BEDFORD — A neighborhood dispute at a local apartment complex turned violent Friday evening, leading to the arrest of a 71-year-old Bedford woman who allegedly struck her neighbor with a cell phone during an argument over children playing outside.
Myra J. Cagle was arrested on May 22, 2026. She faces preliminary charges of battery and disorderly conduct.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Bedford Police Captain Dakoda Emmons, officers were dispatched to an apartment complex in the 1600 block of Sanders Lane at approximately 8:45 p.m. regarding a physical fight in progress.
Upon arrival, Captain Emmons met with a female resident, whose left ear was actively bleeding. She was using a towel to contain the blood, which had also stained her hooded sweatshirt.
In a recorded statement to police, the injured woman explained that her children had been playing outside when they ran into the apartment to tell her that Cagle, a neighbor, was taking photographs of them from her window. The female went outside to confront Cagle about the photos, sparking a heated verbal altercation in Cagle’s doorway.
The injured woman told officers that as she eventually turned around to walk away from the argument, Cagle advanced and struck her hard on the left ear with a swinging motion.
Officer Ratcliff interviewed Cagle inside her apartment. In her recorded statement, Cagle admitted she was taking photos of the children because she believed they were not supposed to be playing in front of her unit. She claimed that the children’s mother then pounded on her door and began screaming at her. Cagle admitted she stepped outside onto the walkway holding a taser, and acknowledged there was some shoving, though she claimed she could not recall the exact details.
However, after reviewing her own security camera footage in front of officers, Cagle conceded that the video appeared to show her striking the woman, admitting to police that she has “a temper.”
Independent witnesses at the scene backed up the injured woman’s version of events. One male witness told Officer Jones he watched the two women screaming at each other before Cagle struck the woman in the head with a cell phone she was holding. Another female witness stated she saw Cagle “knock ‘the hell’ out of (the woman)” with her right hand, striking her directly in the ear in full view of multiple children who were outside.
Captain Emmons reviewed the security footage provided by Cagle. Though the camera only captured incremental clips rather than continuous recording, the footage clearly showed Cagle stepping away from her doorway, advancing toward the woman, and making physical contact with her left hand while holding a taser in her right hand.
The injured woman signed a formal battery affidavit against her neighbor, and police processed photographs of her bloody injuries as evidence.
Before being placed into custody, Cagle pointed out a bruise to officers that she claimed she sustained during the scuffle, which police photographed. Cagle was placed in handcuffs and transported by Officer Jones to the Lawrence County Jail.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
