Lizette M. Vonhorstman, 54, of Festus, who allegedly threatened a store clerk in Crystal City with a machete on Tuesday (May 15), is a convicted felon who killed a man in Florida in 1992, authorities reported.
Vonhorstman was charged on Wednesday (May 16) with three felonies in connection with the incident at the BP gas station and convenience store, 801 Truman Blvd., in Crystal City.
She is now in custody at the Jefferson County Jail on a $150,000 cash-only bond.
A credit card dispute allegedly ignited Vonhorstman’s wrath on Tuesday, said Michael Ravetta, the Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney handling the case.
At 5:40 a.m. Tuesday, Vonhorstman allegedly entered the BP convenience store holding a machete in her right hand and asked for a clerk she described as a woman from Mississippi, and the on-duty clerk, a man, told Vonhorstman that the female clerk was not there, the probable-cause statement said.
Vonhorstman then charged the counter and raised the machete in a threatening manner, screaming at the male clerk and swinging the machete around, according to the statement.
“Vonhorstman charged the counter several times while raising the machete over her head,” the report said.
She continued to scream and knocked over displays, according to the report.
A male customer outside the store banged on the glass and distracted Vonhorstman, who laid down the machete, Crystal City Police Chief Chad Helms said in a written report.
The customer then entered the store and grabbed the weapon, and Vonhorstman began chasing him through the store and threw a beer bottle at him. The bottle missed his head but shattered near his face. The woman then threw a beer bottle at the clerk, but it missed him, the probable-cause statement said.
After that, the clerk wrestled the woman to the ground, according to the report.
“While on the ground, Ms. Vonhorstman pulled a knife from her pocket, but (the customer) was able to take it away,” according to the report.
Crystal City Police arrived on the scene and arrested the woman.
“Our officers arrived within approximately three minutes and were able to safely take the suspect into custody without further incident,” Helms said.
Vonhorstman allegedly was found with three knives – the one she had pulled out during the altercation, another one in her pocket and a third one on a keychain, Helms reported.
While in custody, Vonhorstman continued to scream, saying that she had done nothing wrong, the probable-cause statement said.
She also told officers she had multiple personalities, so she was transported to St. Anthony’s Medical Center in south St. Louis County for psychological evaluation, the report said.
“While en route (to the hospital), Ms. Vonhorstman continuously screamed about killing a subject in Florida back in 1992 by beating an elderly male with a hand tool. This information was confirmed accurate,” according to the report.
Vonhorstman was charged with two counts of second-degree assault, a class D felony, and one count of unlawful use of a weapon, a class E felony, for throwing the beer bottles at the clerk and customer and for wielding the machete.
Each of the class D felonies is punishable by up to seven years in prison, and the class E felony carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison.