A 38-year-old Belleview woman was arrested after she cut a female victim across the face with a knife.
On Wednesday, shortly before 10:30 p.m., a Marion County Sheriff’s Office corporal responded to a local residence in reference to a reported stabbing. Upon arrival, the corporal located the female victim who was sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle that was parked in the road.
According to the MCSO report, the victim had a severe laceration across her top and bottom lip that was bleeding heavily. The corporal noted that blood covered the victim’s mouth, chest, legs, and arms. Inside the vehicle, there was also blood on the door, floorboard, and seat.
Due to the severity of the victim’s injury, she had blood in her mouth and was barely able to speak. Marion County Fire Rescue arrived on scene and transported the victim to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries.
A witness, the victim’s boyfriend, was standing near the vehicle, and he told the corporal that he had traveled to the incident location with the victim since he was in the process of moving out.
The witness stated that he went inside the residence to gather some belongings while the victim sat inside the vehicle. While inside the home, he stated that he saw Laci Leigh Albritton grab a knife and walk outside. He described it as a butcher’s knife with a silver blade and white handle.
The witness advised that he heard an argument outside. He quickly exited the residence and observed that the victim was bleeding from her mouth. He placed the victim inside the vehicle and contacted law enforcement.
The corporal made contact with Albritton. She stated that she had been having ongoing issues with the victim and they had been “arguing online for a while.”
Albritton claimed that while the witness was inside the residence, the victim sent her a text message requesting that she come outside. She told the corporal that she went outside to “confront” the victim, and she claimed that the victim stepped out of the vehicle and started swinging at her.
Albritton stated that she responded by swinging at the victim, which allegedly caused the cut on the victim’s face. She initially denied that a knife was involved in the incident.
When the corporal informed Albritton that the victim’s injuries were not consistent with her story, Albritton began to cry and admitted that she had cut the victim with a knife.
The corporal observed blood on Albritton’s finger, and she was missing a nail. She stated that she broke her nail off when she hit the victim.
The MCSO report indicated that the corporal entered the residence and located a knife near the kitchen sink that matched the description that was provided by the witness. When the corporal showed the knife to Albritton, she confirmed that it was the knife she had used to cut the victim.
Albritton was arrested, transported to Marion County Jail, and she was later released on $5,000 bond. She is facing a felony charge for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.