KANNAPOLIS — Authorities said a 54-year-old Kannapolis woman held a pillow to her handicapped mother’s face before breaking into the woman’s safe for prescription medication.
Kannapolis Police charged Tamara Bressett on Wednesday with felony robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault on a handicapped person and felony safecracking.
Lt. Terry Spry said Bressett called authorities earlier this week and said an armed robbery had occurred at her 79-year-old mother’s home off Glenwood Avenue.
“Ms. Bressett said two masked armed men had come into the residence, forced their way into the residence, and pushed her around and assaulted her mother,” Spry said.
But authorities weren’t buying it.
After several interviews, Spry said, Bressett admitted to assaulting her mother so she would have time to get into the safe.
“She forcible held a pillow to the mother’s face,” he said. “She never revealed she was trying to kill her. She was trying to render her where she was not able to know what was going on.”
Bressett’s mother sustained bruising from the attack, Spry said.
The incident was reported about 1 a.m. on July 28.
Bressett was placed in Rowan County jail under a $200,000 bond.

Contact reporter Nathan Hardin at 704-797-4246.