An 84-year-old Kennedy Heights woman is being held without bond at the Hamilton County Justice Center, accused of stabbing a man in the chest on Halloween. Court records identify her as Laverne Smith, and she faces one count of felonious assault in connection with the incident.
Cincinnati police allege Smith stabbed the victim with a large kitchen knife inside a vehicle in the 5500 block of Lester Road in Pleasant Ridge, according to FOX19. The outlet, citing court records, reports the victim suffered a chest wound in the attack. Smith was scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. Wednesday, though no outcome from that hearing has been reported.
What the Charge Could Mean
The single count against Smith is felonious assault. Under an authenticated version of Ohio Revised Code Section 2903.11, felonious assault is generally classified as a felony of the second degree. It is a felony of the first degree when the victim is a peace officer or a BCI investigator. That statutory excerpt does not indicate how it might apply to Smith's specific case or what penalty, if any, she could ultimately face.
A Violent Halloween Weekend Citywide
Smith's case surfaced the same week Cincinnati police detailed a turbulent Halloween weekend across the city. Police said 44 people were arrested citywide over the weekend in connection with a shooting and other incidents, including assaults on two police officers, per the same timeline reported by Cincinnati.com. Officers and investigators also looked into a stabbing during the weekend that left one person hospitalized with injuries described as non-life-threatening.
Beyond the charge, the chest wound, and her scheduled court date, little else about the case has been made public. The identity of the man Smith is accused of stabbing, the nature of any relationship between them, and what may have led to the confrontation inside the vehicle on Lester Road have not been disclosed in the reporting so far.
