Brookfield woman accused of slashing tires, starting fire at hotel

The Brief

• A Brookfield woman is accused of slashing tires and starting a fire inside a hotel.

• The accused is Jennifer Vaughn, 41, of Brookfield.

• Officers needed to use a taser to get Vaughn under their control, the complaint states.

BROOKFIELD, Wis. – A 41-year-old Brookfield woman is accused of slashing tires and setting a fire at a hotel on Sunday, March 16. The accused is Jennifer Vaughn – and she faces the following criminal counts:

• Criminal damage to property (four counts)

• Negligent handling of burning material

• Attempt battery to a law enforcement officer

Accused of slashing tires

What we know

According to the criminal complaint, Brookfield police were dispatched to TownePlace Suites on N. Calhoun Road on the evening of Sunday, March 16. Officers were advised that a 911 caller “was reporting a female subject was in the parking lot slashing tires of multiple vehicles with a knife,” the complaint says.

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Once on the scene, an officer spoke with the hotel manager. They reviewed security footage in an attempt to identify the suspect. The officer recognized the woman in the video because he had previous contact with her, due to calls at the same location.

Officers identified three vehicles that were damaged. Each of the vehicles had puncture damage to the tires.

Investigators then went into the hotel to the defendant’s hotel room. They attempted to get the defendant to answer the door. However, she was not listening to their requests. The complaint says instead, “the defendant was playing loud music, which could be heard outside of the hotel room in the hallway, and at one point got loud enough where it could be heard outside of the physical hotel building. While playing the music loudly and ignoring officers’ requests to come to the door, officers could hear the defendant say things such as, ‘This is a good song. I’ll die to this song.’ The defendant was also asking officers to shoot her,” the complaint says.

At one point, the complaint says the defendant threatened to start a fire in the hotel, and given that threat and the fact that officers “could smell smoke, they forced entry into the defendant’s room.”

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When officers entered the room, the defendant was seen “holding a can of hairspray and a lighter, pointing it in the direction of both the officers and the stove,” the complaint says. A police sergeant deployed a taser at the defendant. She fell to the ground and was taken into custody.

While putting the defendant under arrest, the sergeant “observed a 6 to 7 inch fixed blade knife on the floor,” the complaint says. The defendant also resisted attempts by officers to control her. When one officer attempted to lift the defendant’s legs, he “could feel the defendant bite on to his head,” the complaint says.

The defendant was eventually put in a restraint chair and restraint van.

What’s next

Vaughn made her initial appearance in Waukesha County court on Wednesday, March 19. Cash bond was set at $500.

Vaughn is due back in court for a review hearing on April 28.

The Source

The information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access as well as the criminal complaint associated with this case.