Ashley Nash, 36, of Imperial has been accused of attacking a nurse and patient at Mercy Hospital South in south St. Louis County. She allegedly struck the nurse hard enough in the head to cause bleeding in the nurse’s brain, court records show.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Nash today, May 6, with second-degree assault of a special victim, a class B felony that is punishable by five to 15 years in prison, and fourth-degree assault, a class A misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000, according to court documents.
As of this afternoon, Nash was being held on a $300,000 cash-only bond at the St. Louis County Jail, court records said.
According to the case’s probable-cause statement, Nash was admitted into the hospital on May 1. Nash attempted to get the nurse’s attention, and when the nurse addressed her, she allegedly struck the nurse on the head.
Nash then went to strike another patient. However, the patient was able to raise her arms and block the blow, the report said.
Hospital security subdued Nash following the alleged attacks, according to the report.
Nash was on parole at the time, the probable-cause statement said. She pleaded guilty in August 2023 to third-degree assault in Washington County and had been sentenced to two years in prison, according to court records.
Nash also had previously been sentenced to five years in prison in March 2010 after pleading guilty to charges for second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon in Jefferson County. At the time of the guilty, her sentence was suspended and she was placed on five years’ probation, but that probation was revoked in March 2015 and the five-year sentence was executed, court documents show.
In 2016, Nash also pleaded guilty to at least three charges of misdemeanor assault for three separate incidents in Jefferson County. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail for one of the assault charges and 180 days in jail for each of the two other assault charges, according to court records.