Idaho woman charged with stick-figure threat

[September 26, 2012]  BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- A woman who was about to be released from an Idaho prison will stay behind bars a while longer because federal prosecutors say she mailed a threatening stick figure drawing to a relative.

Linda Joyce Lakes was serving time at the Pocatello Women's Correctional Center on probation violations stemming from a 2007 grand theft sentence, and she was scheduled to be released last Friday. But earlier this month, the U.S. attorney's office charged her with mailing threatening communications, a felony.

Prosecutors say that in 2010, Lakes mailed a drawing that apparently depicted a battered stick figure alongside threatening phrases such as "No tears," "No hiding," and "No more you."

Kyle Wright, an FBI agent in Pocatello who investigated the case, described the drawing in a court document.

"One stick figure appeared to be lying down with his face smashed. The baseball bat was lying nearby with damage that appeared to be consistent with its use on the first stick figure. The second stick figure appeared to be walking away with a smile," Wright wrote.

Wright also said in his affidavit that Lakes sent a letter with the drawing that indicated her prison sentence was coming to an end and that the recipient should be prepared for his final moments.

The FBI agent also said that Lakes told the FBI her drawing symbolized her hate for a man who had abused her in the past, and that one day she wanted to beat and possibly kill him.

Lakes was released from the state prison and taken into federal custody. She waived her preliminary hearing on the charge and has not yet entered a plea.

Lisa Tolle, a paralegal with Federal Defender Services of Idaho in Pocatello, said her office had just been assigned the case and attorneys had not yet fully reviewed it.

[Associated Press; By REBECCA BOONE]

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