A 69-year-old woman staging a solo banner-drop protest on the Loop 336 over I-45 overpass in Montgomery County, Texas, was seriously injured Thursday after a confrontation that witnesses say turned violent in seconds. The protester was knocked down between concrete barriers, and a nearby Conroe police officer rushed in to break up the attack. She was later diagnosed with a fractured nose and a concussion.
According to WTSP, the victim identified herself as Patty Anderson, 69. Police arrested 40-year-old Christina Michelle Hiller at the scene. Authorities say Hiller is charged in Montgomery County with injury to the elderly with serious bodily harm. Local law enforcement told reporters that Hiller was already known to them and described her as homeless and as someone with mental-health issues. The station reports that Anderson was knocked to the ground as she tried to unfurl her protest banner on the overpass.
Anderson told WTSP that the attack was sudden and vicious enough that she thought she might not survive. "I feared I would have been beaten to death" without the officer stepping in, she said. Anderson recalled being pummelled, watching blood drip as she lay between the concrete barriers. She added that she is "in the process of healing" and feels "pretty normal inside." Medical reports cited by the outlet say she suffered fractures in her nose along with a concussion.
How Texas Treats Injury To Elderly Victims
Under Texas law, the charge Hiller faces falls under the section of the Texas Penal Code that covers injury to a child, elderly individual, or disabled individual, which includes causing serious bodily injury to a person 65 or older. If prosecutors can prove that serious bodily injury was caused to an elderly person, the offense is treated as a first-degree felony and can carry significant prison time.
As outlined in the Texas Penal Code and summarized by Justia, a first-degree felony in Texas is punishable by 5 to 99 years or life in prison and may also include a fine.
Officer’s Quick Move Ends Beating As Case Heads To Prosecutors
Hiller was taken into custody at the scene and now faces the felony charge, while prosecutors review the investigation and decide whether to pursue any additional counts. Anderson says she is deeply grateful to the Conroe officer who pulled Hiller away and stopped the attack. For now, she is focused on recovering as investigators and local courts determine what comes next in the case.
