US WOMAN ACCUSED OF CHEWING UP BACK SEAT OF POLICE CAR

An Idaho woman accused of chewing up the back seat of a police cruiser after being arrested in a pepper spray incident could face up to five years in prison if convicted of a felony charge linked to the damage, authorities said on Tuesday.

Staci Spence, 42, is expected to enter a plea in coming days to a charge of malicious injury to property tied to allegations she gnawed through the upholstery and foam cushioning of the back seat of a patrol vehicle, according to Bonner county sheriff's deputy Josh Florea.

He said deputies were called to a rural neighborhood outside the northern Idaho city of Sandpoint last week after a couple accused Spence, of nearby Colburn, of dousing them with pepper spray,

Officers seeking to arrest Spence for battery found her "highly intoxicated, kicking and fighting and screaming profanities," leading to additional misdemeanor charges of assaulting an officer and resisting arrest, Florea said.

Deputies learned of Spence's attack on their vehicle after driving her to the county detention facility, where she is jailed on $32,000 bond, he said.

Spence has been assigned a public defender, who declined comment on Tuesday.