GREAT FALLS- Joanna Rochelle Katzenberger has been charged with felony assault on a peace officer and felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs, and the following misdemeanors: resisting arrest, assault with bodily fluid, assault and driving under the influence.
Court documents state that on Sept. 24, police were called to a house on the 1400 block of 19th Avenue South for a report that a woman – later identified as Katzenberger – was inside the house and “extremely high” on narcotics, and a man was outside the house sitting in the passenger seat of a car.
When a police officer arrived, the man in the car told him that Katzenberger was high on meth and had been driving “like a maniac” at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. The officer went inside the house, where Katzenberger allegedly said she had injected a “quarter” of meth into her arm. She then requested medical assistance and said that she had relapsed and just wanted to go to jail, according to a police affidavit.
When an ambulance arrived, Katzenberger became irate and said she had drugs in her anus, according to court documents. She went into the bathtub and started digging into her anus, causing it to bleed. She then got out of the bathtub holding something brown and bloody, and said that it was heroin. She threw it at a police officer, nearly hitting him in the face. Some spatter hit the officer in the face; it was later determined to be feces and blood.
The officer then tried to arrest Katzenberger, but she began pulling away and kicking at the officers, hitting one in the chest. She then banged her head against the wall and the asphalt. She also began spitting and spraying blood at officer, and bit an officer on the arm.
Emergency and police personnel were all treated for blood exposure. Katzenberger was then taken to Benefis Health System for for medical treatment.
Court documents note that Katzenberger has convictions for criminal possession of dangerous drugs and assault on a police officer. She has failed to make scheduled court appearance, been charged with criminal contempt, and violated release conditions.
