Austin woman charged with assault on Mower County deputy while in jail

(ABC 6 News) – An Austin woman faces a charge of 4th-degree assault against a correctional officer in Mower County Court.

According to court records, Karissa Rae Reimers is accused of beating a detention deputy at the Mower County Jail until jail staff subdued her with “freeze spray.”

According to the Mower County Jail Roster, 23-year-old Reimers was taken into custody July 14 on suspicion of domestic assault.

Court documents allege that at about noon July 15, Reimers was on the phone at the jail, when an adult female detention deputy suspected she was speaking to the alleged victim in her case.

When Reimers refused to get off the phone, the deputy hung up the phone and began taking Reimers back to her cell.

According to court documents, Reimers allegedly hit the deputy on the head with her fist 8-10 times, causing injury to the head and upper back, until deputies sprayed her with Freeze +P, an aerosol that irritates the eyes, nose, and mouth, and causes pain topically.

Deputies further alleged that Reimers admitted to hitting the deputy three times with her fist, and said she “would have hit her more times if she could have,” according to court documents.

Reimers is scheduled to stand trial on the assault charge Sept. 18, 2023.