A 56-year-old Spokane-area woman found herself in serious legal trouble after a terrifying incident on April 28, 2026, in which she allegedly steered her vehicle directly onto a sidewalk and chased a child who was riding their bike. The incident, captured on camera, has left many in the community shaken and raising questions about road safety and accountability.
Wendy A. Clemente was behind the wheel of a silver Ford Focus when she allegedly turned off the road and drove onto the sidewalk where the child was riding. Rather than stopping or correcting course, she is accused of continuing to drive toward the child before eventually returning to the roadway and leaving the scene entirely.
Fortunately, the child was not struck or injured. But “fortunately” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence, because the footage reportedly shows just how close this came to being a tragedy. A child. On a bike. On a sidewalk. The place where cars are not supposed to be.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the incident in a statement and noted that deputies launched a search for the driver shortly after receiving a report about what happened. In a strange twist, they did not have to look far.
How Deputies Found the Suspect
A woman in Spokane County is facing felony and misdemeanor charges after allegedly driving onto a sidewalk and trying to hit a juvenile on a dirt bike, then later showing up at a stranger’s home and attempting to break in. pic.twitter.com/cHlcziTnWz
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 5, 2026
While deputies were searching the area for the driver of the silver Ford Focus, a separate call came in about a burglary at a home roughly a mile away. When officers responded to that call, they found Clemente at the home with her car sitting right in the driveway. It is not every day that a suspect essentially delivers themselves to law enforcement through a coincidence, but here we are.
The sheriff’s office did not specify whether Clemente was connected to the burglary report or simply happened to be at the address. Either way, the detour led investigators directly to her.
The Story That Changed
When deputies made contact with Clemente, she initially denied that she had consumed any alcohol or drugs. That story did not hold up for long. According to the sheriff’s office, she later changed her account and admitted to drinking alcohol prior to the incident.
Changing your story mid-interview with law enforcement is rarely a winning strategy, and in this case it added fuel to an already serious situation. She was charged with first-degree assault (attempted), DUI, and first-degree criminal trespass. Those are significant charges, and first-degree assault alone carries major consequences under Washington state law.
On April 29, a judge ordered Clemente released on her own recognizance while she awaits her next court date. Attorney information for her was not immediately available.
One comment on X stated: “Boomers: Kids don’t go outside anymore. Also Boomers: I’ll murder you for slightly inconveniencing me.”
Another ranted: “Trying to run down a juvenile over a dirt bike dispute and then allegedly attempting to break into a stranger’s home is not ‘having a bad day.’ That’s completely unhinged behavior!”
What This Incident Reminds Us About Road Safety
Cases like this one are a stark reminder of how quickly a lapse in judgment behind the wheel can become life-altering, for everyone involved. A child riding a bike on a sidewalk should be about as safe as it gets. Sidewalks exist precisely because roads are dangerous. When vehicles end up on them, it signals a serious breakdown in driver behavior, whether due to impairment, distraction, or something else entirely.
Impaired driving remains one of the leading causes of traffic fatalities in the United States. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drunk driving claims thousands of lives every year. What often goes underreported is the number of near-misses like this one, incidents that do not end in tragedy but easily could have.
Surveillance cameras have increasingly become a critical tool in these situations. Without the footage in this case, the investigation could have looked very different. The fact that the incident was recorded and that witnesses were able to provide a description of the vehicle helped deputies locate the suspect in a matter of hours.
For communities, this case is also a reminder that reporting suspicious or dangerous driving behavior matters. A bystander’s call about a vehicle on the sidewalk set the entire investigation in motion.
What Comes Next
Clemente’s case will move through the Washington state court system. First-degree assault charges in Washington are classified as a class A felony, which carries serious potential penalties. The DUI charge adds another layer of legal exposure. Combined with the criminal trespass charge, she is facing a significant legal battle ahead.
The child in this incident walked away unharmed, which is the most important outcome. But the broader community impact lingers. Parents, neighbors, and local advocates will likely be watching how this case is handled, both as a measure of accountability and as a signal about how seriously incidents involving children and impaired driving are treated under the law.