The suspect in an alleged stabbing incident in Saint Clair earlier this month appeared in District Court for his preliminary hearing on Tuesday. However, the case was continued due to his victim – who is also facing charges related to the incident – not appearing.
Chaze Cholminski, 18, of Pottsville, was being held in Schuylkill County Prison on $150,000. At the end of Tuesday’s court appearance, papers were being prepared for a modification of his bail that would see him released from custody and his bail modified to unsecured.
Cholminski is facing felony aggravated assault and illegal weapons charges after he allegedly stabbed 19-year-old Brenden Vito, of Coopersburg in Lehigh County, on June 11 in Saint Clair. When police caught up to Cholminski following the reported stabbing, they say he had a stolen handgun on him at the time of his arrest.
Vito failed to appear for Tuesday’s hearing. He is facing two misdemeanor counts of simple assault, along with summary offenses of disorderly conduct and harassment related to the incident and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on July 28.
Before Senior Magisterial District Judge Edward Lewis in Port Carbon on Tuesday, Cholminski’s attorney, Public Defender Ashley Sabol, asked that charges against her client be dropped due to Vito not showing. Lewis denied that motion but did grant her request for modification of Cholminski’s bail.
Assistant District Attorney David Noon requested a continuance in Cholminski’s case due to the severity of the charges he’s facing and because the alleged offenses involved a deadly weapon.
The alleged incident began around 8 p.m. when Saint Clair Police were dispatched to 126 N. Second St. for a fight in progress. Arriving officers found Vito sitting up the street on the same block with a blood-soaked shirt, holding his left rib cage. He was transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital-East in Pottsville for medical attention.
While at the hospital, Vito told police he had gone to that N. Second St. residence with a pizza after being told to “pull up” by a juvenile female during a TikTok live video. Vito stated he became upset upon seeing Cholminski at the same location, leading to a verbal argument.
During the initial investigation into the stabbing, Cholminski told police that Vito became angry and began staring him down after noticing hickeys on his neck.
Vito told police the two were in each other’s face before he shoved Cholminski, sparking a physical altercation. Cholminski, the juvenile female’s boyfriend, stabbed the victim during a physical altercation and fled. Police later located Cholminski on Industrial Park Rd. Upon being stopped, Cholminski told police the incident was in self-defense.
Police say Cholminski was carrying a pocket knife with blood on it. A subsequent search of his backpack at the police station yielded a Glock 19 handgun. Police determined the firearm had been reported stolen in January.
The juvenile female told police she tried to break up the fight but was unsuccessful. She alleged Vito ripped her to the ground by her hair, causing her to hit a hard surface and suffer a head injury.
The female also told police that during the altercation, Vito ended up on top of Cholminski and struck him in the face. Cholminski told police he was hit in the face approximately eight times during the fight.
Police concluded Vito engaged in a mutual fight and attempted to cause or intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly caused bodily injury to both Cholminski and the female. Police requested a summons of arrest be issued for Vito.
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