'Lady of Lee Lake' arrested after attempted assault
Bartlesville Police took a homeless woman into custody Tuesday after she aggressively approached another woman near the Pathfinder Parkway armed with a knife and spear.
Police were called after the alleged assaul, which ended in a police standoff. Police used less-than-lethal force to end it.
"If I had sneezed, it would have got me in the neck; it was that close," said the victim, who asked to remain anonymous.
According to the victim, she was playing disc golf when a woman dressed in all black jumped out of the woods and pointed a knife at her.
The victim fled the scene and immediately called 911. The victim was unhurt but severely shaken by the incident.
Police attempted to de-escalate the situation, but the woman was uncooperative and rushed at the police multiple times with her weapon.
The officers explained that they didn't want to hurt her and tried repeatedly negotiating with her for over 30 minutes.
Chief Tracey Roles said the suspect was in a thick woody area and refused to comply with officers. He said it was a difficult situation because there were no straightforward ways to remove her.
At one point, the woman suddenly exited the woody area and began to flee from Corporal Brad Dunkle, Sgt. Travis Martinez, Sgt. Tyler Detrich and Chief Roles. The officers used tasers and bean bag rounds to take control of the situation and disarm the suspect.
"The situation was ultra tense and could have easily resulted in a much different outcome. The involved officers showed great restraint, patience and respect during the situation," Roles said. "I am super proud of the officers' actions during this situation. Their actions set an example for others in regards to remaining calm during a highly tense situation."
The woman was taken to the Ascension St. John Jane Phillips hospital by the BDP to undergo a psychological evaluation.
A Pattern of Escalation
During the construction of the disc golf course by Lee Lake, the homeless woman was discovered living near where the 10th hole of the course would be located.
The disc golf community had attempted to offer her clothing, food and money, but all offers had been thrown back at them.
Over the past few months, run-ins became more common with the woman, dubbed the "Lady of Lee Lake."
One disc golfer said the woman "would mostly just sit and watch us, but one time, she did poke my friend as we were playing."
In another incident, the woman allegedly pulled a knife on a pair of disc golfers who declined to file a report because they felt they had invaded her space and she was merely defending it.
In response to complaints, Bartlesville police assigned an officer to patrol the Pathfinder Parkway at the beginning of September.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: 'Lady of Lee Lake' arrested after attempted assault
