The woman locked up for abandoning her daughter at the Evans Publix this week is now facing a felony charge after flooding her cell and injuring two Columbia County jailers, including one who suffered a serious head injury.
Samantha Williams, 36, stuffed a blanket into her toilet early Wednesday and flooded the cell, leaving water all over the area, sheriff’s Maj. Steve Morris said. When four jailers tried to get her out of the cell, Williams charged at them and fought them.
In the resulting chaos, Deputy Jailer Sabrina Dodgen was knocked to the floor. She hit her head, knocking the jailer unconscious. Deputy Dodgen was taken to Doctor’s Hospital with a serious head injury. She continued to recover Thursday with “conditions improving,” Maj. Morris sad.
Sgt. Reggie Crike also slipped during the struggle with Williams, suffering an ankle injury.
Williams had remained in jail Wednesday unable to make a $1,100 bond on a reckless conduct charge in the Publix case. She now is being held without bond on a charge of aggravated battery, a felony.
Authorities say the Aiken County mother left her 12-year-old daughter at the Evans Publix on Monday afternoon. She was found just before midnight Monday across the street at a Parker’s Kitchen, where she was arrested, authorities said.
The daughter came to a Publix manager looking for her mom and said Williams had told her to sit and that someone was “trying to kill her,” the report says. Authorities later spoke to the grandmother, Audrey Young, who said Williams does not use drugs or have any mental conditions, to her knowledge.
