Rosemont woman's insanity defense prevails in screwdriver attack
A Rosemont woman who police say attacked two small children with a screwdriver in a Hoffman Estates home was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Jessica M. Zander, 26, next appears in court July 14. At that time, a psychiatrist will give Cook County Judge Bridget Hughes an opinion on whether Zander needs additional psychiatric treatment and, if so, whether that treatment should be on an inpatient or outpatient basis.
Zander, who police said did not have a relationship with the children, is free on bail, prosecutors said.
Hoffman Estates police officers responded to a disturbance call at a home on the 1700 block of Burr Ridge Drive about 1:23 p.m. May 12, 2014. Police learned that a 1-year-old and a 2-year-old child had been beaten with a screwdriver. Their injuries were not serious and neither was hospitalized, police said at the time.
About that same time, officers responded to a call from the 3800 block of Barberry Court in Hoffman Estates about a suspicious woman who they say was threatening a neighbor with a "pointed weapon."
Zander left the area before police arrived, according to authorities. Police found her in her vehicle at the intersection of Barrington Road and I-90.