Nicole Smith

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A late-night hospital visit turned into a waiting-room horror show when a Pennsylvania woman allegedly used a creative weapon to stab a staffer in Virginia, authorities say.

Shortly before 3:15 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30, deputies from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office were called to the Regional Medical Center in the 4600 block of Spotsylvania Parkway, where there was a reported stabbing. 

The scene was stranger than fiction.

According to the sheriff's office, upon arrival, deputies found a broken ink pen and blood on the floor in the Emergency Room waiting area. 

Deputies learned that Nicole Smith was sitting in the waiting area and became enraged and confronted a hospital staff member. 

Without provocation, she attacked the staffer, stabbing them multiple times in the head and face with an ink pen and causing injuries. The staff member was able to fend off the attacker and move to safety, according to the sheriff's office.

Smith didn't get far. 

Officials say that the 38-year-old was taken into custody while still waiting inside the Emergency Room. She was charged with malicious wounding.

Smith is being held at the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond pending her next court appearance.

"We are appalled by the actions of a visitor to our county against one of our healthcare workers," officials from the sheriff's office said. "Healthcare workers dedicate themselves to caring for our sick and injured loved ones, and when one of them is senselessly attacked, it impacts the entire community."

"We wish the victim a full and speedy recovery and extend our sincere appreciation to the staff of SRMC for the care, compassion, and professionalism they continue to provide to Spotsylvania County."