GENESEO, Ill. — An Iowa woman was arrested after police in northwestern Illinois discovered her between the interior walls of a business, authorities said.
According to a news release from the Geneseo Police Department, Caleigh Alexxis Ann Gottsche, 26, of Davenport, was arrested on Nov. 5.
She was charged with burglary, felony criminal damage to property and criminal trespass to property.
Police said that at about 5:24 p.m. CT on Nov. 5, a business owner on State Street in Geneseo reported hearing a loud noise coming from the ceiling or attic area of the store.
Officers searched the building’s interior for about 17 minutes and reportedly also heard a noise, but could not determine its source.
At 6:10 p.m., the business owner reported hearing more noises from a different section of the building. Officers returning to the scene “reported hearing additional suspicious noises.”
Officers then heard “whispering and movement” coming from inside the walls.
By 6:36 p.m., officers made voice contact with the suspect, and members of the Geneseo Fire Protection District assisted with safely removing Gottsche from between the walls.
An ensuing investigation determined that several businesses on South State Street had been damaged at “potential access points on their shared roof structures.”
Police arrested Gottsche and transported her to the Henry County Jail.
On Monday, Gottsche made her first appearance in a Henry County court, according to online court records. She waived her right to a preliminary hearing and arraignment and will return to court on Dec. 11 for a jury pretrial meeting, according to online court records.
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