Woman encounters intoxicated burglar in her Spokane Valley home

A woman found herself face-to-face with an alleged intoxicated burglar early Wednesday morning in Spokane Valley.

Deputies arrested 22-year-old Austin M. Kelly on suspicion of residential burglary and third-degree malicious mischief about an hour after the initial encounter in another woman’s driveway a few blocks away, according to a Spokane Valley Police Department news release.

Police responded at about 12:35 a.m. to a report of a woman finding a stranger, later identified as Kelly, in her home near Adams Road and Riverside Avenue, police said. The woman told deputies she was awoken by a male voice outside her bedroom door.

She opened her door, encountered Kelly and screamed as Kelly raised his hand in front of her face before fleeing on foot, the release said. She woke her son and told him to call 911 while she barricaded the front door until deputies arrived. Deputies found the front door of the home appeared to have been forced open.

At about 1:25 a.m., another person called to report an unknown man was in her driveway near Adams Road and Alki Avenue, less than a half-mile north of the original location. Deputies rushed to the location and detained Kelly.

Deputies said Kelly, who appeared to be extremely intoxicated, told deputies he was beaten up and shot. They found scratches and marks on his face and legs but no gunshot wounds.

The woman whose home was burglarized was taken to Kelly and confirmed he was the man she saw inside her home, police said.

Kelly’s first appearance in Spokane County Superior Court was continued to Thursday afternoon. He remained Wednesday night in the Spokane County Jail.