Two Ava women have been charged after a "family feud" boiled over on Thursday, reportedly resulting in injuries to both.
Sandra M. Bower, 40, and Erin P. Weir, 48, each face a charge of second-degree domestic assault and warrants have been issued for each; Bower's with a $500 cash bond and Weir's with a $750 cash bond.
The two are reportedly sisters-in-law.
On Thursday, the Douglas County Sheriff's Department was called by Weir advising Bower had attacked her and she was "bleeding everywhere." Cpl. James Nelson responded to the call, arriving at Weir's home, and noted the agency had responded to both of the women's homes several times. Court documents list addresses that appear to be two homes on the same property, or adjacent.
As he arrived, Nelson reported in a probable cause statement, he saw Weir standing in the middle of a county road with blood on her clothing. Weir rode with a second deputy, Joseph Dering, to the home where the incident reportedly happened, and Bower told Nelson she had gone to Weir's home to talk to her about "some issues," but she wasn't there.
when she returned to her own home, Bower said, she found Weir in the garage with Bower's husband and told Weir to leave. Bower reportedly struck Weir in the head with a glass water pipe commonly used for smoking marijuana, and Weir allegedly struck her three times with a beer bottle.
Nelson reported he saw several pieces of dark colored glass and the beer bottle lying on the garage floor, with two spots of blood on it, and seized the bottle for evidence. Bower also reportedly admitted she and Weir had been drinking, and when told medical personnel were on the way, said she was fine and just had some pieces of glass in her head from the assault.
Nelson noted in his report that Weir had been allowed to be at the residence previously but she had been told several times that day not to be there. Bower stated she wasn't going to tolerate the way Weir spoke to her and commented that "the family feud had been building for years and she lost her cool," Nelson added.
The two women were loaded into separate patrol vehicles in order to meet emergency medical technicians for medical evaluations, with Weir treated at the scene for a bleeding head wound and Bower found to have a small abrasion and swelling near her left eye. Both were placed on a 24-hour hold pending charges and evidentiary photos were taken of their injuries.
As of Tuesday afternoon, neither woman has secured legal representation, and future court appearances have yet to be scheduled, according to court documents.
The cases are being prosecuted by Douglas County Prosecutor Matthew Weatherman.
