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.

More in News

Two dead after tree falls in Olympic National Forest

Two women died after a tree fell in Olympic National… Continue reading

Sue Long, left, Vicki Bennett and Frank Handler, all from Port Townsend, volunteer at the Martin Luther King Day of Service beach restoration on Monday at Fort Worden State Park. The activity took place on Knapp Circle near the Point Wilson Lighthouse. Sixty-four volunteers participated in the removal of non-native beach grasses. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Work party

Sue Long, left, Vicki Bennett and Frank Handler, all from Port Townsend,… Continue reading

Portion of bridge to be replaced

Tribe: Wooden truss at railroad park deteriorating

Kingsya Omega, left, and Ben Wilson settle into a hand-holding exercise. (Aliko Weste)
Process undermines ‘Black brute’ narrative

Port Townsend company’s second film shot in Hawaii

Jefferson PUD to replace water main in Coyle

Jefferson PUD commissioners awarded a $1.3 million construction contract… Continue reading

Scott Mauk.
Chimacum superintendent receives national award

Chimacum School District Superintendent Scott Mauk has received the National… Continue reading

Hood Canal Coordinating Council meeting canceled

The annual meeting of the Hood Canal Coordinating Council, scheduled… Continue reading

Bruce Murray, left, and Ralph Parsons hang a cloth exhibition in the rotunda of the old Clallam County Courthouse on Friday in Port Angeles. The North Olympic History Center exhibit tells the story of the post office past and present across Clallam County. The display will be open until early February, when it will be relocated to the Sequim City Hall followed by stops on the West End. The project was made possible due to a grant from the Clallam County Heritage Advisory Board. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Post office past and present

Bruce Murray, left, and Ralph Parsons hang a cloth exhibition in the… Continue reading

This agave grew from the size of a baseball in the 1990s to the height of Isobel Johnston’s roof in 2020. She saw it bloom in 2023. Following her death last year, Clallam County Fire District 3 commissioners, who purchased the property on Fifth Avenue in 2015, agreed to sell it to support the building of a new Carlsborg fire station. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group file)
Fire district to sell property known for its Sequim agave plant

Sale proceeds may support new Carlsborg station project

As part of Olympic Theatre Arts’ energy renovation upgrade project, new lighting has been installed, including on the Elaine and Robert Caldwell Main Stage that allows for new and improved effects. (Olympic Theatre Arts)
Olympic Theatre Arts remodels its building

New roof, LED lights, HVAC throughout

Weekly flight operations scheduled

Field carrier landing practice operations will be conducted for aircraft… Continue reading