Woman ‘wandering thru the woods topless’ arrested for ‘something stupid,’ then a 2nd time, cops say

By LENNY COHEN

ALTOONA, Fla. (CohenConnect) – A woman described as “wandering through the woods topless, wearing only bathing suit bottoms,” is charged with beating up her lover when his truck got stranded in a remote area, and she left her clothes inside.

She was also arrested for disorderly intoxication at a bar in a separate incident. Both took place in Florida within the past month.

The violent exchange with her lover happened on a “small trail in the woods” on Sept. 2 and ended with both Jennifer Renee Rider and the victim injured.

Jennifer Rider was charged with (from left) aggravated assault on Sept. 2 and a similar charge plus disorderly intoxication, Sept. 18, 2024.Photo by(Lake Co. Sheriff’s Office)

Rider’s arrest report said she told authorities “she had been in a physical altercation with the victim over what she called ‘something stupid.’

“She stated that the situation escalated when the victim began to get physical with her, eventually head-butting her in the left eyebrow.

“I observed the injury,” a deputy wrote, “noting that her left eyebrow was swollen and bruised.

“Following the altercation, the defendant fled on foot and managed to flag down a couple, who then contacted the police.”

Another deputy said the victim explained Rider “had started a fire on a small tree stump.

“In response, the victim grabbed the defendant’s cup to extinguish the fire, which upset her.

“The situation escalated when the defendant became physical, punching and scratching the victim.

“The victim attempted to restrain the defendant to stop hitting him, but she grabbed a pen and stabbed him in the left shoulder/armpit area, leaving a puncture.

“The victim then pushed her away, at which point she retrieved a light bar, approximately two feet, long from the back seat and struck him across the mouth, causing his mouth to bleed.

“The defendant then began throwing all of his belongings out of the truck before she left the area on foot.”

Then, the arrest report said, “It was determined that the defendant was the primary aggressor in this incident. It is important to note that the defendant and the victim have been in a sexual relationship for the past eight months, classifying this as a domestic incident.”

The victim didn’t want to prosecute but considering the evidence, he didn’t get his wish.

Rider was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and she spent four days in jail until her release in lieu of $10,000.

“A criminal history check on the defendant revealed no prior convictions of domestic battery,” the arrest report said, although she would soon be arrested again for bad behavior at a bar, a few days earlier.

That report said Rider was “becoming hostile” at a bar, “and displaying a knife at an employee before leaving the establishment.”

Police arrived at 5 p.m. on Aug. 28 and a worker told them “a female customer had been at the establishment since 11 a.m.

“The customer had been consuming large amounts of alcohol and became extremely erratic to the point she was asked to leave.

“Employees asked the female subject to close her tab around 4:45 and the subject refuse to do so.

“When [the victim] closed the subject’s tab and stopped serving alcohol, the subject became verbally aggressive and removed a black switchblade pocket knife with an approximate three-inch blade from her right front pocket and held it up in front of [the victim], before placing the weapon on the counter, directly in front of where [the victim] was standing.

“[The victim] immediately stepped back, further behind the bar counter, fearing that the subject could easily harm her with the weapon.

“The subject then stated, ‘good luck and be careful, you’re going to need it because I will be back, I know you’re closing the store by yourself.’

“The subject then threw a cigarette lighter behind the bar and then proceeded to walk behind the bar and retrieve the lighter, and place it back in her purse.

“While behind the counter, the subject stated that her and her husband are going to come back with some ‘ammo.’

“The subject went back and retrieved the weapon from the countertop, closed and re-secured the weapon back in her right front pocket, then left the business.”

Rider was described and so was what she was driving: “an older red Ford F-series pickup with large amounts of white smoke emitting from the exhaust.

“The subject went to the parking lot where her vehicle was parked, where the female suspect continued to curse and make obscene statements toward the employees that were outside near the entrance.

“Employees called law enforcement shortly after the female left,” while authorities traced her license plate and notified “the appropriate agency” near her home “to attempt contact.”

Apparently that never happened, but extra patrols were put in place around the bar “until shortly after closing, to ensure employees leave unharmed.”

A surveillance camera recorded the incident, but, “The subject’s face was not clearly visible in the video due to the angle, and a photographic lineup was generated to confirm the subject’s identity.”

The next day, police showed the victim “six photos, with one of them being the subject (Jennifer Rider),” the arrest report said.

“The selection and order of photos were based on five other individuals of the same sex with similar hair, skin tone, and facial features.

“[The victim] made a positive identification on the individual listed under photograph #5, who was in fact the subject, Jennifer Rider.”

Authorities got a warrant and they arrested Rider for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly intoxication last Wednesday, Sept. 18, the day after her 48th birthday.

Her bail was set at $5,500, and she was released after three-and-a-half hours in jail.

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