ELYRIA, Ohio — On the day her trial was set to begin, Jessica Houze, the parent of a student at Hamilton Elementary in Elyria who was accused of spraying the principal of the school with mace last year, changed her plea to guilty.
Houze was facing two counts of fifth-degree felonious assault and one count of fourth-degree misdemeanor trespassing. As part of her plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop the trespassing charge. Sentencing in the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas has been set for March 25.
As she addressed Judge D. Chris Cook on Tuesday, Houze was tearful. Cook explained that Houze could face up to two years in prison. "That is a possibility. That is on the table," the judge explained. Houze could also receive a sentence of probation.
The charges against Houze stem from an incident that occurred on April 18, when officers were dispatched to Hamilton Elementary for a report of a disturbance. Prior to their arrival, the officers were advised that the principal of the school had been sprayed with mace and that the subject had left the scene.
Upon arrival, officers met with the school's principal, who said that he was greeting students in the hallway when he observed a female parent yelling obscenities at the school's assistant principal and another school administrator at a side door to the building. During this time, the female assistant principal was attempting to prevent the parent from entering the school.
The principal approached the scene, recognizing the female parent as Houze. Houze is alleged to have continued yelling obscenities at the principal and stated "that's the guy I want."
As Houze realized that the principal was pulling the outer doors of the school shut to prevent her from entering, she allegedly switched her keys/mace from her right hand to her left hand and sprayed the principal in the face with the mace before leaving the area. The officers observed that the principal was still dealing with the effects of having been sprayed.
Officers interviewed the assistant principal and school administrator and reviewed security footage that showed the principal attempting to shut the door before being sprayed by Houze. Police also noted that at no time did any school official touch or push Houze.
Later that morning, Houze turned herself into the Elyria Police Department, where she was charged with assault of a school officer and criminal trespass. She was also charged with attempted assault for allegedly swinging her hand with the mace and pointing it at the assistant principal, who was seven months pregnant at the time of the incident.
You can watch security footage of the incident below:
During an appearance in Elyria Municipal Court in April, Houze waived her right to a preliminary trial. She was indicted by a Lorain County grand jury on June 1.
Elyria City Schools had no comment on the Houze guilty plea when contacted by 3News on Tuesday.
Editor's Note: This story featured previous reporting from Ben Axelrod
Previous Reporting:
- Mom accused of spraying Elyria elementary school principal with mace indicted on assault and trespassing charges
- Mother accused of spraying Elyria's Hamilton Elementary School principal with mace appears in court
- Watch: Parent from Elyria's Hamilton Elementary charged after spraying principal with mace
