LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A woman was arrested three days after a violent home invasion in Valley Station left an 82-year-old woman hospitalized with several lacerations.
Late Friday night, an elderly woman was violently assaulted and had her valuable items stolen by a person who broke into her home in the 11000 block of Ridge Lake Drive. Officials said the break-in happened just before midnight.
The woman suffered severe lacerations that required immediate hospitalization. On Monday, an LMPD spokesperson said she was stable and recovering.
Jamara Hondrea Cureton, 30, is charged with three counts of robbery (first degree) in connection with this incident. Authorities said images of the elderly woman's injuries are what led Cureton to confess.
At her arraignment on Tuesday, Cureton pleaded not guilty and her bond was set at $500,000. The judge ordered her not to have contact with the place of violation, not to have contact with prosecuting witnesses and not to carry any weapons.
Arrest records state Cureton also confessed to being involved in two other home invasions in the 12000 block of Hilda Court and the 11600 block of Deering Road.
In those incidents, police said Cureton was armed with a hammer and took $700 in cash and damaged property on Hilda Court. In the Deering Road incident, she demanded cash, but did not receive any and assaulted two victims.
Karen Hord lives near Hilda Court, the home invasion worried her because she cares for an adult son with autism.
"It's bad enough to do it to somebody who can defend theirself. But you're talking about the elderly. And that's what concerns me the most with my son. Because he wouldn't know to defend himself at all," she said.
Justin, who lives near the victim, called the act "atrocious." He did not wish to give his last name.
"I think that anybody that would attack an old lady like that deserves to be in prison," he said.
Initially, police thought they were looking for a male suspect and warned nearby residents to call the police if they see a man wearing a black jacket with a possible white or light gray hoodie and black pants.
Third Division Major Donald Boeckman praised detectives for their work on the case, but he wants people to know the department still needs their help.
"It's imperative to our success," he said. "The partnership with the community, it's how we're gonna solve a lot of these cases."
Even with an arrest made, Hord is concerned with how the case might move forward.
"It makes me feel better right at this very moment, but the question I always ask is, 'what are they going to do when it gets into the court system?'" she said. "Because whether she has a mental illness or she's just a very violent person, she does not never need to be back out in society."
Cureton is currently being held at Metro Corrections. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 15 at 9 a.m.
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