The woman accused of stabbing two bouncers and biting a third at a Southington restaurant and bar over the weekend appeared in court Monday.
Police arrested Heidi Montes, 24, of Wallingford along with her brother, Adrian Montes, 28, of Springfield, Massachusetts, and Stuart Chase, 32, of Leeds, Massachusetts, after an altercation that led to the violent stabbings.
It happened around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday at 75 Center in Southington. According to court documents, a bouncer was “attempting to escort several parties out of the bar who were having a verbal dispute” which included Heidi and Adrian Montes and Stuart Chase. When they continued “verbal and aggressive behavior” they were told to leave, but didn’t, the incident report states.
That’s when bouncers physically removed them from the establishment, and the situation escalated.
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Video taken by a witness shows Chase punching a bouncer, and then the altercation continues outside on the sidewalk.
“Let go of him right now, let go of him,” Heidi Montes can be heard saying in the video.
That’s when she’s accused of using pepper spray and stabbing two bouncers and biting a third.
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“The allegations are that she stabbed a security guard at a restaurant in the back and in the neck, she also stabbed another security guard in the face,” an assistant state's attorney said in court Monday. “Both stabbings were done with a spike on her keychain, and she allegedly bit a third person in the chest.”
Police said the weapon was a wand shank attached to a keychain. It was recovered from the scene with blood on it.
“All three of those victims went to the hospital, and the person who was stabbed the face needed stitches and they have long-term nerve damage,” the prosecutor said.
In court Monday, Montes’ public defender attempted to get her bond lowered, saying she has a 6-month-old child at home that needs her, and she was acting in self-defense.
“There are people here who are prepared to give affidavits and witness statements indicating this was self-defense. I understand that the charges are serious and there are serious injuries here,” her public defender said to the judge.
The judge set bond at $200,000 for charges including second-degree assault, third-degree assault, and breach of peace. She was ordered to have no contact with the victims.
Chase was arraigned on charges of interfering/resisting arrest and second-degree breach of peace. His bond was set at $25,000.
Adrian Montes was also charged with interfering/resisting arrest and second-degree breach of peace and was released on a promise to appear.
Family of the defendants were in the courtroom but declined to speak with NBC Connecticut.
