Altoona police say a Blair County woman who was wanted for her involvement in a stabbing at a local strip club last weekend has been arrested, according to a criminal complaint.
Authorities say 45-year-old Melissa Thompson is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct, simple assault and harassment, according to online court records.
Police say during the early morning hours of Nov. 13, officers were dispatched to The Palace, located along the 2300 block of Union Ave., for a reported stabbing.
Upon investigation, police learned that Thompson had walked into the bathroom of the club, grabbed the victim by the back of the neck, and began a verbal altercation with her, the complaint states.
Police say surveillance video shows the two individuals leave the bathroom and continue the altercation, at which time, witnesses told police that Thompson had accused the victim of being a Confidential Informant for law enforcement.
Police note that video shows the victim slap Thompson and Thompson responds by repeatedly “swinging” at her.
Authorities say the club’s bouncers then intervened and separated the two individuals, at which time Thompson left the club prior to police arriving on scene.
Investigators say one of the bouncers then noticed that the victim was bleeding and police say they observed two large cuts on and around the victim’s neck and chest area.
Police say the victim was transported to UPMC Altoona where she underwent surgery.
Upon interviewing the victim, police say that she never saw Thompson with a knife at the time of the attack and did not realize that she had been cut until the bouncer noticed the blood.
Police also learned that Thompson was “known to carry razor blades” and the complaint states that the victim believed she was cut by such.
During the course of the investigation, police say they made several attempts to locate and contact Thompson, who told police that “she needed more time to get her affairs in order before she came to the station.”
Police also noted that each time they spoke with Thompson on the phone, her speech was slurred and she claimed that she had suffered injuries in the attack as well.
