RICHMOND, Ind. — A patient at a psychiatric hospital is accused of attacking four hospital staffers with a homemade weapon, cutting them several times.
Aaron Reid, 40, is charged with four counts of battery with a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony.
He faces between one and six years in prison if convicted.
According to court documents, Reid was a patient at Richmond State Hospital — a public behavioral health facility operated by the state of Indiana. It is one of six state psychiatric hospitals within the Family and Social Services Administration Division of Mental Health and Addiction.
Police were called to the hospital on Sunday on report of a battery. Police learned that Reid had reportedly been sitting with a female patient in the television room and had put a blanket over the two of them. When staffers went to separate the pair, Reid is accused of grabbing two box cutter-bladed weapons from his jacket that he had fashioned onto handles with white cloth and a black tie.
Hospital staff told police that Reid first held the blades to his throat. When staffer attempted to reach Reid, he slashed at them with the weapon, stating, "I'm sorry it's gotta be like this. I respect you guys but I've gotta do this."
Staffers then tussled with Reid trying to wrestle away the weapons, court documents reveal. In the process, Reid managed to cut four of the workers.
One staffer suffered a half inch cut three to four inches in length of her forearm along with a cut a quarter inch deep to her breast. Two others were cut on the thumbs, documents detail.
Staffers did eventually get the weapons away from Reid and moved him to a secure room.
Reid was originally left at Richmond State Hospital in the secure room due to the risk of moving him to the jail. After a warrant was issued on Tuesday for his battery charges, Reid was moved to the Wayne County Jail.
Court records show Reid was convicted in 2006 for conspiracy to commit murder. Originally sentenced to 50 years, the Indiana Supreme Court ended up reducing his sentence to 30 years in 2007.
Reid has a long history of mental health issues.