FARMINGTON, Utah, Jan. 26, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A Florida woman has been charged with threatening employees at a Utah treatment center for teenagers.
Sheena Savabi, 36, of Lake Worth, Florida, was charged Thursday in 2nd District Court with threat of terrorism, a second-degree felony, along with stalking, threats against schools and electronic communications harassment, all class A misdemeanors. A warrant also was issued for her arrest.
Employees at the unnamed treatment facility started receiving angry phone calls from Savabi on Jan. 5, according to charging documents.
Savabi called the center more than 40 times that day, telling employees “she was going to sue them for the death of her brother, who had spent some time at the facility over 20 years before and subsequently killed himself in 2008,” charges say.
“She spoke specifically to the owner of the facility, telling him that she wanted atonement,” according to the charges.
Savabi told the owner she wanted to kill his brother and later left a message telling him she had been to his house, charges say.
“Since that day until the present day, she has called the facility well over 100 times, she has left roughly 70 to 80 voicemails and numerous online messages. In many of those messages, she says that she has a borderline personality disorder and that with one doctor’s note she can get away with an assault. In other messages, she makes threats to the receptionist and to a security guard at the facility,” charging documents state.
Savabi showed up at the treatment center on Jan. 22 and tried to open a locked door, according to the charges. She then yelled at employees who refused to let her in.
“The next day, she left several threatening voicemails, saying that ‘she was coming to show off her gun.’ She talked about having a concealed carry permit and a Colt .45. She said that if they didn’t open the door for her this time that they might get shot. She said that she knew the glass was not bulletproof,” according to charging documents.
On Thursday, Savabi left another voicemail message, telling the center to “consider it another bomb threat day,” charges state.
“The facility houses numerous residents. Most of those residents take classes from teachers at the facility on weekdays and receive credit towards high school graduation. The teachers are employed by the Davis County School District and the district considers the facility a satellite school,” according to the charges.
Charging documents do not identify the treatment facility, but the alleged crimes coincide with a reported bomb threat Monday that forced the evacuation of students and staff at Elevations Residential Treatment Center in Syracuse. Police also issued a shelter-in-place order for residents near the center at 2650 W. 2700 South.
