah Elizabeth George, 43, was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Boise on charges stemming from an incident prosecutors say occurred late Feb. 18.
According to court documents filed in the case, FBI special agent Daniel Ramirez said a suspect believed to be George stole a Canyon County Paramedics ambulance from St. Luke’s Hospital Emergency Center in Meridian, the Boise-area bedroom community. Ramirez said the suspect then drove the ambulance to a nearby parking lot where investigators allege she loaded at least two gas jugs and a plastic bag into the vehicle.
Prosecutors allege the suspect drove the ambulance through the front doors of a nearby office building before pouring the contents of the gas jugs on the lobby floor. Ramirez also wrote that the building is owned by St. Luke’s Health System, and that the hospital leases space there to the Department of Homeland Security as the Trump administration carries out immigration enforcement efforts.
In statements to reporters shortly after the incident, Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea said responding agencies apparently scared off the suspect before accelerant was ignited. The FBI filing said investigators were unable to locate the suspect at the time of the incident but later identified George after reviewing closed-circuit camera footage from the area.
The documents also said camera footage and receipts from stores in the area showed George purchased gas jugs and gas shortly before the ambulance was stolen. Ramirez further wrote that George’s Facebook page included a post with the words, “If it can be destroyed by the truth then it should be destroyed; it was built in lies anyways,” above an image depicting the White House in flames.
George is charged with malicious destruction of federal property by fire, and she is also charged with malicious destruction of property used or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, according to the court documents. The filing said she has not yet had an opportunity to enter a plea, and each charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
Messages were left Tuesday for a public defender listed as George’s attorney and at a number listed for her, court-related reporting said.