Homeless woman charged with beating Jefferson woman with a water bottle in downtown Athens

A Jackson County woman was assaulted recently by a homeless woman in downtown Athens soon after she stopped at a busy intersection, according to Athens-Clarke police.

The assault occurred at about 9 p.m. March 21 at College Avenue and Clayton Street, when the 43-year-old Jefferson woman reported she was seated in her Jeep Wrangler when an unknown woman spit into her face.

The victim reported she parked the Jeep and exited to confront the woman, but she called police and returned to her vehicle when she saw the suspect approaching, according to the report released Tuesday.

The suspect, a 49-year-old woman known to the reporting officer as she frequented the downtown area, began punching the victim in the face with her fists and a metal water bottle filled with water, according to the report.

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Officers arrived and actually observed the assault so the suspect was immediately put in handcuffs. The suspect also insisted the other woman’s Jeep belonged to her. The reporting officer noted in his report that the suspect has made the same allegations upon seeing other Jeep Wranglers.

The officer reported the Jefferson woman “told me she was terrified when the subject started swinging the bottle and punching her.”

The assault was captured on a video and the officer located one witness, a hotdog stand worker, who said he saw the suspect hit the woman repeatedly.

The suspect, who still remained in jail Tuesday with bond set at $3,000, was charged with aggravated assault and simple battery.