BEDFORD – A Bedford woman was arrested on a warrant on a charge of disorderly conduct.
The incident happened during the early morning hours of Monday, May 24th. A Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department deputy was informed of a battery in the jail involving two female inmates.
The deputy contacted the jail staff and interviewed the inmates who were involved including 50-year-old Julie Johnson. Johnson was accused of pulling another female inmate’s hair out. The hair was given to the deputy in a plastic evidence bag.
Johnson and the other female inmate were both incarcerated in the C block of the Lawrence County Jail. The women shared a cell together. Apparently tension has existed and began to build between the two female inmates during the time they have shared a cell.
The assaulted woman told the deputy that Johnson “thinks she runs the block and snores loudly.”
The two women exchanged words around the time the cell doors were opened. Johnson does not agree with her cell mates, sleeping pattern. The cell mate stays up through out the night and sleeps most of the day.
According to the assaulted female, Johnson grabbed her by the hair and clawed her on the hand while Johnson “was running her mouth”. The assaulted female had red marks on her neck and eye from where Johnson grabbed her. The tuft of hair was allegedly pulled out of the woman’s scalp by Johnson during the altercation. The assaulted inmate told the deputy she had to defend herself to get Johnson off of her.
The intercom button was eventually pressed to alert the jail staff of the situation.
Both women were placed in different cells, and the entire block was locked down.
The assaulted inmate signed a battery affidavit against Johnson as a result of the incidents saying Johnson reportedly started the altercation.
The deputy then spoke to Johnson. She told the officer the other female inmate “has a problem with her”.
Johnson reported the two exchanged words about Johnson snoring and the other female staying up all night.
Johnson told the deputy the other inmate started the altercation and came at her. Johnson claimed she was pushed in the chest area. Johnson stated the other inmate pushed her head down into her chest, making it hard for her to breathe. Johnson claimed the inmate repeated the accost a second time.
Johnson admitted she grabbed the other woman by the hair because the other female was swinging at her. Johnson thought her left pinky finger was broken from where she grabbed the woman’s hair. The deputy said Johnson’s fingernail had been torn off during the altercation.
