https://www.news-journalonline.com/news ... r-stabbingWoman Arrested in Stabbing Incident
A Port Orange woman was arrested on allegations she stabbed another woman with a meat thermometer.
Susan Ferris, 39, was arrested Sunday near her home on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and child neglect. She was being held Monday without bail at the Volusia County Branch Jail.
Ormond Beach police said they responded shortly before 3 p.m. and found Patricia Leo, 37, bleeding and crying. She said, “Susan did this,” to first-responders who arrived at the scene, police said.
A meat thermometer covered in blood was found near the scene, according to an arrest report.
Witnesses told police they heard Leo say she had been stabbed and then saw another woman run from the yard, get into a vehicle and flee the area, the report stated.
One of Leo’s relatives reported he saw Leo standing in the doorway bleeding and saw Ferris holding a sharp object, police said.
During a disagreement a Leo’s home, Ferris made an obscene gesture toward Leo at which time Leo told her to leave. That’s when Ferris attacked her, according to the report. Details of what led up to the stabbing were not in the report.
Later, Ferris was pulled over while driving near her home by Port Orange police. Ormond police showed up to question her and arrest her. Police said during the confrontation with Leo, Ferris apparently took a blow to the face. Her jail photo shows a blackened left eye.
“The victim fought back during the attack,” said Ormond Beach Officer Keith Walker.
Leo was hospitalized for a stab wound to her left chest, a puncture wound to the back of her left arm, a cut on her right inside elbow and a cut on her head, the report stated.
Jail and court records show Ferris has a history of domestic abuse-related arrests.
Port Orange is 409 miles from Niceville.
