Butler County mother accused of trying to set home on fire with kids inside
A woman in Butler County is accused of trying to set her home on fire while she and two of her children were inside.
"I was scared for the children," neighbor David Wiskeman said.
He lives next door to Tanya Richter on North Chestnut Street. He called 911 on Saturday. He said he didn't know what was happening until Richter's 12-year-old son came over.
According to court documents, Richter kicked her son out of the home when he witnessed her lighting matches and towels on fire.
"He had come back and said, 'My mother is setting the house on fire.'" Wiskeman said. "I could hear her screaming, and that was not her demeanor. She was always so nice."
Wiskeman said Richter is a mother of four, with her oldest being 16 years old and the youngest being 12 years old.
Investigators say when they entered the home, there was visible smoke, and it smelled like something was burning. They claim to have found the 36-year-old woman barricaded in the attic. The two little girls were allegedly in the corner of the room, screaming and crying.
"It should not have happened," Wiskeman said.
While one officer took the girls out of the home safely, Richter allegedly kicked and bit officers while they were trying to put her in handcuffs. She was eventually brought out.
"It was a shame those children saw their mother being taken outta there like that," Wiskeman said.
"It was the first time in my life I've ever seen somebody that was completely sponged out," he added. "She was like a zombie."
Right now, Richter is in the Butler County Jail.
Neighbors said Child & Youth Services is helping the younger children while the older children are with family.
