Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
COLFAX –– A Colfax woman was arrested on charges of 2nd Degree Assault, 4th Degree Assault, and 2nd degree theft on Sunday, November 5.
Richelle Ann Jones, 41, was arrested and booked into the Whitman County Jail. Her bail is currently set at a $20,000 bond or $2,000 cash bail through Whitman County Superior Court.
The Colfax Police Department reports that on Saturday, November 4, at 2:45 p.m., Whitman County Sheriff Deputy Cory Alcantar and Colfax Police Officer Erica Warren responded to a report of a domestic dispute at a residence on South West Street.
Geremy Rizzi reported that his sister, Richelle Jones, had attacked his mom, Joann Rizzi, by biting her.
“Upon arrival, I heard yelling from outside the residence, and upon entry, Richelle and her mother, Joann, were actively arguing,” reports Warren.
Richelle was detained and escorted outside until she could calm down, while Deputy Alcantar interviewed Geremy and Joann.
Joann reportedly told Alcantar that Richelle had consumed alcohol earlier in the day and was mad about missing a phone charger. She added that she later went into Richelle’s bedroom and watched Richelle grab onto her daughter, Harper Clein, tightly. Reports say Joann told Alcantar that Richelle was twisting her arm hard. Joann reportedly scuffled with Richelle and received several scratches across her face.
“I saw two scratches on Joann’s face,” said Warren, “There was a scratch on the right side of her face that appeared to be approximately two inches long. There was another small scratch on the left side of Joann’s face.”
Joann also told Alcantar that Geremy attempted to pull Richelle off of her and Richelle started scratching Geremy.
Warren noted that she observed several scratches on Geremy’s stomach and back.
When asked what happened, Richelle could only slur her words, reports say.
“Richelle was slurring her words and the conversation took many twists and turns,” Warren said.
Deputy Alcantar gathered the same information from Richelle before speaking to Joann.
Reports say Joann told Deputy Alcantar that Richelle strangled her while they were fighting and had threatened to kill her throughout the ordeal.
Richelle allegedly told Alcantar and Warren she turned to alcohol to deal with the stresses in her life, including a custody battle for her three children, and a lawsuit with the state of Washington over a rape case with a former social worker.
“Richelle said there is a lot going on in her life and she could not turn to alcohol, but she said she has been having trouble coping,” added Warren.
Olivia Harnack is a Journalist at the Whitman County Gazette. Olivia is enrolled at University of Idaho and is majoring in digital film studies. She serves in the United States Army National Guard and is proud to serve Whitman County.
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