Man charged after allegedly attacking landlord with machete

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) - A Rhode Island woman is recovering from a machete attack after authorities said a dispute between the woman and a tenant escalated, and the renter slashed her in the face with the weapon.

Charles Manuel, 70, stood before a Providence District Court judge Tuesday.

His landlord, Idalia Montalvo, said Manuel cut her on the face with a machete.

“And I have 15 stitches in my face,” she said.

Montalvo said Manuel has been renting the third floor of the building she owns for 13 years.

She said they got into an argument over rent when he demanded she leave, but she stood her ground.

“And then he went inside the room, he had a machete, and he slapped me in my face with the machete,” she said.

Montalvo said the suspect has always had a “big mouth” and is a veteran, but had never been violent towards her before.

“And I know that he wasn’t right. I knew that his eyes wasn’t right. He was in another world. I treat that guy like he was part of my family,” she said.

According to the court, Manuel stayed on the scene and was cooperative. His bail was set at $10,000, he has a no-contact order and he must go to pretrial services to have his mental health monitored.

“I’m going to have a big scar on my face. I don’t want him near here,” Montalvo said.

Manuel is expected back in court on Jan. 17.