She Scratched the Deputy: New Charge against 'Jane Doe'

A new criminal complaint against Fridley's "Jane Doe" appears to give the backstory to her appearance in court on Sept. 26, 2012 in her words. 

The allegation that she scratched a jailer as he tried to handcuff her that day is the latest charge against the woman now known as Tammy Thomas. Her local legal odyssey began with her July 9, 2012 arrest in a vacant Fridley house where police said she had set up housekeeping.

Her refusal to identify herself or to cooperate with fingerprinting, a booking photo or a psychological examination led to a record stay in a holding cell and an unusual pretrial transfer from jail to a state mental hospital.

According to the fourth-degree assault charge filed Wednesday (click on the first PDF thumbnail to see the full criminal complaint):

On September 26, 2012, TAMMY ANQUINETTE THOMAS (DOB: 7/5/75), the defendant herein, was incarcerated in the Anoka County Jail in lieu of bail on felony charges. The defendant was ordered to appear in court for a Rule 20 hearing, but was refusing to go voluntarily go to court. Jail staff attempted to secure the defendant in handcuffs in order to bring her to court. As they did, the defendant began resisting. Detention Deputy Mulek was standing behind the defendant holding onto her right arm in an attempt to handcuff her. The defendant raised her right arm, reached back toward Detention Deputy Mulek's head, and scratched Detention Deputy Mulek's face and neck with her fingernail. The scratch resulted in visible marks on Detention Deputy Mulek's face.

Thomas is now out of the Anoka County Jail following a judge's order moving her to the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter for 60 days. The order came at a Nov. 5 hearing, as reported by the Star Tribune, but is dated more than a week later, on Nov. 14. (Click on second PDF thumbnail to read the order.) She remained in jail for at least six more days, appearing on the Anoka County Jail inmate roster on Nov. 20. But by Nov. 21, the day before Thanksgiving, she was no longer listed.

Cmdr. Paul Sommer of the Anoka County Sheriff's said he couldn't comment on inmate movements. Minnesota Department of Public Health spokesperson Karen Smigielski in an email also said she could not confirm details about Thomas:

Whether an individual has been admitted to a state-operated health facility is protected health information so the department cannot comment on specific individuals. DHS complies with court orders for performing Rule 20 mental health examinations. Generally, in-patient Rule 20 examinations are conducted at a unit on the campus of the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center.

Assistant Anoka County Attorney Justin Collins said Thursday he hadn't waited for Thomas to leave Anoka County Jail to file the assault charge. The two months between the alleged incident and the complaint was simply the "normal course of events," he said.

The charge comes under a Minnesota statute specifically concerning assaults on employees of correctional facilities, Collins said. It carries the possibility of a consecutive sentence in addition to any sentence Thomas might receive for the other charges she faces, he added.

Since landing in jail, Thomas has faced a series of charges include trespassing, ID theft and contempt of court.