Share and Follow
A car speeds toward a juvenile on a dirt bike on the 7500 block of South Fruitvale Road in Spokane County, Washington (Spokane County Sheriff”s Office).
A bizarre incident unfolded in Washington state as a woman reportedly pursued a child on a dirt bike with her car before attempting to break into a stranger’s home, according to local authorities.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office revealed this week that 56-year-old Wendy A. Clemente faces serious charges, including first-degree attempted assault, driving under the influence, and first-degree criminal trespass. She was initially detained at the Spokane County Jail but has since been released.
Deputies responded to a call about a “reckless and aggressive driver” around 6:05 p.m. on April 28 in the 7500 block of South Fruitvale Road in Cheney, a small city just outside Spokane. Reports indicated that a driver in a Ford Focus veered onto the sidewalk, allegedly targeting a juvenile who was riding a dirt bike in the area.
The driver, identified as Clemente, is accused of pursuing the young biker on the sidewalk before returning to the road and leaving the scene. Investigators later obtained a cellphone video capturing the unsettling event.
The footage shows a silver sedan driving through a residential area, its horn blaring. “This lady’s crazy,” a voice near the camera exclaims as the car swerves toward the child, who looks back at the approaching vehicle. The video has become a critical piece of evidence in the case.
The camera loses track of its subjects, but as soon as it returns to them, we see the car is on the sidewalk some 10 to 15 yards behind the child. “She’s trying to run …” the person near the video says and then gasps when the car sped up.
Several other people can be seen reacting to the startling sight as the car returns to the road. Deputies said that the child “was not hit or injured,” and they began searching the area for the suspect.
About 25 minutes later, the sheriff’s office said its deputies were told about a possible burglary at a home in the 10700 block of West Melville Road, about 1 mile away. A man said he was watching someone on his live security system “trying door handles, and it was unclear if the suspect entered the residence.”
Deputies arrived at the West Melville Road address and found Clemente and her silver Ford Focus parked in the victim’s driveway.
They arrested and interviewed her. She reportedly explained that she was taking “her dog for a ride” and looking for other dogs for it to “socialize with” when she noticed a dog in this fenced yard. “She admitted she did not know the victim and denied entering or attempting to enter his residence,” the sheriff’s office added.
Clemente said “she did not remember” the incident with the juvenile on the dirt bike. Furthermore, while she initially “denied drinking alcohol or consuming any drugs,” she “later changed her story and admitted to drinking alcohol,” deputies said.
But when deputies tried to place her in the back of a patrol vehicle, Clemente allegedly resisted and tried to kick a deputy. She was restrained, and authorities “were granted a search warrant to obtain a sample of Clemente’s blood” for testing.
Clemente made her first appearance in court the following day, where a superior court judge allowed her to be released without needing to post bond.