Man assaults sister over butter dispute

A 67-year-old man apparently punched his sister in the shoulder Thursday after he accused her of stealing butter from their mother, the Seattle police reported.

The man denies hitting his sister, 61, around 1 p.m. at the family house in the 12000 block of Burke Avenue North.

The sister called police and told the officer sent to investigate that she was there to take her mother to a doctor's appointment.

Only the mother and brother live at the house. The siblings have had problems in the past, the report said. But those problems were not included in the report.

After the sister went to the basement Thursday to check on the freezer, she and her brother started arguing.

The brother told the officer that he believes his sister is stealing money and items each time she visits. He added that his sister went to the basement and rummaged through his property.

She apparently became "agitated" and pushed him, he told police. He finally pushed her away.

"She then told him she was calling the police and he would go to jail," the report said. " ... The mother of the two siblings did not see any of the incidents."

The report did not indicate whether anyone was arrested.