Woman arrested in Moberly manhunt after hammer attack

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman was arrested Monday night after a manhunt occurred in Randolph County.

Courtney Pingleton, of Moberly, was charged on Tuesday with first-degree assault and misdemeanor escaping from custody. She is being held at the Randolph County Jail without bond. An arraignment is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the Randolph County Courthouse.

The probable cause statement says law enforcement was called to a Huntsville address at 6 p.m. after Pingleton hit a woman in her head with a hammer. The deputy wrote the victim “was visibly injured, covered in blood, and holding a rag against the upper left side of her head to control the bleeding.”

The victim claimed Pingleton was drunk, shined a light in the victim’s face and then attacked her after the victim told her to stop, the statement says. The victim was taken to a hospital in Columbia for her injuries.

Pingleton was found wandering through yards in Huntsville at 7:22 p.m. and she allegedly claimed she attacked the victim in self-defense before saying she “bashed” her face, the statement says. She denied using a hammer at the time, court documents allege.

Pingleton was arrested but needed a medical evaluation at Moberly Regional Medical Center, court documents indicate. While she was getting treatment, Pingleton ran off and ran outside the hospital, prompting the manhunt. She was found on Taylor Street about 0.2 miles away from the hospital at 11:24 p.m., the statement says.