Lima woman, 63, pleads guilty in assault on neighbor

Mar. 2—LIMA — A Lima woman who attacked her neighbor while holding a knife in her hand will be sentenced in April following her guilty plea to a reduced charge on Tuesday.

Vera Vaske, 63, was indicted by a grand jury in November on a second-degree felony count of felonious assault in connection with the incident that took place in September.

A plea of not guilty by reason of insanity was entered on Vaske's behalf, and she was ordered to the Northwest Ohio Psychiatric Hospital in Toledo for evaluation. A report dated Oct. 7 from hospital staff ruled Vaske was competent to stand trial.

Prosecutors on Tuesday presented Vaske with a bill of information charge of attempted felonious assault, a third-degree felony, which removed language from the original indictment that the Lima woman had caused or attempted to cause physical harm to Lana Shipman "through the use of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance."

According to court documents, officers from the Lima Police Department were dispatched around 4:50 p.m. Sept. 24 to the 100 block of North Woodlawn Avenue in reference to a stabbing.

Officers spoke with Shipman, who said she had been assaulted by Vaske. The two women reportedly had argued in the past when Vaske accused Shipman of stealing her cell phone.

Shipman said she was walking a bike out of her residence that September day when Vaske came "out of nowhere" and began to assault her. Vaske had a knife in her hand but was disarmed by Shipman's boyfriend. Shipman suffered a scratch to her chest and another to her neck.

While officers spoke with Vaske, she threatened to do additional physical harm to Shipman and was placed under arrest.

Vaske faces a maximum prison term of 36 months when she is sentenced April 12, although prison is not mandatory.