A transient woman who allegedly tried to kill a Rutland police officer by cutting his throat with a knife was ordered jailed without bail Friday after she pleaded innocent to a charge of attempted murder.

Jennifer Berube, 39, didn’t speak during a brief appearance in Rutland criminal court in which she stood in chains while her attorney entered a denial on her behalf to a criminal charge that carries a potential lifetime prison sentence.

Judge Nancy Corsones scheduled a weight of the evidence hearing for next Thursday which will determine whether Berube will continue to be jailed without the option of release by bail.

Berube and her boyfriend John MacLean III, were arrested Thursday afternoon for allegedly trying to use a stolen credit card at businesses on North Main Street and Woodstock Avenue.

The pair was being booked on a number of petty offenses and probably would have been released with a citation to appear in court on a later date when Berube somehow obtained a multi-bladed knife and attempted to pull it across the throat of Officer Damon Nguyen who was on duty in the booking area, according to Rutland police Sgt. John Sly and court filings.

“If it wasn’t for the officer’s skill set, it would have been a totally different outcome,” Sly said. “The minute she laid hands on him, he responded and neutralized the situation.”

Instead of cutting across the officer’s throat the way Sly said she intended too, the blade left only a minor cut.

Nguyen was taken to Rutland Regional Medical Center where he was treated and released.

Berube was also taken to the hospital after she was restrained by the officer and other members of the force who rushed to assist him.

During the struggle, Sly said the woman cut both hands on the knife she wielded.