Cranston Woman Tries to Burrow under Fence to Elude Officers

Portsmouth Police charged a 44-year-old Cranston woman with a slew of domestic charges including trespassing, assault, vandalism and disorderly conduct on July 6 at 5:48 p.m.

Police said they were dispatched to a King Phillip Street address for a report of a disturbance and found Kristen Lahteine Stepalavich, 44, of 77 Bluff Ave., Cranston, crawling under a row of hedges in front of the house before attempting to burrow under a stockade fence connected to the house.

Stepalavich allegedly drove to the house upset about an ex-husband’s new girlfriend and ripped off a downspout from the side of the house before police arrived.

Police said Stepalavich appeared intoxicated and fought with police as they tried to take her into custody.

She was later released on personal recognizance and is due to appear in court on July 24 for a pretrial conference.