Columbus woman attacked news reporter after approaching her about a story, police say
A woman was accused of attacking a news reporter early Monday after approaching her about writing a story on her daughter, according to testimony Wednesday in Columbus Recorder’s Court.
Lakisha Hone, 39, faces two counts of simple battery and one count of disorderly conduct. She was ordered held in the Muscogee County Jail under bonds totaling $500 on the battery charges. She was sentenced to five days on the other charge.
Judge Julius Hunter bound the case over to Superior Court and ordered that Hone be mentally evaluated by the county physician. She was also banned from WTVM.
Columbus police were called to the WTVM news station at 1909 Wynnton Road on Monday to investigate an assault.
Hone visited the news station to speak with an employee about doing a story on her 10-year-old daughter, who she said was missing. She spoke with a news reporter in the lobby about her daughter and handed her a photo of her child.
The reporter asked her if she filed a police report and the woman allegedly became aggressive. She asked the reporter to return the photo if she wasn’t going to help, authorities said.
Officials said that’s when Hone jumped on top of the victim and started punching her in the face and body. A woman told police she saw the incident from another room and tried to save the reporter, who was also being kicked in the stomach.
Two men also saw the attack. They were able to restrain Hone until authorities arrived, according to police. Hone didn’t have any visible injuries, but her clothes were stretched and torn.
Police took Hone into custody and questioned her about the incident. She allegedly stated that she went to WTVM to have them run a story about her daughter, but she didn’t give the reason behind the reported attack.
An officer said he saw surveillance video of the incident and it shows Hone attacking the victim without being provoked.
Hone allegedly made a spontaneous, incoherent utterance about her child and the foster care system. Police said her demeanor changed multiple times as if she had a mental illness.
“She would start smiling, and then she would become upset,” the testifying officer said. “She would start smiling again and then become upset.”
Sarah Robinson: 706-571-8622, @sarahR_92
This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Columbus woman attacked news reporter after approaching her about a story, police say."