Woman arrested after biting, punching PCH ER staff, security guard and city police officer
PRINCETON WV Jan 30, 2022 — A woman is facing multiple charges after an incident in the emergency room of Princeton Community Hospital where she attacked hospital staff and a city police officer after refusing to comply with the hospital’s mask guidelines.
According to a report by Senior Patrolman Earl D. Leftwich of the Princeton Police Department, Melissa Compton, 52, of Princeton, was charged with malicious wounding, battery, battery on a police officer and assault of a health care worker in connection with an incident that occurred Saturday, Jan. 22, in the emergency room of PCH.
The police department responded to the hospital in reference to a call about an irate visitor and an assault in progress on hospital personnel, Leftwich said in his criminal complaint.
Upon arrival the officers observed the woman wrestling on the floor with ER staff as well as a security guard bleeding from his nose, eye and finger. Several hospital employees were attempting to hold the woman down, Leftwich said in his report.
The officers then attempted to take custody of Compton when she then turned and bit Patrolman B.L. Charette on his right shoulder, causing an immediate wound. It was later learned she had also bitten the security guard’s finger at the hospital, the police department report added.
The officers were eventually able to remove Compton from the emergency room and into a parked police cruiser.
“Prior to arrival, the accused had been in a verbal argument with hospital staff regarding PCH policy,” the police department statement said. “During this argument, the accused leaped over her mother (whom was a patient in a hospital bed) and punched a staff member repeatedly in the face causing several lacerations and bleeding. The accused had also maimed one of the staff members finger by biting it.”
In the criminal complaint, the victim told Leftwich that while attempting to hold the woman’s hands, so she would quit hitting him, she put his right middle finger in her mouth and bit down maiming the appendage bringing blood. It was at that point the Princeton Police Department arrived on scene, Leftwich said.
Compton complained about the hospital’s visitation policy, and was not complying with the hospital’s mask guidelines, hospital employees told Leftwich. The report further stated Compton was “cursing hospital staff and yelling profusely.”
A witness told Leftwich that hospital staff asked Compton to quit verbally abusing staff members and to wear a mask, as according to the hospital’s guidelines.
“After this tirade, the witness stated she paged for security to show the uncontrollable suspect out of the hospital for the safety of the staff and patients,” Leftwich said in his report.
Following her arrest, Compton was transported to Southern Regional Jail pending arraignment on the charges, the press release said.
Compton was arraigned over the weekend before Mercer County Magistrate Keith Compton. She pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on a $20,000 cash or surety bond, according to magistrate court records. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for a later date.
bdtonline.com
