By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
TAYLOR – A verbal argument at a store earned a local woman an arrest for assault after she she followed the women to the parking lot and sprayed one with chemical deterrent.
Two women who were shopping at Dollar General, 26001 Eureka, the afternoon of Oct. 23 said that when they were inside the store they spotted a women with whom they had recently had a negative interaction.
A verbal altercation ensued, during which the two women saw the third woman holding chemical deterrent spray in her hand.
In an attempt to curtail the argument, the two women said they left the store, but the other woman followed them into the parking lot, and sprayed one of the women in the face with the hand-held chemical deterrent. They said she then went to a nearby vehicle and drove off in an unknown direction.
Police officers responding to the scene noticed the victim’s face was red, and her eyes were watering and showed signs of irritation. She told the officers the woman’s first name, and where she lived, and said she wishes to press charges against the woman.
When officers went to her residence, a man said she was not there, and allowed the residence to be searched.
Officers returned three hours later to find the woman outside, sitting on the steps. She verbally identified herself, and said that once outside the store, the women approached her, which made her decide to use the spray.
She was arrested, checked for weapons and handcuffed. Arrangements were made for a minor child in her care to be with another person for the night. She was then taken to the police station for processing. She was charged with aggravated and felonious assault of a non-family member with a weapon.
(Sue Suchyta can be reached at [email protected].)