St. Cloud Woman Found Incompetent to Face Charges in Ax Attack

ST. CLOUD -- A St. Cloud woman accused of attacking multiple people with an ax has been found mentally unfit to face the charges.

Fifty-three-year-old Shelley Goff is charged with two counts of 2nd-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

The findings of the mental competency exam mean the criminal case is on hold unless Goff can be restored to competency.

St. Cloud Police responded to a complaint of a woman swinging an ax at people in the 400 block of 8th Avenue South on September 11th.

A 44-year-old man working on a ladder in his yard told police that Goff tried to hit him with the ax, but he moved out of the way and she hit the ladder instead. Police say a 52-year-old woman riding by on a bicycle also reported that Goff then raised the ax and ran toward her while yelling, screaming, and threatening to hit her.

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When officers arrived, Goff barricaded herself inside her home. Crisis negotiators and St. Cloud SWAT used a search warrant to arrest Goff about two hours later.

No one was hurt in the incident.

Goff is currently being held in the Stearns County Jail.