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An Idaho woman was arrested Monday after investigators said she stole an ambulance and drove it into a building housing Department of Homeland Security offices in an alleged attempt to set it on fire.
Sarah Elizabeth George, 43, of Boise, is accused of stealing a Canyon County Paramedics ambulance from outside St. Luke’s Meridian around 11 p.m. on Feb. 18, crashing it through the entrance of the Portico North building and pouring gasoline across the lobby floor before fleeing on foot, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Authorities identified George after what Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea described as five days of “good old-fashioned police work,” including canvassing businesses for surveillance footage and tracking vehicle records.
George faces federal charges of malicious destruction of government property by fire and malicious destruction of property used in or affecting interstate commerce, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho. Each charge carries a potential penalty of five to 20 years in prison, prosecutors said.
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.”
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.
Investigators allege George briefly parked the stolen ambulance in a nearby lot minutes later and loaded two gasoline cans and a plastic bag into the vehicle before driving to the Portico North building.
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The building houses space leased by the U.S. General Services Administration for the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Authorities said George drove the ambulance through the south entrance doors at approximately 11:10 p.m. and poured gasoline across the lobby floor before fleeing on foot as officers arrived.
“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.
The affidavit includes surveillance stills from a Walmart in Meridian earlier that evening that investigators say show George purchasing two red gasoline cans and lighter fluid at a self-checkout register. A receipt dated 9:17 p.m. lists the items, according to court documents.
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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.
Investigators also included comparison images of a blue Dodge Dakota pickup truck they believe George used that night. The complaint highlights similarities between the truck seen in surveillance footage and a vehicle registered to members of George’s family, including matching paint wear and body features.
The affidavit further references a Feb. 6 traffic stop in which George was photographed driving a blue Dodge Dakota, linking her to the vehicle seen leaving the area shortly after the crash.
Dash camera footage from a Meridian police vehicle allegedly captured the suspect crossing Fairview Avenue on foot minutes after the ambulance struck the building. Surveillance cameras later showed the suspect entering a pickup truck and driving away.
Basterrechea said Meridian police worked alongside the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the investigation. Authorities executed both an arrest warrant and a search warrant at George’s residence on Monday evening.
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“This conduct is unacceptable. It will be investigated, and it will be charged to the fullest extent of the law,” Basterrechea said.
Officials said the investigation remains ongoing and additional charges could be filed.
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