A woman from Izard County is facing charges after an altercation that occurred on August 27.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Sergeant Mike Smith with the Izard County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a third party complainant who advised that her daughter, 36-year-old Vanessa Rigsbee, had been in a physical altercation with a 14-year-old male juvenile family member.
After arriving at the location of the minor, Sgt. Smith found a distinct line around the front and sides of the juvenile’s neck, and there were marks around his neck to his shoulder blade area.
There was also an abrasion to his left shoulder.
After the minor was interviewed, he stated that while in the same vehicle parked in front of the Melbourne Laundromat, and that is when the verbal argument started between him and Rigsbee.
The probable cause affidavit also stated that the minor was in the rear seat of a two-door car and Rigsbee was seated in the front seat.
The minor refused to give Rigsbee his cell phone, when she replied “don’t you make me come back there”, then climbed in the back seat, attempted to grab his neck while screaming at him. When the victim attempted to leave the car, she grabbed his shirt and attempted to pull him back into the car, this made it extremely hard for the minor to breathe.
After breaking free from Rigsbee, he ran across the parking lot, then stated that everything turned dark, fell down, and began having an asthma attack.
Vanessa Rigsbee said in an interview with an investigator that she did grab the victim’s shirt, but when she went to the back of the car, she was trying to calm him, and he “flipped out”.
She also claimed that the minor neither lost consciousness nor passed out.
A witness was interviewed, it was stated that both the victim and suspect were “acting like fools”, but the victim did attempt to exit the vehicle and was held for around one minute with his shirt around his neck, broke loose, and later collapsed in the parking lot.
The witness also stated that while the victim was having the breathing issue, Rigsbee remained in the car yelling.
Rigsbee is now facing charges of felony aggravated assault against a family or household member, and felony endangering the welfare of a minor.
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