Coalport man faces stabbing charges | News, sports, work

A Coalport man faces aggravated assault charges after he allegedly entered a city residence and stabbed a man in the leg.

Christopher Terrell Thomas, 46, was arraigned Saturday by District Judge Paula M. Aigner on aggravated assault charges, as well as one misdemeanor count of possession of a weapon, two misdemeanor counts of simple assault and two summary counts of harassment.

Because he was unable to post $150,000 bail, he was booked into the Blair County Jail.

Altoona police responded on Oct. 25 around 5:45 p.m. to a report of a stabbing at a residence in the 1500 block of Third Street.

Officers spoke with a witness who said she was talking to the victim in the dining room of her home when there was a knock on the door. When she answered, she saw it was a man she knew only as “Dutch,” later identified as Thomas, who lived at an assisted living facility in Coalport, according to the affidavit.

The witness said she “exchanged words” with Thomas about returning property they owned that belonged to the other. When she walked away from the door, Thomas followed her into the house and she stood in front of him. The witness said Thomas struck her twice on the right side of her face with a closed fist.

Thomas then approached the victim, pushed him into a chair, punched him in the face, grabbed his leg and stabbed him in the leg. The witness said she first saw Thomas with a knife. She then ran away from home to get help from a neighbor. Court documents say the victim also fled and headed south until another neighbor came outside to help him.

The witness told officers that she had only known Thomas for a few days and that he had only been to her home twice before this incident. When asked if Thomas knew the victim, she replied that he did not.

Officers searched the house and did not find Thomas or the knife. Court documents say they located several pools of blood in the dining room, kitchen, and blood stains on the ground along the line of travel the victim took after leaving the residence and heading south.

Officers contacted staff at the Coalport nursing home and provided them with a description of Thomas. They said they knew Christopher Thomas, who used the nickname “Dutch,” but he was not currently at the center. Court documents say the employee later contacted officers and informed them that Thomas had returned to the facility in an Uber.

When officers went to UPMC Altoona to speak with the victim, they were informed that he was being treated in the operating room. The witness was able to positively identify

Court documents show Thomas as “Dutch” in the photos.

Thomas’ preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 6 before District Judge Daniel C. DeAntonio.