PARAGOULD, Ark. — A Missouri woman is accused of twice striking a nurse this week in Paragould, and now she faces a felony charge.
On August 14, 2024, officers were dispatched to Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould in reference to an unruly patient, according to the probable cause affidavit. Officers arrived and were told the suspect had tried to punch a nurse but only grazed her. The initial victim said she just wanted to document the incident and did not want to have her arrested.
Officers reported they spoke to the suspect and said everyone was just trying to help her, reiterating that they did not want to incarcerate her. The suspect calmed down and the officers left.
A short time after the officers left, the affidavit says the suspect walked out of her room and struck a seated nurse in the head. Authorities returned and arrested the suspect. She waived her Miranda rights and admitted to battering the nurse, police reported. She also said she had medical issues and could not fight the urges to strike hospital staff.
Nia Washington, 21, of St. Louis, is being charged with second-degree battery, a Class D felony. Judge Dan Stidham set her bond at $25,000 cash-only and ordered a mental health evaluation.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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