Chubbuck woman accused of making Molotov cocktail, hitting officer

Stock image of a Molotov cocktail.
CHUBBUCK — A woman police say punched an officer in the face has been charged with battery and for possessing an explosive device.
Lucinda Keren McGill, 41, faces felony charges for battery on an officer and unlawful possession of a bomb or destructive device, court records show.
July 17
Chubbuck police received numerous 911 text messages from McGill, also known as Lucinda Lutz, reporting an emergency just before 6 a.m. on July 17, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Because McGill would not provide her location, officers responded to her home on West Burnside Avenue.
McGill was known to officers to suffer from mental health issues, the affidavit says. She had previously sent a 911 text message threatening to blow up the police department with a Molotov cocktail, according to police.
Once at her residence, officers found McGill. According to police reports, when officers found her, she held a glass bottle filled with liquid and a rag hanging out from the top. The officers identified the bottle as a Molotov cocktail.
While with the officers, McGill called her mental health counselor.
Officers spoke with the counselor, who told them that he had been in contact with McGill throughout the night and was working to calm her. The counselor told the officers that hospitals, handcuffs and police vehicles were triggers for McGill and could force her deeper into her episode.
After ending their phone call with the counselor, officers took the item they believed to be a Molotov cocktail and left. According to the affidavit, the liquid inside the bottle smelled like rubbing alcohol.
The officers disposed of the liquid and the bottle and took no further action.
March 13
Chubbuck police received a 911 text from McGill claiming she was feeling suicidal and homicidal. They responded to her home for a welfare check.
While en route, officers found McGill walking on the diverging diamond.
Officers offered to help her get home, to which she responded, “I’ll just walk myself there,” the affidavit says.
As they tried talking to her, McGill allegedly turned toward the officers and punched one of them in the face.
The officer she is accused of hitting “brought her to the ground” while other officers helped control her.
Once she was in handcuffs, the officer McGill allegedly punched asked her why she hit him. She allegedly responded, “because you’re a piece of s***.”
McGill also asked the officer how his wife was doing, using his wife’s first name, and claimed she knew where the officer and his wife lived, police said.
The officers told McGill that she was being arrested for hitting the officer, to which she allegedly replied, “I don’t give a f***. Next time, I hope he’s dead.”
McGill continued making veiled threats toward the officers, asking about their families and telling them others would soon know where they lived, police said.
While searching McGill, officers found a pipe McGill claimed she used for smoking marijuana. They also found several pill bottles. According to the affidavit, some of the bottles were McGill’s prescribed medications, but others did not have a label.
McGill was taken to Bannock County jail and booked. She was released on her own recognizance with court services the same day.
Though McGill has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
If she is found guilty, McGill could face up to 10 years in prison.
She is scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge Carol Tippi Jarman for a preliminary hearing on April 10.
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Source: eastidahonews.com