Three Schuylkill County women are facing charges after police say they responded to a call of a fight in Pottsville last month.
Police say officers were called to Seltzer Bar and Grill, N. Centre St., on Sept. 19 after reports of three people fighting close to the nearby Peacock St. housing development.
When police arrived, the crowd had dispersed.
Bar staff told officers that three women had been fighting behind a fence in the Peacock St. housing area but fled before police got there. They could not identify the fight participants.
Police say they interviewed bystanders who also couldn’t provide details on who was involved.
Two days later, police were contacted by 9-1-1 dispatchers after the victim and a witness came forward to report what happened.
The witness reportedly told police that she and the victim had gone to Seltzer Bar that night. She said a man from the Second St. housing development told another woman, identified as Christine Hendricks, 29, of Saint Clair, that the witness was at the bar and encouraged her to come fight.
After an unrelated argument between Hendricks and the witness, the victim and witness tried to leave in the victim’s vehicle. The witness said Hendricks approached the vehicle and hit it. When the victim got out and told Hendricks not to hit her car, Hendricks allegedly punched her, sparking a physical fight.
During the altercation, two other women — identified as Rhakeira Williams, 27, of Ashland, and Canei Miller, 35, of Pottsville — allegedly joined in and attacked the victim while she was on the ground.
Police say the witness provided video of the incident showing Hendricks and the victim fighting before Williams and Miller stepped in and began punching and grabbing the victim.
The victim was later treated at Lehigh Valley Hospital-East in Pottsville on Sept. 23 for a headache and nausea, police say. Medical records indicated she suffered a concussion but did not lose consciousness.
Hendricks, Williams, and Miller are all facing charges of simple assault, harassment, and disorderly conduct. They’ve been ordered to appear at a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge James Reiley on Nov. 25 to answer to those charges.
CORRECTION: The original version of this article indicated Miller was 25 years old. She’s 35.
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