Crest Hill Woman Followed Victim Around Basement Holding Her Knife, Stabbed Him In Stomach: Prosecutor

CREST HILL, IL —A 38-year-old Crest Hill woman has regained her freedom after spending three days in Will County's Jail in connection with a stabbing incident inside her house. The Will County State's Attorney's Office has charged Sylvia Tovar with aggravated battery and domestic battery. Crest Hill police responded to Tovar's house and took her away in handcuffs on Sunday night.

The criminal complaint accuses Tovar of using a deadly weapon, a knife, "in that said defendant poked (the victim) in the stomach" on Jan. 4.

Prosecutors filed a petition to deny pretrial release against Tovar. According to the document, at 7:41 p.m., the Crest Hill police responded to the house in the 20700 block of Huron Street for a domestic incident.

An officer spoke with the victim, and he revealed that Tovar "is an alcoholic and was trying to order more alcohol through Uber delivery from her cell phone, so he took the phone and canceled the order," court documents show. "The parties began arguing about drinking and Sylvia would go back on her phone to order more alcohol and he would cancel it, this occurred three times in total."

Prosecutors pointed out that after the third time, the victim refused to give Tovar back her phone and "she became angry and followed him around. Sylvia's father came down, and she argued with her father and hit (him) in the head with her hand."

Then, Tovar picked up a large kitchen knife, and she followed the victim throughout the house, demanding her phone back, court files allege.

"Sylvia pressed the point of the knife into his stomach with a stabbing motion but did not penetrate his stomach or leave any injuries," court documents indicate.

Court documents indicate that Officer Gorz interviewed Tovar "and detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverage from her breath. Sylvia stated she had been consuming alcohol when (the victim) took her phone away and she got upset and tried to grab it back ... Sylvia stated she grabbed the knife in an act of self-defense."

Tovar's father told Crest Hill police "she is an alcoholic and heard them arguing while he was upstairs. He went downstairs to tell her stop drinking and she began to yell at him and slapped him in the chest with her hand," prosecutors said. "He went back upstairs and did not observe the knife incident."

Will County Judge Chrystel Gavlin rejected the prosecution's petition seeking to deny pretrial release for Tovar under the SAFE-T-Act. Instead, the judge informed the defendant that Tovar was being released from the Will County Jail and that she would be placed on electronic monitoring. She must also stay away from the man she is accused of trying to stab, as well as the man's adolescent child and the Crest Hill house on Huron Street where the incident happened.