Police: Suspect in group home attack previously defecated in patrol car

The Columbus woman who pleaded not guilty on Friday to attacking a woman at the Outback Care Group has a criminal history that includes allegedly defecating in a patrol car, authorities said.

Beverly Gardener, 58, was arrested on an aggravated assault charge about an hour after she allegedly choked a woman and struck her on the head with a cooking pot about three times Wednesday morning at the Outback Care Group. She’s also accused of hitting her with a walker.

She pleaded not guilty to the charge early Friday in Columbus Recorder’s Court. She remains in the Muscogee County Jail under a $7,500 bond as of Monday morning.

Authorities said the group home incident at 6930 Buena Vista Road isn’t the first crime Gardener has been accused of committing.

The 58-year-old woman was charged with reckless conduct in September 2014 after she allegedly burned clothes on top of a barbecue pit at the Lawyers Lane residence she was living in at the time.

Authorities said they were transporting her to the jail when she defecated in the patrol car. Police said she told them that she was “going to take a s---” moments before she did it.

In court, Gardner denied intentionally defecating in the car, but officers said she spread the feces around the back of the patrol car with her feet. She was charged with reckless conduct HIV following the incident.

In November 2012, she was charged with possession of cocaine. No further details about that incident were immediately made available.

This story was originally published April 10, 2017 at 12:34 PM with the headline "Police: Suspect in group home attack previously defecated in patrol car."