YOUNGSTOWN — A woman recently admitted to a mental health program through Mahoning County Common Pleas Court threatened to kill or maim Youngstown police officers while sitting in the back of cruiser early Sunday — before spitting on both officers, a report states.

Police charged Ashley L. Caulton, 21, of Jackson Street in Campbell with two felony counts of harassment by inmate, plus misdemeanor leaving the scene of an accident, driving under suspension and disobeying a traffic signal. She also was arrested on two warrants.

She was arraigned Monday in Youngstown Municipal Court on the charges, and Judge Renee DiSalvo set bond at $10,000 on the two felonies.

Caulton’s charges stem from a 3:33 a.m. incident in which police were checking on an address in the 2200 block of South Avenue identified as a “hot spot” by Youngstown police and saw a white car being driven recklessly without headlights.

The “hot spot” program was announced in May in which the community has been asked to fill out cards relating to suspicious activity and turn them in to the community organization ACTION.

The cards are then turned over to the police department without identifying the person who filled out the card.

Caulton pulled onto South Avenue from a business near officers, who could tell Caulton was going to be involved in a crash with a car coming the same direction behind Caulton. An officer honked his horn, but it did not prevent the

crash, as Caulton’s vehicle struck the other vehicle, according to a police report.

Officers activated lights and siren, but Caulton’s vehicle continued forward without stopping.

Officers told dispatchers that they were not going to pursue the vehicle because of the danger to vehicles on the roadway because of the weather conditions, Caulton’s driving and her vehicle’s headlights being off.

When officers returned to the crash scene, the other vehicle had left.

Officers were talking to people in another vehicle near the crash when Caulton’s vehicle returned. Officers again tried to stop the vehicle. It did not have its lights on and did not stop.

Again officers did not chase the vehicle, but this time officers followed it at a distance and saw the vehicle weaving and nearly driving off of the road.

Officers saw Caulton both times the vehicle was close to them and were able to identify her through a database that showed them the owner of the car was Caulton.

Youngstown police contacted Campbell police and learned that Caulton’s vehicle was at her house.

Youngstown police received permission from Campbell to tow the vehicle and and found that the license plate and crash damage matched the vehicle involved in the crash, police said.

Youngstown officers knocked on the door of the residence, and a man told them they could go to the second floor and find her. She emerged from a room partially undressed. After she dressed, officers handcuffed her and put her in the cruiser.

She made her threatening remarks from the back of the cruiser while officers waited for a tow truck to remove her vehicle. The remarks were directed at officers, a dispatcher whose voice came over the police radio and possibly a judge.

When officers arrived at the automobile entrance to the jail, they put a spit mask on Caulton, but she tore it off and appeared to be trying escape.

Caulton let loose with a “huge wad of saliva” on both officers, hitting them in the hand, chest, shoulder and face, the report states. Caulton was taken to jail, and the officers tried to clean up.

According to Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, Caulton pleaded guilty Oct. 12 before Judge Maureen Sweeney to felony charges of intimidation, harassment with a bodily substance

and aggravated menacing for an incident in Campbell.

Sweeney admitted her to a program through the common pleas court’s Mental Health Court called the CARES program, at that time, but

the judge issued a warrant for Caulton’s arrest Nov. 19.

The CARES program is “an option for individuals with a severe mental illness who have been charged with felonies and are facing a potential jail sentence,” according to an online Mental Health Court brochure. “The primary goal is to keep defendands psychiatrically stable and crime free by teaching them to make health changes in their lives.”

Information on Caulton’s arrest in Campbell was not available late Monday.

erunyan@vindy.com