Trespasser Steals Missoula Shelter’s Phone, Disables Cameras

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On January 22, 2023, at around 5:55 AM, a Missoula Police Department Officer was dispatched to the Johnson Street Warming Shelter. 44-year-old Sarah Pfaff called into dispatch requesting an ambulance.

Simultaneously, staff from the shelter and emergency medical personnel requested a law enforcement response due to Pfaff being on the property. She had stolen a landline telephone and unplugged the shelter's surveillance cameras. The shelter staff was requesting that Pfaff be removed from the property and charged. 

The officer arrived at the shelter and went inside to speak with two staff members who witnessed the incident. Staff said Pfaff had already left the area and had been recently trespassed from the Missoula shelters. The officer recognized Pfaff who had recently had numerous interactions with law enforcement. 

Staff said Pfaff was on the property waiting for an ambulance. The ambulance showed up to provide services but stated soon after that they did not want to offer her their services based on negative past experiences they have had with her. 

While Pfaff was inside the shelter, she stole the handheld telephone from the shelter's landline that is offered to guests. Staff said the phone would no longer work due to Pfaff stealing the handset from the base unit. According to staff, Pfaff also walked over to where the staff had a power strip and cords to the security cameras and unplugged all of them. This disabled all the security cameras in the building until the staff was able to plug them back in and reset the system. 

The officer confirmed that Pfaff has been trespassed from the Poverello shelter since January 7, 2021, and the Johnson Street shelter since January 16, 2024. According to court documents, there have been numerous calls for service to these shelters where Pfaff had been warned, arrested, or cited for criminal trespass to property. 

At approximately 5:27 PM, an officer located Pfaff outside in the west parking lot. The officer engaged with Pfaff and eventually placed her under arrest without further issue. Pfaff is currently being charged with felony burglary. 

The information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.