Woman ruled competent to proceed in hospital worker assault case
Jun. 6—The Free Press
MANKATO — A court-ordered examination deemed a Mankato woman competent to proceed in a case in which she was accused of assaulting a local hospital worker.
Emily Jennifer Spooner, 21, was charged with felony and misdemeanor assault in Blue Earth County District Court on Jan. 6.
The charges came after she was accused of biting a nurse's fingertip at Mayo Clinic Health System's hospital in Mankato, according to a criminal complaint. The complaint states she reportedly bit and scratched another nurse who tried to restrain her.
Judge Kristine A. Weeks ordered a competency evaluation on Spooner in on April 3 and findings were made public June 2. The court records show an examiner found Spooner had multiple substance-use and mental health disorder diagnoses but had "sufficient understanding of the charges," the court system and process.
Spooner indicated at one point that she had a "really bad episode" of psychosis during the time of the incident but didn't remember the alleged offenses.
The next court hearing in Spooner's case is set for Sept. 5.
Follow Brian Arola @BrianArola
Follow Brian Arola @BrianArola
