Landlord arrested for alleged knife threat against tenant 

A landlord was arrested on Sunday, Feb. 16, after allegedly threatening his tenant with a knife during a dispute over stolen money, according to a Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) police report.

A TCSO deputy responded to a call in the 100 block of 171st Avenue SE just after 4 p.m.  

The caller, a tenant, reported his landlord, identified as Steven Ippisch, accused him of theft and pressed a knife against his throat. 

Upon arrival, the deputy contacted Ippisch, who was cooperative and searched for weapons, though none were found.  

The landlord claimed he was missing $100 from his wallet and suspected the tenant.  

The tenant, however, stated that Ippisch confronted him inside the main house, demanded he empty his pockets and were found empty.  

The landlord followed the tenant outside on the porch, where he allegedly pressed a knife to his throat.  

The deputy observed two small red marks under the tenant’s chin, consistent with his claim. 

“They appeared to be fresh and had what appeared to wood shaving like skin around it, which would be consistent with a knife being there,” TCSO stated in the police report. 

When interrogated, the suspect claimed he saw in the security footage that his tenant went inside his room but upon checking the video, the responding deputy saw the tenant “gets to the hallway that leads to the front door, he stops and looks into Steven’s room, does not enter, and walks out of the house.” 

The suspect initially denied having a knife, but security footage contradicted his statement.  

While no footage showed him pressing the knife against the tenant’s throat, a video revealed that after the argument, the landlord was seen holding a knife as he walked after his tenant.  

Based on the physical evidence and video footages, deputies arrested the landlord for second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and harassment. He was booked into Thurston County Jail.