The defense attorney for a Vancouver man accused of stabbing his friend in the chest told a judge Tuesday that his client’s case “screams self-defense.”
Christopher Ollar, 31, was in Clark County Superior Court to face an allegation of first-degree assault in connection with the Sunday night stabbing at his residence in the Ogden neighborhood.
The victim, identified in court records as Nicholas Bennett, remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, the prosecution said Tuesday. The knife reportedly used in the stabbing punctured his heart, court records show, and he has not regained consciousness.
At about 11:20 p.m. Sunday, Vancouver police responded to 8620 N.E. 29th Way for a reported stabbing. Arriving officers found Bennett unconscious, lying in the driveway and suffering a stab wound to his chest, according to an affidavit of probable cause. He was transported to PeaceHealth for treatment.
Ollar told detectives that he invited Bennett over earlier that evening. Bennett was intoxicated, he said, and became belligerent. Ollar asked him to leave, but he refused, the affidavit states.
He then lured Bennett outside under the ruse of having a cigarette, Ollar said, and once he was outside, Ollar went back in and locked the door. Bennett began yelling and pounding on the door and windows, so Ollar and his girlfriend went outside to tell him to leave, court records said.
Bennett hit both in the face, Ollar said, prompting him to retrieve a knife from inside. Ollar said he confronted Bennett in the driveway, inserting himself between his girlfriend, who had just been struck in the face again, and Bennett, according to court documents.
Ollar said he was holding the knife at chest level and that Bennett ran into it. The couple then went inside and called 911, the affidavit states.
During his hearing, Ollar’s court-appointed attorney, Jason Bailes, said that the alleged victim was drunk and assaulted Ollar and his girlfriend. He argued that Ollar acted in self-defense.
Still, Judge Gregory Gonzales set Ollar’s bail at $100,000. The prosecution said he has 19 prior warrants and failed to appear for court in October in a DUI case.
Ollar will be arraigned Friday.
