Harrisburg Police investigated a home invasion Monday afternoon that involved manhandling, bug spraying and a pursuit in the area of the Harrisburg Township Park.
The incident resulted in the arrests of:
Kently James Nowakowski, 20, 1018 Dorris St., Harrisburg 4 p.m. Jan. 13 on charges of battery, home invasion, mob action and three counts of failure to appear.
Jessica Marie Doherty, 20, 527 Wilson St., Harrisburg 4:15 p.m. Jan. 13 on charges of home invasion and mob action.
Kristen Marie Lewis, 21, 3275 Lewis Road, Harrisburg 5:50 p.m. Jan. 13 on charges of home invasion and mob action. She was also cited on a charge of obstructing justice and was given a notice to appear.
They awaited court appearances for setting bond Tuesday afternoon.
Police also cited Erica B. May, 26, Omaha, 4 p.m. Jan. 13 on a charge of obstructing justice. She was given a notice to appear and released before the investigation revealed she should also have been detained on charges of home invasion, mob action and unlawful use of a weapon. Police are pursuing a warrant arrest against May. A vital piece of evidence used in recommending charges against May was a video on Doherty's mobile phone of May spraying bug spray in the face of Eric Grotberg who was being held on the ground by Nowakowski, according to Harrisburg Police Office Bobby Ragsdale.
The incident began with a call reporting Nowakowski had broken into a trailer at 1340 W. Robinson St. Trailer C and was beating on a man there, later revealed to be Grotberg. The call came from a woman at the residence who had locked herself in the bedroom at the time of the break-in, Ragsdale said.
Shortly after dispatching the police, Saline County Central Dispatch notified police the people at the trailer had left the scene in a black Dodge Stratus.
Various police agencies combed the area and Ragsdale spotted a car matching the description in the area of Dennison Street. Ragsdale soon after initiated a stop, pursuing the car on streets and alleys to the area of a trailer park near Coolidge and Dennison streets.
Officers spoke to the women in the car and Ragsdale spotted someone's feet running beneath the fence around the trailer park, he said.
Officers searched trailers and someone there said they had seen someone exit the car and run into Trailer 2, Ragsdale said.
Ragsdale and Chief Deputy David Morris told the person at the trailer to tell Nowakowski to come out of the trailer. Officers eventually entered the trailer and took Nowakowski into custody.
Officers spoke to Grotberg who said the group had called and said they were coming for him and he locked the door and armed himself the best he could against an attack.
"Grotberg said the only thing he had to defend himself was bug spray," Ragsdale said.
When the door burst open Grotberg sprayed to ward the group away, but was overpowered, held down by Nowakowski and his own bug spray sprayed in his face by May while Doherty took video of it on her phone, Ragsdale said.
