A suspect is facing new charges for allegedly communicating with a witness in a case where he was charged with repeatedly beating a victim with a baseball bat and also attacking two other victims near Cary.
Matthew D. Armbrust, 40, of Cary, was charged with communicating or detaining a witness, a Class 3 felony, and violating a pre-trial release order, a Class A misdemeanor.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges Armbrust communicated with a witness in a pending criminal case in McHenry County in violation of a court order around 2:30 p.m. on May 19.
Armbrust also communicated “knowingly false information” to the woman, the complaint said. He was being held in the McHenry County Jail at the time of the offense.
The woman is a victim in a case where Armbrust was charged earlier this month with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and two counts of domestic battery causing bodily harm.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and Cary Police Department responded around 1:58 a.m. on May 18 to the 2100 block of Hillside Terrace in unincorporated Cary for a report of a battery victim.
A person called 911 to report that a 45-year-old man was struck in the head with a bat and ran to the neighbor’s home for help, according to police radio traffic.
Deputies arrived and reported finding two victims with extensive head injuries and also arrested Armbrust.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges Armbrust used a baseball bat to strike the male victim.
Armbrust allegedly beat the victim in the head, arms and torso with the bat.
The victim suffered multiple lacerations that required medical treatment, including staples to close the wounds.
The complaint said Armbrust also allegedly struck another man in the face with a closed fist, causing contusions and swelling around his left eye. That victim was a family or household member.
Armbrust grabbed a third victim, a female, by the arms and dragged her from the residence, causing contusions and swelling to her wrists, the complaint said. That victim was also a family or household member.
Court documents said the incident began when Armbrust got into a physical altercation with his girlfriend when one of the other victims attempted to intervene.
Armbrust punched that victim repeatedly until the third victim intervened, at which time he attacked that victim with a baseball bat, court documents said.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Armbrust pending trial, calling him a real and present danger to the community.
McHenry County Judge Cynthia Lamb granted the petition and remanded Armbrust to the McHenry County Jail.
“There are no combination of conditions that can mitigate the real and present threat this Defendant poses to the community or the person or persons of the community,” the judge said.
Armbrust is scheduled to appear in court again on June 13 for a preliminary hearing.