A Bayfield woman who broke into two buildings, both occupied by law enforcement officers, was sentenced Friday to 18 months of probation.
Susan Murphy-Snively experienced a mental breakdown, possibly brought on by the use of drugs, earlier this year in Durango, said her public defender, Annie Woods. She has since entered an in-patient treatment center in South Carolina to address her addiction, Woods said.
Murphy-Snively, 41, appeared Friday in 6th Judicial District Court well-dressed and in better condition than she did at the time of her arrests, a prosecutor and defense lawyer agreed.
“I’m ready to just put this behind me the best I can,” she told District Judge William Herringer.
Murphy-Snively was arrested twice in four months for breaking into buildings occupied by off-duty police officers.
The first was Aug. 29, 2016, in the Three Springs subdivision, where a Durango police sergeant found her rummaging through his garage. The sergeant identified himself as a police officer, showed Murphy-Snively his badge, and she ran.
She ran through a neighbor’s house and out the back door before being caught in a parking lot near Mercy Regional Medical Center.
While on bail, Murphy-Snively broke into a laundry room on Christmas Day at a motel in the 3400 block of Main Avenue. A residence is attached to the motel, and she broke into a residential part of the building, according to an arrest affidavit.
An off-duty La Plata County Sheriff’s deputy caught her in the laundry room, and again Murphy-Snively ran but was caught a short distance away.
Murphy-Snively said Friday she didn’t know the laundry room was adjacent to a residential dwelling, and it was never her intention to alarm anyone.
She plans to find a job and live in Bayfield.
shane@durangoherald.com