Woman accused of attacking, macing downtown Missoula musicians

A woman is accused of attacking two downtown guitar players and using Mace on a third man over the weekend.

Madelein M. Owen, 35, is charged with one felony count of assault with a weapon. She’s also charged with two misdemeanors: assault causing bodily injury to another and criminal mischief.

Missoula police responded to a 911 call just after midnight on Friday for a reported assault near a downtown bar. Officers talked with a witness who was covered in Mace and in extreme pain, according to charging documents.

The witness said he was sitting on the sidewalk next to a duo playing guitar when a woman he didn’t know approached him, spraying him, unprovoked, with gel Mace, the case affidavit alleged. 

One of the guitar players confirmed they were outside playing their instruments when the woman took issue with his guitar playing, according to charging documents. She is accused of yelling at the guitar player, leaving the area and subsequently returning and throwing cayenne pepper in the direction of the musicians, damaging their guitar cases. The second guitarist corroborated the story, and a fourth witness reported the woman had shoved the witness while they were listening to the musicians. 

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