West Plains, MO. – A West Plains woman has received charges of assault following a violent interaction with emergency medical personnel on December 26, 2023.
Rayetta A. Wiggs, age 49, is charged with 1st-degree assault – serious physical injury or special victim and 3rd-degree assault – special victim. A warrant does not appear to have been issued for her arrest as of Jan. 25, 2024.
According to the probable cause statement, a female EMS employee was sent to Wiggs’s residence on the morning of Dec. 26th for a woman having seizures. EMS found Wiggs appearing to have a seizure and gave her Versed (midazolam), a central nervous system depressant commonly used for seizures. Wiggs then allegedly became aggressive and violent, kicking the female EMS worker between the legs and in the back, knocking her into a bathtub, and punching a second EMS worker in the face. Wiggs was eventually sedated enough to get her put into the ambulance and taken to Ozarks Healthcare, where Wiggs continued the violent episode.
The female EMS worker was 13 weeks pregnant at the time of the incident and was taken to the Emergency Room to be checked out following the incident and reported the incident to a deputy with the Howell County Sheriff’s Office. Both EMS workers told police they believed Wiggs had been under the influence of an illegal substance at the time, due to the violent outburst. While Wiggs does have a controlled substance conviction from 2015, the probable cause statement did not state any controlled substances were found on Wiggs or in her system at the time.
When confronted by deputies a couple of days later, Wiggs allegedly would not speak to law enforcement except to say she would be talking with attorneys.
Documentation for Versed (midazolam) from the Mayo Clinic states the drug does have a rare side effect of attack, assault, or force, and, like most prescription drugs, could have additional side effects for those with a history of alcohol or drug abuse or, are on a long list of medications.
