The husband of a Pasco murder suspect was arrested Tuesday in California for allegedly trying to help kill his mother-in-law last year.

Todd Stuart, 48, was arrested for first-degree attempted murder while on the deck of a decommissioned aircraft carrier in the San Francisco Bay, said Deputy Joe Palmer, public affairs officer with the U.S. Marshals Service in Northern California.

Palmer told the Herald that Pasco police detectives flew down to the Bay Area to look for Stuart and help in his capture. Oakland police also assisted marshals.

Stuart reportedly was living and working on the USS Hornet, which is now a public museum in permanent dock in Alameda, near Oakland.

Stuart's wife, Tashia, has been in the Franklin County jail since March after allegedly shooting her mother, Judy Hebert, in the chest.

Hebert, 58, was found dead March 3 in her west Pasco home.

The mother and daughter had fought over a $300 withdrawal that Tashia Stuart made from Hebert's account without permission, court documents said.

Tashia Stuart, 38, is charged in Franklin County Superior Court with first-degree murder with aggravating circumstances.

Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant would only confirm Todd Stuart's arrest to the Herald, saying additional details would be released today.

It's not clear what allegations have been made against Stuart to support the attempted murder charge.

Tashia and Todd Stuart and their 7-year-old daughter moved to the Tri-Cities to live with Hebert in January 2011, reportedly because of financial issues. Todd Stuart apparently left the house three days before Hebert's death, court documents said.

Hebert's ex-husband told Pasco detectives that a week before her death, Hebert told him that she believed her daughter and Todd Stuart had been swapping out her prescription medications, documents said.

She was taking pills for some injuries and suddenly was "feeling quite drowsy" after taking the pills they were giving her, documents said.

Rolfe Hebert, who remained good friends with Judy and said he talked to her on the phone three or four times a week, also said his ex-wife said she started paying attention to the pills and saw they were different than what she had been taking and words on the pills were being scratched off, document said.

Judy Hebert also told Rolfe that she was keeping notes on what Tashia and Todd Stuart were doing and keeping the information in her safe, documents said.

Rolfe Hebert told police that his daughter had called him about two weeks before the incident to get the safe combination so she could access Judy Hebert's personal documents.

Rolfe Hebert said he refused to give his daughter the safe combination, claiming he did not know it, even though he did, documents said.

He said Tashia Stuart called him two more times and said, "Mom had told her everything in the safe was hers if she died," documents said.

Tashia Stuart's case has been on hold since July when her mental competency was questioned, and she was sent to Eastern State Hospital for evaluation. She is expected in court Friday for a review hearing.

Tashia Stuart's defense attorneys have said they plan to argue she acted in self-defense. Stuart claims she shot her mother after Hebert came at her with an ax, court documents said.

-- Paula Horton: 582-1556; phorton@tricityherald.com