photo by: Contributed

Michelle Mancini

A Lawrence woman is facing criminal charges for allegedly threatening a man with a screwdriver while calling him a racial slur.

Michelle Mancini, 61, was formally charged with aggravated assault, a level-seven felony, and disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, during her first appearance in Douglas County District Court on Thursday.

Police arrested Mancini around 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Douglas County Jail booking log. Lt. David Ernst of the Lawrence Police Department said officers responded around 4 p.m. Wednesday to a report of a disturbance with weapons near Seventh and Michigan streets.

When officers arrived, they spoke to a man who said Mancini approached him while he was walking in the area and repeatedly called him a racial slur. The man tried to avoid confrontation with the woman and walked away, Ernst said.

Mancini then allegedly threatened the man with a screwdriver. However, Ernst said that Mancini fled the area after she became aware that police had been called. Officers later found Mancini at a nearby residence and arrested her, Ernst said.

During the hearing, Mancini called the case “bogus” and apologized to the court for wasting the state’s time and money on the case.

Judge James T. George set a $3,000 cash or surety bond in the case. Mancini was still in Douglas County Jail custody as of Thursday afternoon. She is next scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 3.