Police search for knife-wielding man who rang Spokane woman’s door
Twice in the past week, a man wielding a knife approached Kristen Tesarik’s house in the East Central neighborhood, stood outside the front door and left without harming anyone or taking anything.
Tesarik’s home security camera, which is mounted near her front door, filmed the man both times and alerted her to the threat.
Police are now asking the public’s help in finding the knife-wielding man. He is described as an approximately 35-year-old white male of average height and medium build. He was wearing jeans and a gray shirt during the most recent incident.
Kristen Tesarik / Courtesy of
He first came to the house, at 3505 E. 4th Ave., on July 12, when no one was home.
Tesarik got a notification on her phone from her home-security company and saw the man outside with the knife. He rang the doorbell and stood outside for two minutes before leaving.
She called police, and they came to the house. Officers took the report but didn’t give her a case number.
Four days later, on July 16, the same man came back to the house. This time, Tesarik and her roommate were eating dinner in the kitchen.
Camera footage shows that he peered into the window before going to the back of the house, through a gate marked with a no-trespassing sign. He broke into the detached garage and rifled through Tesarik’s and her roommate’s stuff, but he didn’t take anything, she said.
About an hour later, Tesarik went to let her dog out and saw the gate open, which is unusual, she said. She pulled up the footage from the camera and saw the same man from days earlier.
She called police again. Officers responded again, viewed the footage and gave her a report number.
Sgt. Terry Preuniger said police had not identified the man or made any arrests as of Thursday evening. Police have not gotten any other official reports from neighbors of similar incidents, but social media posts suggest it has happened to other houses in the area, Preuniger said.
Tesarik and her roommate say they are looking for a new place to live because their neighborhood is riddled with crime. She partly blames nearby empty lots, where homeless people sleep during the night.
She also urges people to get a home security system.
“It’s how we catch guys like this.”
Police are urging anyone who can identify the man, or report similar incidents, to call Crime Check at (509) 465-2233 and reference case No. 2019-20132394.