Springfield officer draws gun, orders woman to drop knife

A Springfield police officer drew his gun, according to court documents, and yelled at a woman with a knife to drop the gun as she sprinted toward a man.

“(Kelsey) Williams was less than 2 feet from the victim and the thumb of the blade was only inches from touching the front of her abdomen when she acknowledged my commands,” a police officer wrote in a probable cause statement filed. against Williams.

Kelsey Mariam Williams, 33, of Springfield, was charged Tuesday, June 11, with first-degree assault, a class B felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison upon conviction.

The incident that led to Williams' arrest occurred on June 10 around 1:45 p.m. The next day, she was in the Greene County Jail on $25,000 bond.

The charge was filed despite the fact that the man identified as the victim in court documents told police that Williams did not try to stab him.

Although the nature of the accusation suggests that Williams knew the man, police reports, by law, are redacted so that the victims' names and their relationships with the suspects are not made public.

Williams told police that, according to court records, she hid the knife in her bra and that it was the man's knife and he wanted it back.

Apparently the incident was caught on camera. Court documents do not explain where the video came from.

The officer wrote: “Based on Williams' actions and after observing video evidence, I believe she would have caused bodily harm and injury to the victim with the deadly weapon if she had not been stopped by the officer. [Brad] Butcher. »