Two 18-year-old women from Illinois, Hayley A. Ditzler and Olivia J. Brown, are facing charges of “mob action” after allegedly luring multiple women into the woods and assaulting them without any known motive.
According to the Madison County Prosecutor’s Office, the teens were arrested on Wednesday. The “mob action” charge refers to the coordinated use of force or violence by two or more individuals acting without legal authority and disturbing the public peace.
Court documents reviewed by Law&Crime allege that on April 18, Ditzler and Brown dragged one woman into the woods and repeatedly punched and kicked her across her face, mouth, torso, and limbs. A bond motion noted that the teens still pose a potential threat to the victim’s safety and freedom.
Although they currently face charges for one attack, additional women have come forward accusing the pair of similar assaults in Madison and St. Clair counties near St. Louis, Missouri.
One alleged victim, Evelyn Berentz — a former friend of the accused — told NBC affiliate KDSK that the duo tricked her into meeting them by claiming they wanted to apologize. Instead, she said, they ambushed her at a home in Caseyville. Berentz claimed that one of the girls threatened to kill her if she screamed and then dragged her into the woods where she was beaten. She added that the teens filmed the attack and shared the footage online. Berentz later reposted the video on Facebook, showing her pleading for them to stop. She sustained minor injuries.
Authorities in St. Clair County are now investigating these additional claims against Ditzler and Brown.