SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane mother is learning her options after she stabbed a man accused of breaking into her home.
She reached out to KREM 2 after learning the suspect is in a mental health hospital with a 72-hour hold minimum.
She is worried if he is released, he would return to her house. Police said the hold will likely be longer because of the nature of the crime. According to the Spokane Police Department, there are five different court protected orders that aim to keep victims safe. One of those is a restraining order the judge signs so officers can arrest the person if they violate the victim's space.
Police responded to a report of an occupied burglary in the 3900 block of E. 23rd Ave. at about 11:45 a.m. on Monday.
The victim reported that a man who tried to break into her home earlier in the morning had returned, police said. Officers had responded to the earlier call but were unable to find the suspect.
When the victim called police for a second time, she and her daughter were hiding in a bedroom when the suspect tried to open the front door. Police said the victim was armed with a kitchen knife.
The suspect threw a brick through a window that the victim was standing next to before trying to force his way into the bedroom, police said. He then made statements about raping the victim.
Police said the victim used the kitchen knife to defend herself and keep the suspect out of the residence. After the suspect was stabbed, he went back to the front door and tried to get back in through the broken window two more times.
When officers arrived, the suspect was still on the home’s backyard patio and was taken into custody without incident. Police identified him as 28-year-old Nicholas A. Abraham.
Abraham was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries, police said. Officers also determined during the investigation that the vehicle he had arrived in was stolen from Wendle Motors earlier in the day.
Police said the victim suffered cuts on her hand from the broken glass of the bedroom window and was also taken a local hospital for her injuries.
Abraham was booked into the Spokane County Jail for first-degree burglary with sexual motivation and vehicle theft.