A Centralia woman was arrested Sunday and charged Monday in Lewis County Superior Court with first- and second-degree malicious mischief and a violation of a court order after allegedly smashing the windshield of a neighbor’s vehicle and spitting in the back of the patrol vehicle.
Zina Kurtzbein, 29, was detained after Centralia police received a complaint that a white female with bright red hair wearing a tank top and jeans had smashed the windshield of a neighbor’s vehicle, according to charging documents filed in Lewis County Superior Court. There was also damage to the roof of the vehicle.
Officers located the suspect in the area of North Tower Avenue at the B&D Market as the reporting party had sent a photo of the suspect they obtained from their Ring camera, according to court documents. Damage to the vehicle was estimated to be greater than $750.
According to court documents, Kurtzbein refused to speak with officers. While in the back of the patrol vehicle, Kurtzbein began to spit, and she spit so much that there was “a pool of phlegm” in the patrol vehicle by the time they arrived at the jail, according to court documents. The patrol vehicle had to be taken out of service for approximately 25 minutes so it could be disinfected.
Additionally, police discovered there was a valid protection order in place that prevented Kurtzbein from being within 1,000 feet of her mother’s residence. The location of the damaged vehicle was within the 1,000-foot restriction, according to court documents.
When this detail was brought up in Kurtzbein’s preliminary hearing Monday, she repeatedly denied that the victim in the matter was her mother. Judge Joely Yeager told Kurtzbein after the third denial that another interruption would conclude the hearing and that Kurtzbein would be held in contempt and sit in custody for at least 30 days without any credit for those days served. Defense Attorney Rachael Tiller said she believes “it will be deemed later that it is not her mother.”
Kurtzbein has three pending matters in Centralia Municipal Court for third-degree malicious mischief and two violations of protection. She has had 12 warrants issued in her matters, according to court documents. Along with her protection order from her mother and three minor children, she also has a protection order from a “current or former spouse or domestic partner,” issued in December of 2023 and active through Dec. 11, 2025.
Bail was set at $10,000 cash or bond by Yeager, granting the prosecution’s request. Yeager cited concerns that Kurtzbein could follow court orders based on her history and her behavior in court Monday.
First-degree malicious mischief, a class B felony, warrants a maximum punishment of up to 10 years prison time and a $20,000 fine, while malicious mischief in the second degree, a class C felony, has a maximum punishment of five years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.
Kurtzbein’s arraignment is scheduled for July 10.
