A 44-year-old Illinois woman has been charged with felony aggravated battery after allegedly stabbing a friend in the chest over a remark about her hair.
Cynthia Denise Dear faces three counts of aggravated battery. Court records show the charges allege she used a deadly weapon, caused great bodily harm and committed the act in a public place.
The incident took place on the morning of Oct. 11 and started when the victim commented on Dear’s hair, according to Decatur Radio. The argument quickly escalated, and Dear is accused of beating, pepper-spraying and stabbing the victim.
WCIA, the Champaign-based CBS affiliate, cited court documents in additional reporting. It said a witness told police the confrontation began when the victim said to Dear, “Your hair has fuzz in it.”
“[The victim] stated that she did not utter the comment in a provoking nature or mean it to be a mean comment. She just made a comment,” the report says. “[Dear] became upset with the comment [the victim] made . . [and] said something like, ‘I’m going to give you the dirty south treatment.’”
The victim told police she had begun walking home when Dear got out of a truck and hit her before going back to the vehicle. As the victim kept walking, Dear allegedly came back and “maced” her in the back of the head, according to the report.
“[Dear] then jumped on her back,” police wrote. “When [Dear] was on her back, [the victim] observed [Dear] holding ‘a can of mace’ and a ‘silver knife with a black handle.’”
The victim said she “shrugged” Dear off and pinned her to the ground, but then realized she had been stabbed.
A witness noticed blood on the victim’s chest and ran to a nearby Burger King to get help, police said. A responding officer noted a “fresh laceration” on the victim’s left upper chest.
Paramedics took the victim to a local hospital, where doctors stitched the wound.
Police located Dear in the truck that evening. They reportedly recovered a bloody knife from inside the vehicle and found a can of pepper spray on the ground beside it.
At the police station, Dear allegedly asked about the victim’s well-being before saying, “I didn’t mean to stab her. It was a mistake.”
Dear is being held without bond at the Macon County Jail, records show. She is due in court for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 28.