BOISE, Idaho — A Boise woman accused of crashing a stolen ambulance into a Meridian building made her first appearance in federal court Tuesday afternoon, where she was formally arraigned on an indictment that could carry decades in prison if convicted.
Sarah Elizabeth George, 43, appeared in court wearing an orange Ada County Jail jumpsuit, with her hands and wrists restrained. She is charged with two federal felony counts tied to what investigators describe as a deliberate attack.
WATCH: What happened in court as federal charges were filed in Meridian crash case
According to court records, George faces one count of malicious destruction of government property by fire, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years and up to 40 years in prison. She is also charged with malicious destruction of property used in interstate and foreign commerce, punishable by five to 20 years.
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George entered a plea of not guilty to both charges.
A jury trial is scheduled for April 20.
The judge noted George is charged with a violent crime and scheduled a separate pretrial detention hearing to determine whether she could be released before trial. That hearing is set for March 3.
Search warrant materials in the case can be released, the judge ruled.
The court appearance came one day after George’s arrest was announced.
According to an FBI affidavit, investigators believe George purchased gas cans and lighter fluid, staged fuel near Saint Luke’s Meridian, stole an ambulance and drove it directly into the Portico North building. Authorities say gasoline was poured inside and outside the ambulance and across the building’s lobby floor, before George fled on foot.
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Federal records show part of the Portico North building is leased to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a key factor in the case being charged federally.
George remains in custody.
