CLEARFIELD – A DuBois woman accused of hitting her mother up to 50 times pleaded guilty to aggravated assault Tuesday during plea and sentencing court in Clearfield County.
Lisa Kathleen Craggs, 31, 9 Hope St., DuBois, was sentenced to 10 months to 20 months in the county jail and three years consecutive probation. She was fined $300 plus costs. She was ordered to complete anger management counseling, submit to DNA testing at a cost of $250 and to have no contact with the victim.
Prior to sentencing, Douglas Campbell, the attorney representing Craggs, told the judge that she is “full of remorse” for what happened. He admitted she made a poor decision when she mixed alcohol with medications for her bi-polar condition.
The victim’s nephew also addressed the court as a spokesperson for the family. Even though he lives in Ohio, he stated that he thought it was important for him to be in court. He said Craggs has made poor decisions in her life and should have known not to consume alcohol.
He explained that the 69-year-old victim has lost any quality of life and suffered tremendously. She is now in a nursing facility and receives her nourishment through a feeding tube. Her granddaughter who witnessed the assault is also in need of counseling now, he said.
Craggs addressed the court and referred to herself as a “wonderful mother” and noting her mother had warned her to get help. She stated that she felt like a failure if she asked for help but now she wanted to go to anger management counseling. She also agreed that her mother had suffered the most in this situation and added that she didn’t realize her mother was in such poor condition.
Clearfield County President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman noted that the other victim was Craggs’s daughter who lost her grandmother whom she had a good relationship with.
“If you know you have mental health problems, you don’t go out and drink,” Ammerman said, “and then come home and fight with the person who took care of your child.”
According to the affidavit of probable cause, on Dec. 12, 2011, police were called to a West Long Avenue residence where the assault occurred. The victim told them she was babysitting Craggs’s daughter while Craggs was visiting friends.
Around 4 a.m., she called Craggs to ask about her whereabouts. Shortly after Craggs arrived home and was enraged. She struck the victim in the face, head, neck and body with a closed fist up to 50 times. During the assault, she kicked the victim in the knee, causing her to fall to the ground and strike her head. The victim who was bleeding from the nose had a headache for about an hour after the assault.
The officer who was speaking to the victim could see numerous bruises and other signs of injury to her face, neck and body.
She was transported to the DuBois Regional Medical Center for an evaluation. It was then discovered that she suffered from a subdural hematoma, and she was transferred to a Pittsburgh-based hospital for treatment.
