Washington Co. Woman Stabbed Boyfriend, Tried Disarming Cop: Complaint

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — A Washington County woman faces two charges after fighting with her husband and then police, according to investigators.

Jenna Renee Malika Nelson, 26, faces one count of second-degree assault and one count of attempt to disarm a police officer. If convicted, she faces up to seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine.

On March 1, detectives received a walk-in report in the lobby of the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

A man reported that earlier that morning, his girlfriend — identified as Nelson — assaulted him at their home in Landfall, according to the criminal complaint.

He and Nelson were in their bedroom with their 2-year-old child when Nelson spotted the dating application "Tinder" on his phone, police said.

Nelson became angry and — during the ensuing argument — smashed a window, grabbed a shard of glass, and slashed her boyfriend, according to investigators.

Following the report, detectives spoke with Nelson at her workplace. There, Nelson admitted that she "found out her boyfriend was cheating so she tried to stab him with the glass from a broken window and in fact did stab him," the criminal complaint states. Nelson also admitted that their toddler was present during the fight, police said.

When detectives told her she was under arrest, Nelson began yelling, hyperventilating, and yelled "I want to have an anxiety attack," according to the criminal complaint.

When detectives tried to put her in handcufs, she tensed up and tried to pull away, according to authorities. While she was pinned to the floor — still resisting arrest — she grabbed the handle of a detective's firearm and attempted to draw it out of its holster, authorities said.

The detectives were eventually able to physically remove her hand from the grip of the weapon, according to the criminal complaint.