A Henderson woman who was arrested after a former spouse told police they were afraid she intended to commit “suicide by cop” or carry out a mass shooting faced a judge on Wednesday.
Allison Howlett was arraigned on 35 felony counts, including assault constituting domestic violence with use of a deadly weapon, grand larceny of a motor vehicle, 21 counts of grand larceny of a firearm and 12 counts of manufacturing or disposing of a short-barreled rifle, according to Henderson Justice Court online records.
Howlett, 36, appeared over video call and waived the reading of her criminal complaint. Howlett told Justice of the Peace Barbara Schifalacqua she understood the charges against her and was appointed a public defender.
Howlett was arrested Saturday at a parking garage near Sunset Station. Police said at a news conference Tuesday that authorities recovered 24 guns as well as hundreds of rounds of ammunition, from the vehicle Howlett was in at the time of her arrest.
At a press conference Tuesday, Henderson Police Chief Reggie Rader said Howlett’s arrest came after her former spouse told 911 Saturday morning Howlett had stolen her car and the vehicle held several firearms. The caller said Howlett intended to either commit “suicide by cop” or a carry out a mass shooting, according to Rader.
Officers later took Howlett into custody in the parking garage at Sunset Station, near Warm Springs Road and Stephanie Street, Rader said. Police said Tuesday that investigators recovered an additional 30 guns from Howlett’s home in Henderson.
Schifalacqua kept Howlett’s bail at $500,000 with high-level electronic monitoring. Schifalacqua also ordered Howlett to avoid weapons and to stay away from the domestic violence victim.
Howlett’s preliminary hearing was scheduled for July 15.
Howlett was still in custody at the Clark County Detention Center as of Wednesday morning, according to online jail records.
Jail records listed Howlett’s sex as male, and police officials at Tuesday’s briefing referred to Howlett Tuesday as male and female. Schifalacqua used she/her pronouns when talking to Howlett Wednesday.
Jail records showed Howlett also faced charges of making a threat regarding an act of terror and resisting a public officer with a firearm, though prosecutors did not say if they are still pursuing those charges.
The Clark County District Attorney’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.
If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, help is available 24/7 by calling or texting the Lifeline network at 988. Live chat is available at 988lifeline.org.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X.
