SWAMPSCOTT – Two Peabody women who allegedly assaulted a mentally challenged Swampscott girl over $5 appeared in court Tuesday.Christina M. Rosa, 22, of 109 Bartholomew St., was charged with assault and battery on a mentally challenged person; Stephanie R. Medeiros, 18, of 12 Jacobs St., #2, was charged with assault and battery on a mentally challenged person, unarmed robbery and possession of a knife over 2 1/2 inches.Rosa was arraigned Tuesday at Lynn District Court by Judge Stacy Fortes White and was released on personal recognizance under the conditions that she stay away from and not have contact with the victim. Medeiros’ arraignment information was not available. A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 10.According to court documents, police responded to a report of a disturbance on Vantage Avenue Sept. 26, where they saw two women fighting with each other. Police say the 24-year-old victim was standing next to a vehicle and struggling with another person sitting inside.After officers broke up the fight, they spoke to Medeiros, who said the victim was at Medieros’ home in Peabody and offered to pay her $5 to drive her to her house in Swampscott. Medeiros said as she approached the entrance to the victim’s home, the victim “flipped out” and began yelling that she wanted her money back and began to pull Rosa’s hair.At that point, the victim called her sister and told police that she suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Her sister told police that the victim was accepted into the Department of Mental Retardation and has been termed “borderline mentally retarded” due to her conditions. She also suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.The victim told police that she had given Medeiros $5, but wanted the money back “because she is tired of Medeiros and Rosa only calling her for money to get drugs and get high.” She went on to say that when Medeiros refused to give her the money back, she and Rosa pulled her from the vehicle by her arms and legs. Police found a 3-inch knife in the vehicle, which was seized as evidence.The victim’s sister later told police that her sister suffered a brain injury eight years ago in a car accident and is sure Rosa and Medeiros are aware of her condition. In addition, she said the victim keeps a log of text messages that she receives on her cellular phone and said one message from Rosa allegedly asked her to hand over her Adderall medication.
