San Rafael Man, 74, Accused of Assaulting Tenant, Trying to Steal Her Clothes in Rent Dispute

A 74-year-old San Rafael man was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of assaulting a female tenant and trying to steal her clothes in the midst of a dispute over rent, according to the Central Marin Police Authority.

Graham McPhail, a resident of San Rafael, was arrested at a multi-unit building on Edison Ave. in Corte Madera Tuesday afternoon after an incident that was the latest in a series of calls police have received related to dustups between the landlord and tenant, CMPA Sgt. Hamid Khalili said. 

The tenant called police to the multi-unit building on Edison Ave. on Tuesday, saying she'd been talking to her landlord on the phone when he told her, "If you don't pay the rent by Friday, I will beat the s*** out of you and your kids," according to police. 

Before a Central Marin police officer responded to the scene, the tenant called again to report the landlord had just physically assaulted her and was now trying to steal her clothes from the building's laundry room. Police were told that the landlord was outside putting the woman's clothes in his car while she had locked herself inside the laundry room. 

Police went to the scene and arrested McPhail on suspicion of assault and battery and petty theft. He was cited at the scene and released.