Woman arrested for punching nurse in head

PARAGOULD, Ark. (KAIT) - A woman accused of punching a nurse in the head reportedly told Paragould police she “could not fight the urges to strike hospital staff.”

Greene County District Court Judge Daniel Stidham found probable cause to charge 21-year-old Nia Washington of St. Louis with second-degree battery following her arrest on Wednesday, Aug. 14.

According to court documents, officers were called to Arkansas Methodist Medical Center regarding an “unruly patient.”

Hospital staff told investigators that Washington “had attempted to punch a nurse but had only grazed her.”

The victim reportedly told police she only wanted to document the incident.

“Officers advised Washington that everyone was just trying to help her and did not want to have to incarcerate her,” the affidavit said. “Washington calmed down, and the officers left.”

Shortly after the police left, the affidavit said, “Washington walked out of her room and struck a seated nurse in the head.”

During a Mirandized interview following her arrest, Detective Lieutenant Robert Sexton said Washington “admitted to battering the nurse.”

“Washington advised she had medical issues and could not fight the urges to strike hospital staff,” Sexton stated in the court documents.

Washington is being held in the Greene County Detention Center on a $25,000 cash-only bond. The judge also ordered her to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and to have no contact with the victims.

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