Inverness woman arrested after 3-hour standoff with Citrus County deputies
The Brief
An Inverness woman was arrested Friday after a more than three-hour standoff with Citrus County deputies.
Officials said she refused to let fire rescue crews and EMS inside her apartment and threatened to fire her gun through the door.
First responders were called to the apartment to conduct a well-being check.
INVERNESS, Fla. - An Inverness woman was arrested Friday after a more than three-hour standoff with Citrus County deputies.
The Citrus County Sheriff's Office said Lauri Sadowski, 66, is now facing an aggravated assault on a law enforcement charge. It comes after first responders were called to the Colonnade Park Apartments to do a well-being check, deputies said.
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However, the sheriff's office said things escalated when fire rescue and EMS arrived. Officials said Sadowski refused to let them inside and threatened to fire her gun through the door.
Citrus County deputies responded after the suspect threatened crews, and they said she could be seen walking around her apartment and on the balcony, visibly armed with a gun in each hand.
CCSO's Crisis Negotiation Team assisted with trying to deescalate the situation, but when negotiators tried to call Sadowski multiple times, they said she would answer and hang up on them. This happened while she continued to pace between her balcony and the interior of her apartment while armed.
READ:Florida man with 'sordid history' accused of trying to set roommates on fire: 'Pure evil in the flesh'
The SWAT team also responded due to Sadowski's erratic behavior. Both teams continued to work for several hours to speak with Sadowski and deescalate.
Sadowski, however, left her apartment after several hours and was taken into custody, according to CCSO. After being medically cleared, she was taken to the Citrus County Detention Facility, where deputies said she is being held without bond.
The Source
The information in this story was released by the Citrus County Sheriff's Office.
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