Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 5-22-18

Feature
Stranger Attacks Elderly Woman In Motorized Chair
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Mrs. Ruth Hodges has been featured in the Sentinel on many occasions. She is best known for her 55 visits to Haiti as a Missionary.
However, Mrs. Hodges is being featured for a different reason in this edition. She wants to warn others about a recent attack she endured.
The incident took place last Wednesday while she was in the 1900 block of E. Hillsborough Av- enue.
“I just want to warn others in motorized chairs to be careful. I had just left Walmart and a woman came up behind me and started beating me. She tried to turn over the chair and I fell onto the side- walk.
“Then she took my bags and just threw them onto Hillsborough Avenue. One lady came out and tried to get me up and another lady came out of traf- fic and helped me get back into the chair. I don’t know who called the police.
“The Lord told me to be watchful earlier. So, I wasn’t scared, I just kept praying and praying,” Mrs. Hodges, who is 91-years-old said.
Mrs. Hodges said Tampa Police arrived and lo- cated the woman. She was identified as 39-year-old
fought back, she ini- tially said no. Then she changed her story and said she punched the old lady several times with a closed fist.
MRS. RUTH HODGES
Treated and released at a local hospital
Tonya Nicole Rogers.
During an interview, Ms. Rogers initially de-
nied attacking Mrs. Hodges. However, during the same interview, she told police, that Mrs. Hodges gave her mean looks while she walked by her.
According to the police report, Ms. Rogers told police that “the old lady hit her numerous times.” When the officer asked Ms. Rogers if she had
and charged with bat-
tery on a person over the age of 65. Her bond was set at $2,000.
Mrs. Hodges was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where she was treated for contusions and released.
“The police brought my motorized chair to the hospital and they took me home,” she said.
Mrs. Hodges said some of the people who stopped to help her retrieved her bags from the streets. “There are so many people in motorized chairs, I just want to warn them to be careful.”
When the officer requested to see in- juries, she said “the old lady wasn’t able to hit her she just tried to hit her.”
TONYA ROGERS
... Charged with battery on taken into custody a person over the age of 65
Ms. Rogers was
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