Woman wields machete

Editor

Authorities are considering attempted murder charges against a Missouri woman who threatened a police officer with a machete Tuesday.

Connie J. Tyson, 43, Kansas City, was arrested at the Putnam County Jail at 7:05 p.m. after Deputy Craig Sibbitt found the woman standing on top of her Dodge sport utility vehicle yelling and waving a large machete at him in a threatening manner.

At that time, Sibbitt reports, he heard Tyson say "I will kill you if someone does not give me my money and I mean business."

Putnam County Jail staff first encountered Tyson on Monday when she walked into the administration office lobby and asked for "her man and her money." She claimed that her husband, Lazaro Castanedo-Martzinez, who is an inmate in the jail, had been arrested and about $9,000 in money had been seized.

She had behaved erratically at that time, but left after being ordered out of the building by Sheriff Mark Frisbie.

When Sibbitt encountered Tyson on Tuesday, he drove his patrol car around to the front parking lot and tried to position the car where his in-car camera could record the woman and her vehicle.

At one point Tyson put down the machete, but she soon picked it up again and waved it at the deputy. Sibbitt reported that he drew his handgun and pointed it at Tyson, ordering her to drop the weapon and get on the ground. She complied, and he then handcuffed her. She was then booked into the jail on charges of attempted murder, intimidation, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.

She was scheduled to appear in Putnam Superior Court Wednesday afternoon.