Woman gets 15 years in prison for elderly assault, drug theft

Published 10:01 am Sunday, July 19, 2015

A 44-year-old Austin woman will serve 15 years in prison after she pushed an elderly woman down a flight of stairs and stole prescription drugs in 2014.

Renae Dawn Kramer was sentenced Friday to 180 months in prison for first-degree assault as part of a plea agreement. Kramer will also serve 58 months on a concurrent sentence for first-degree burglary.

According to a court complaint, Kramer approached the victim at her home several times in the spring of 2014 asking for prescription drugs. Kramer admitted she had a drug issue, according to the complaint.

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The victim gave Kramer two pills, but Kramer reappeared at the victim’s home in southeast Austin on April 7 to ask for more medication. The victim told police she had regretted giving Kramer the pills and refused to give further medication to Kramer.

Kramer became angry, according to the complaint. The victim tried to leave her home but Kramer wouldn’t let her. After a struggle, Kramer threw the victim down a flight of stairs into the victim’s basement.

Police found the victim at about 3:30 p.m. April 7 after the victim pressed her medical alarm button. The victim suffered two broken wrists, head lacerations that required staples and a back injury.

Officers found pills and muddy clothes at the home of Kramers’ relatives, according to the complaint. Those pills were later found to be Diazepam, a controlled substance, which matched medication found at the victim’s house.

Police eventually found Kramer in the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center parking lot, where she appeared to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol. They first took Kramer to the Mower County jail, but she was sent to the emergency room at Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin in fear she was overdosing on drugs.

At one point, Kramer allegedly broke free of hospital restraints and raided a medication cart at the hospital. Hospital staff couldn’t figure out whether Kramer took any medication from the cart, according to the complaint.