A Baxter County woman with a lengthy criminal history has been arrested after allegedly striking her mother with a baseball bat. Vanessa Renee Henschel, 34, of Lakeview, is being held at the Baxter County Detention Center on a felony charge of second-degree domestic battery, according to a probable cause affidavit from the Baxter County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies responded to the home after a call from Henschel's mother, who requested assistance in having her daughter removed due to what the mother described as a psychiatric episode. When law enforcement arrived, they found the victim bleeding from her forehead and arm.
The victim explained that during a physical altercation with Henschel, she initially grabbed a baseball bat to protect herself. However, Henschel reportedly pushed her mother to the ground, took the bat, and struck her, causing the injuries. Henschel is being held on a $10,000 bond and faces an additional penalty enhancement as a habitual offender due to her criminal history.
Henschel has eight prior felony convictions, several of which involve violent assaults. Court records show that in 2016, she was convicted of first-degree battery after entering a Mountain Home hotel room, jumping on top of another woman, and stabbing her while apologizing. The victim survived with non-life-threatening injuries, and Henschel was sentenced to three years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
In 2020, Henschel gained further notoriety when she broke into a home north of Mountain Home. After the homeowner discovered her leaving with his truck, a confrontation in the garage ensued. Henschel reportedly punched the man, armed herself with limb clippers, and attempted to attack him. Authorities later determined she had been in the home wearing the wife’s clothing and jewelry, lying in their child’s bed, and consuming snacks. For that incident, Henschel was charged with multiple felonies and sentenced to five years in prison.
Her history also includes attacks on law enforcement and detention officers. While jailed in Baxter County in 2020, Henschel was charged with second-degree battery for assaulting a jailer. In 2021, she was convicted of striking a prison guard in the head at the McPherson correctional unit in Newport, receiving an additional three-year sentence. Her record also includes convictions for residential burglary, theft of property, possession of controlled substances, and obstructing governmental operations.