Eviction turns into argument at gunpoint, but no shots fired, police say

Eviction turns into argument at gunpoint, but no shots fired, police say

PORT TOWNSEND— Police have accused two people of brandishing a handgun during a landlord-tenant dispute.

Tava Daetz-Avarna, 63, of Port Townsend and Cody A. Loring, 30, of Quilcene were arrested after an altercation at 19th and Hill streets shortly before 6 p.m. Monday.

Daetz-Avarna was arrested for investigation of reckless endangerment and unlawful carrying/handling of a firearm. She was no longer listed on the jail roster as of late Tuesday.

Loring was arrested for investigation of second-degree assault, aiming/discharging a firearm and reckless endangerment. He remained in the Jefferson County jail without bail Tuesday.

They are scheduled for a court hearing at 9 a.m. Friday at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend.

No one was hurt during the incident.

According to a probable-cause statement written by Port Town-send Police Officer Jon Stuart, the dispute occurred when Daetz-Avarna arrived at 1818 Landes St. with Loring and confronted Michael Larsen, 46, and Danielle Lindsey, 32, who were in the process of moving out of the house.

Daetz-Avarna, who owns the property, started an abusive verbal altercation, according to Lindsey’s statement to police.

The tenants said they left the area to avoid confrontation, said Detective Luke Bogues.

In the probable-cause statement, the tenants said their landlord threw a box of trash into the back of their truck.

The box fell out as they turned onto 19th Street, according to the statement.

They stopped to picked up the debris and said in the statement that Daetz-Avarna and Loring pulled up next to them in a Toyota Corolla.

Loring pulled out a black semiautomatic handgun and pointed it at Larsen, the tenants said in the statement.

Larsen told police he was in fear for his life, saying he could see down the barrel of the gun.

He told police he blocked the passenger door of the Corolla to prevent Loring from exiting the car.

Loring handed the gun to Daetz-Avarna, who brandished it while yelling at the two, the tenants said.

Witnesses corroborated the statements from Lindsey and Larsen, the probable-cause statement said.

Port Townsend police officers, with the assistance of Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies, contacted Daetz-Avarna and Loring at a home on West Sims Way, where they were arrested, police said.

A semiautomatic handgun matching Larsen’s description was seized as evidence, police said.

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