Couple allegedly threatens woman outside K-Mart

A husband and wife are facing criminal charges after threatening a woman at knife-point and ravaging her tent behind a department store on Sept. 27.

The female victim, 44, made the 911 call from the parking lot of K-Mart at 3175 W. Third St. When Bloomington police arrived on the scene, she reported a man and a woman had approached her and the woman eventually pulled out a pocket knife with a three-inch blade, Bloomington Police Department Detective Sgt. John Kovach said.

Samantha Sue Lindsey, 27, and her husband Tommy Sheldan, 30, began to argue with the victim after they accused her of stealing tobacco from their camp site.

The argument escalated and reportedly lead to Lindsey pulling out her knife, although she never used it, as Sheldan tore apart the victim’s tent and beat on it with a stick. Kovach said the report did not specifically indicate those involved were homeless, but he said that appears to be the case.

Lindsey was charged with intimidation with a deadly weapon and resisting law enforcement. Sheldan faces preliminary charges of intimidation with a deadly weapon and criminal mischief, Kovach said.

Although he did not display his knife at any point, police uncovered a three-to-four-inch blade with a wooden handle in his possession, Kovach said.

Following the incident, the couple fled west. Bloomington police discovered the two suspects in a wooded area behind the K-Mart store when they attempted to flee, Kovach said. Police apprehended and jailed both suspects.

— Michael Majchrowicz