Courts. (Credit: Flickr/Creative Commons)
The incident occurred on Shaw Avenue in November.
All charges – including felony strangulation – were dismissed at a preliminary hearing this month for a Lansdale woman accused of strangling another person and hitting them over the head with a can of hairspray during an argument.
Jacqueline Patricia Mease, 59, of Shaw Avenue, was free on $25,000 unsecured bail ahead of her Dec. 18 hearing. She was also charged Nov. 19 by Lansdale Police with misdemeanor charges of possessing an instrument of crime, simple assault, and reckless endangerment, according to charging documents.
On Nov 19, at 10:25 a.m., officers and VMSC Emergency Medical Services were dispatched for a fight at a residence. There, the victim told police they were cleaning the basement, when Mease took the can of cleaner from the victim because she thought they were huffing it, police said.
Mease took the cleaner upstairs and the victim followed, arguing as they went, authorities said. Mease went into a bedroom, where she grabbed a can of hairspray and allegedly began hitting the victim in the head several times, per the complaint.
Police allege Mease then grabbed the victim by the neck with both hands and pinned them against the wall for several seconds, nearly cutting off the airway. Mease let go of the victim, but then grabbed the victim’s cast from a broken forearm, police said.
The victim was able to leave the bedroom and call police. Upon arrival, authorities saw a laceration on the victim’s head, blood on their arms and hands, and red marks around their neck, police said. VMSC evaluated the victim and took them to Lansdale Hospital.
Mease told police she heard the victim gasping for air in the basement, and went down to check on the situation, according to the affidavit. She found the victim huffing the can of cleaner, took it from them, and began arguing with the victim, police said. Mease told authorities the victim threw something at her door, then the victim entered the room with a can of hairspray, and thinking she would be attacked, pushed the victim into a wall, per the complaint.
Police said Mease admitted to hitting the victim in the head several times with the hairspray and to choking the victim against the wall.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
