PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 A woman accused of making terroristic threats toward Maricopa County animal shelter employees over the phone last summer was arrested this month.<\/p>\n
Katie Michelle Dickson, 37, reportedly made 18 separate calls to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) over the span of 40 minutes on June 26, 2024, according to county officials. She is a resident of Vancouver, Washington.<\/p>\n
What officials believed to be a bomb threat resulted in an evacuation of the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control building<\/a> and a search by the Maricopa County Sheriff\u2019s Office (MCSO) Bomb Squad.<\/p>\n In the calls to MCACC, most of which were recorded, Dickson threatened arson, murder and sexual violence against employees.<\/p>\n One of two audio transcripts released by Maricopa County depicts a woman, believed to be Dickson, saying, \u201cYou guys put Luna down, I\u2019m coming to burn your [expletive] building down and strangle you to death.\u201d<\/p>\n In the second call, the woman said, \u201cI hope you guys burn in hell. I\u2019m going to tie you all up, set fire to your place,\u201d and threatened sexual violence before the audio cut off.<\/p>\n Investigators found there was no clear mention of a bomb threat in the recordings. <\/p>\n Dickson turned herself in to MCSO earlier this month after a warrant was issued for her arrest. <\/p>\n She has since bonded out of jail and has an initial pretrial conference scheduled for Oct. 21. Her trial is set to begin Jan. 6, 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cThe safety of our staff is our top priority, and we take any threats against our team members very seriously,\u201d said Debbie McKnight, director of MCACC. \u201cWe are grateful to law enforcement for all their hard work on this investigation. We are committed to providing a safe, respectful space for everyone we serve.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThis arrest is the result of strong collaboration between our office and our county partners. When someone threatens our community with calls of violence, it is not only disruptive but dangerous,\u201d Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan said. \u201cWe have zero tolerance for this type of behavior, and we will continue to work to ensure those responsible are held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n Arizona\u2019s Family has requested Dickson\u2019s booking photo.<\/p>\n See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it<\/a>.<\/p>\n