Taja Haywood confers with Allen County Public Defender Kenneth Sturgill following her court hearing Tuesday.
J Swygart | The Lima News
LIMA — A Lima woman has been found competent to stand trial for her alleged attack earlier this year of a member of the Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center police force.
Taja Haywood, 22, was indicted in July on a first-degree felony charge of felonious assault for the incident which court records show left the officer with stitches near one of his eyes.
According to court records, Lima police responded to the hospital on June 2 in reference to an incident during which Haywood allegedly struck hospital police officer Matthew Durke in the face as he was conducting a search for weapons.
Haywood was brought to the hospital after telling another person she was going to “dig up a gun and shoot herself,”court documents show.
While being checked into the hospital Durke attempted to use a hand-held metal detector, which indicated metal in Haywood’s front pocket. The woman reportedly pulled items from her pocket and threw them in a fit of anger and an emergency room staffer attempted to calm Haywood she struck Durke in the face. The officer was treated for a cut near his left eye that required four stitches.
In August a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity was entered on Haywood’s behalf and a request for a mental evaluation was requested by the Allen County Public Defenders Office.
That evaluation was performed at the Forensic Psychiatry Center for Western Ohio in Dayton and it was determined that Haywood is able to assist in her own defense and is competent to stand trial.
Allen County Public Defender Kenneth Sturgill said a written motion to modify Haywood’s bond will be filed in the near future. Judge Jeffrey Reed said a trial date will be scheduled at the time of the bond hearing.
