Two Mountain Grove women are facing charges after an assault at Alumni Memorial Park late Thursday night, according to probable cause statements filed in Wright County.
Police were dispatched to the park around 10:44 p.m. on April 23 for a reported assault but initially found no one at the scene. About ten minutes later, the victim arrived at the Mountain Grove Police Department to report the incident. She told officers she had been sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle when Autumn Johnson and Courtney Volner approached her during an ongoing dispute over a Snapchat post.
According to the statements, the victim reported that Johnson pushed Volner aside, grabbed her by the hair, and began striking her in the face. Officer Brandon Meacham noted visible injuries, including a red nose, redness on the top of her head, and hair that had been pulled out. The victim also had dried blood on her hand, which she said came from her nose.
The victim told police she fought back by grabbing Johnson’s hair and slamming her head into the vehicle door before bystanders separated them. After Johnson left, the victim said Volner reached into the vehicle, grabbed her hair, and struck her repeatedly, attempting to pull her out through the window.
Witnesses confirmed both assaults, stating they saw Johnson strike the victim and later saw Volner pulling her hair and hitting her.
Later that night, deputies located Johnson’s vehicle. According to the statement, Johnson made a spontaneous admission, saying, “I did it,” before telling officers she hit the victim because the victim “began mouthing her.”
Volner initially denied assaulting the victim, but officers later received video showing Johnson striking the victim, followed by Volner approaching the vehicle and assaulting her as well.
Both Johnson and Volner are accused of Assault in the Third Degree for “knowingly causing physical injury” by punching the victim and pulling out her hair, according to the filings.
