Animal rights activist stabs woman in faux fur boots inside church, Ohio cops say

An animal rights activist is accused of stabbing a woman inside a church because she was wearing boots with fur — which was fake, Ohio police say.

The activist previously tried to hire a “hit man” to kill people in fur, media outlets report.

Meredith Lowell, 35, followed the woman into a Cleveland Heights church Wednesday night as she was dropping off children for choir practice, according to a police report obtained by McClatchy news group. The woman was babysitting the two kids.

The woman later told police that she was standing in the main hall of the church when she felt Lowell “push on her left arm” and walk away, according to the police report. It wasn’t until the woman saw blood that she realized Lowell had stabbed her, police said.

“She stabbed her,” yelled a churchgoer, according to the report.

That’s when a woman in the church wrestled Lowell to the floor with the help of another man. They pulled a yellow kitchen knife away from Lowell by twisting her wrist, police said.

When cops arrived, they found the woman holding her side and blood on the floor. The man who’d helped take the knife from Lowell still had her pinned to the ground, police said. The cop said he quickly kicked the knife away from them.

The woman was rushed to the hospital with three stab wounds, police said. She was able to speak later with investigators.

Based on the preliminary investigation, detectives believe that Lowell targeted the woman because she was wearing boots that appeared to have fur, Police Chief Annette Mecklenburg told McClatchy.

“Unfortunately, I am not able to provide any more specific details at this time other than to say that she has been arrested for other incidents involving attacks on women wearing fur clothing,” Mecklenburg said.

In 2012, Lowell was arrested after attempting to hire a hit man — who was really an undercover FBI agent — to kill a person wearing fur, The Plain Dealer in Cleveland reported.

“I am paying you to kill one person wearing fur who is 12 or older (but hopefully at least 14 years, however 12 years old or older is fine.),” she’s accused of writing in a Facebook message to the undercover agent, the newspaper reported.

A judge ordered her released a year later because she was ruled mentally incompetent for trial, The Plain Dealer reported.

On Thursday, Lowell was charged with felonious assault and attempted murder, WJW reported. Her bond was $1 million, the Cleveland TV station said.

The Rev. Jessie MacMillan of Fairmount Presbyterian Church said the choir children were taken to a secure room while the police and paramedics responded, according to a statement provided to WEWS. She said the stabbed woman was in stable condition.

“Please keep all involved in your prayers,” MacMillan wrote in the statement to WEWS.