Woman said she was on meth during hatchet attack, Lexington County deputies say

A Lexington woman said she was using drugs before her unprovoked hatchet attack sent a man to an area hospital, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.

After being taken into custody following last Saturday’s attack, Andrea Grace Branham, 46, told deputies she was on meth when she hit a man on the head with a hatchet, an incident report said. She hit him three times, causing severe lacerations, according to an arrest warrant.

The man lost a lot of blood and had to be airlifted to a hospital in Richland County, according to the incident report.

Despite the serious injury, the man was conscious and alert after the attack, sheriff’s department spokesman Capt. Adam Myrick told The State. The man’s injuries are not considered life threatening, according to Myrick.

Further information on his condition was not available.

The man lives at the Red Bank area home, in the 100 block of Wilma Ann Drive, where the attack occurred, the sheriff’s department said. He and Branham know each other, and there was no fight or argument leading up to the attack, Myrick said.

Further information on the nature of their relationship was not made available. Branham lives about a third of a mile away from the Wilma Ann Drive home, Lexington County Court records show.

Witnesses told deputies that they were at the man’s home when Branham came out of a bedroom with the hatchet while yelling “where’s my daughter,” before swinging the weapon, according to the incident report.

No information was available about the daughter Branham referred to. Branham later told deputies she was pregnant and wanted to be sure her baby was okay, the incident report said.

“Branham was found in the home after multiple witnesses identified her,” Sheriff Jay Koon said in a news release.

When deputies took her into custody, Branham initially provided them with a false name, according to the incident report. Deputies said they were forced to confirm her identity, which had been provided by witnesses, by matching a photo and descriptions of a tattoo in a records search.

She then admitted to using meth, according to the incident report. Deputies said Branham told them she thought she was having a heart attack.

Branham was taken to Lexington Medical Center by EMS before being booked at the Lexington County Detention Center later Saturday night, the sheriff’s department said.

Branham was charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, jail records show. She remains behind bars after her bond was set at $52,500 on the combined charges, according to jail records.

This is not the first time Branham has been charged with a crime in Lexington County.

In 2012, Branham pleaded guilty to shoplifting (value $2,000 or less), and paid a $500 fine, Lexington County court records show. She was sentenced to 5 days in jail after being convicted for the same charge from a 2013 arrest, according to court records.