Woman pleads guilty to beating elderly mother

A Hot Springs Village woman who beat her 79-year-old mother with a cane while intoxicated last year pleaded guilty to a felony battery charge Tuesday in Garland County Circuit Court.

Lauren Leigh Raburn, 54, who has remained in custody since her last arrest Nov. 29, 2017, pleaded guilty to second-degree battery and was sentenced to six years' probation, fined $2,000 and ordered to pay $420 in court costs while a second felony charge of failure to appear was withdrawn by prosecutors.

A previously issued court order barring her from any contact with her mother was withdrawn, but Raburn was not released from custody until Wednesday when she was able to provide a local address where she would be staying other than her mother's residence.

According to the probable cause affidavit, on Aug. 6, 2017, Raburn's mother came to the Hot Springs Village Police Department just before 6 a.m. to report she had been beaten by her daughter.

She appeared scared, shaky and upset, and was half-dressed. She had swelling around her right wrist, bruising on her left arm and redness to her head, face and right leg. She also complained of pain, as she held her right wrist and ankle.

She told officers her daughter, identified as Raburn, woke her up that morning by yelling at her. She said she went to use the bathroom when her daughter began poking her with a metal cane.

Raburn became "very upset," and then began hitting her repeatedly with the cane. She said her daughter punched her in the face and head and pulled her down by her hair.

She said she escaped from her home while she was still being beaten. She said she did not know why her daughter became so upset, but noted the abuse has been happening for the past two months.

She said she never reported it before because she did not want her daughter to get in trouble, but the severity of the attack that morning caused her to finally go to the police. She said she still did not want her daughter, who had been living with her for the past 10 years, to go to jail.

Based on the severity of the injuries sustained by the victim, officers went to the residence on Arias Way to speak with Raburn. Upon their arrival, Raburn appeared "very intoxicated" and denied hitting her mother.

Raburn also claimed to be the victim of battery and said she "wanted to put a bullet under her chin."

Raburn was arrested and released on $2,500 bond three days later. She failed to appear for her arraignment hearing on Nov. 7, 2017, so a bench warrant was issued and she was arrested on Nov. 29.

She pleaded not guilty to the charge on Jan. 2, 2018, and her attorney filed a motion on April 26 for a mental evaluation to determine if she was fit to proceed. She was evaluated and found to be fit to proceed which was accepted by the defense at a hearing on Aug. 7 and the case was set for a disposition hearing on Tuesday.

Local on 10/11/2018

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