Stanfield police arrest woman after rescuing her from bathroom wall
The Stanfield Police Department early Tuesday morning engaged in what it called a “Valentine’s Day hide and seek contest” with a resident who had multiple felony warrants for her arrest.
It was determined that 29-year-old Kaila Garcia was inside a Stanfield residence, that was the home of her boyfriend, who was already in jail, according to Police Chief Corie Faggart. When officers arrived, Garcia would not come to the door and instead barricaded it with furniture and hid.
After a search warrant was obtained, officers made entry and Garcia was located in an unusual hiding spot. Faggart said she had wedged herself into a void in the wall behind a shelf in the bathroom and could not get out.
“We had searched the whole house and hadn’t found her, but we knew she was in there,” he said.
What was a simple mission to apprehend Garcia turned into a rescue effort. After about 10 minutes, officers were able to locate and then free Garcia from her hiding spot and take her into custody. In order to extricate her, the officers had to remove both a medicine cabinet and the shelf, Faggart said.
Garcia is in the Stanly County Jail under a $200,000 bond. She has been charged with felony counts of uttering a forged instrument, obtaining property by false pretense and possession of more than five counterfeit instruments.
The Locust Police Department and Stanly County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the arrest.