Evansville woman arrested, accused of hitting ER doc

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — A woman was arrested after allegedly hitting a doctor in the emergency room of a local hospital early Monday morning. 

According to an affidavit from the Evansville Police Department, 38-year-old Sherri Ross of Evansville arrived at the emergency room shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday with a gash on her forehead. 

Ross' behavior was "erratic" when she was being checked in, according to the affidavit, and she told officers she was intoxicated. She said she didn't want to press charges against her ex-boyfriend who had hit her with what she later said was his fist.

An off-duty police officer working as security was called to her room three times after she was arguing and cursing at employees.

She was told repeatedly to stop yelling and return to her room, but she reportedly had no memory of her prior interactions with staff. 

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A doctor was trying to apply local anesthetic to Ross's forehead when she allegedly hit the doctor in the stomach and shoved him away from her, according to the affidavit. 

The doctor still had to remove the syringe in her forehead so he pressed down on her shoulder to restrain her and removed the syringe. She struck him one more time. 

An officer then put Ross in handcuffs. She was handcuffed to her bed while the doctor put four stitches in her head. 

She reportedly told police she was afraid of needles and that hospital staff should've held her down during the procedure. She also said she was traumatized by that night's incidents and shouldn't be held responsible for what happened. She said her drinking didn't affect how she was behaving. 

Ross was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail shortly before 1 a.m. Monday on charges of battery of a public safety official and disorderly conduct, according to online jail records. She wasn't offered bond.