A 48-year-old Sequim woman is in Clallam County Jail Wednesday after allegedly assaulting and cutting a man the night before.
Sequim Police Department report that Clallam County Fire District 3 medics responded to a medical emergency at an apartment complex, later identified as the Sunbelt Apartment at 505 S. Fifth Ave., at 7:21 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8.
Inside, medics discovered a victim of a violent assault — 58-year-old Ricky Lynn McGowen — who lives in the apartment building, said Staff Sgt. Sean Madison with Sequim Police Department.
Sequim Police detained Larisa Jean Dietz of Sequim at the scene; she was later and arrested on Wednesday morning.
Dietz was booked into the Clallam County Jail at 4:14 a.m. Wednesday and is in custody on charges of attempted second degree murder, burglary in the first degree and assault in the first degree. She’s scheduled to appear in Clallam County Superior Court at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 1o.
Madison said he’s unsure of her prior criminal history.
McGowen was airlifted to Harbor View Medical Center and remains in stable condition, Madison said.
McGowen sustained lacerations and/or incisions to his neck area from an edged weapon, Madison said, but that it’s unknown if he was stabbed.
No firearms were involved, Madison said.
Madison said Dietz is a long-time Sequim resident.
Later an apartment complex tesident confirmed Dietz was a neighbor of McGowen in the apartments.
“They did know each other, and we’re investigating to what extent they knew each other,” Madison said.
Police report they are investigating the incident with assistance from the Washington State Patrol and the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team (OPNET).
Madison said there’s no information on whether or not drugs or alcohol were involved.
No other people were involved in the assault and the general public was not in danger during the incident, he said.
The 9-1-1 caller didn’t give much information, Madison said, and that’s why the situation was treated as a medical emergency rather than a police incident.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Washington State Patrol was processing the crime scene, Madison said, and police continue to perform follow-up interviews. Residents have not been evacuated from the complex, he said.
The 16-unit Sunbelt Apartments were owned by the Peninsula Housing Authority and managed by Serenity House of Clallam County. Peninsula Housing Authority transferred ownership to Serenity House on Sept. 30, said Kay Kassinger, executive director of the Peninsula Housing Authority.
Residents qualify as chronically homeless for at least a year prior to living in the apartments and are classified by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development as 100-percent disabled with mental disabilities and/or physical ailments.
The apartment complex was home to 57-year-old Valerie Claplanhoo, who earlier this year was killed with a knife or other sharp weapon or object that caused deadly injuries to her head and neck.
Claplanhoo was found deceased in the building on Jan. 2.
“It’s an interesting place to go (in thinking) but we treat this as its own investigation right now,” Madison said.
Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
For the second time this year, police tape wraps around the Sunbelt Apartments after Larisa Jean Dietz, 48, was arrested for allegedly trying to kill 58-year-old Ricky Lynn McGowen. In January, police learned of the death of 57-year-old Valerie Claplanhoo in the complex. Her death remains under investigation. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash
Residents of Sunbelt Apartments remain on site as Washington State Patrol conducted an examination of the crime scene after a resident allegedly attempted to kill her neighbor. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash
