Court hearing in Wal-Mart worker attack

BATAVIA, N.Y. (WIVB) - The woman accused of attacking a Wal-Mart greeter stood before a judge on Monday.

26-year-old Jacquetta Simmons of Batavia appeared in Town of Batavia Court late Monday afternoon. She's accused of punching an elderly Wal-Mart employee in the face on Christmas Eve.

Simmons, who remains out of jail on $40,000 bond, appeared before Judge Michael Cleveland. Authorities say Simmons struck 70-year-old Grace Suozzi after Suozzi asked to see her receipt. Suozzi was knocked to the ground and suffered injuries to the left side of her face.

Simmons is charged with two counts of assault: the first part of the statute deals with causing serious physical injury and the second part deals with assaulting a senior citizen.

Assistant Genesee County District Attorney Melissa Cianfrini said, "Any time a person over the age of 65 is assaulted by someone that is more than 10 years younger than them, they could be charged with Class D violent felony. We don't have to prove serious physical injury for a senior citizen. We only have to show physical injury."

This would be the first such prosecution in Genesee County under the new statute, nicknamed the "Granny Law." Simmons is due back in court on February 27th after asking for an adjournment. She's being represented by a public defender.