GREENFIELD — A personal care attendant accused of stabbing the 82-year-old husband of a woman she was caring for in Montague pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to three charges stemming from the April 15 incident.

Kady J. Flanagan, 28, of Deerfield, appeared in Greenfield District Court to answer to single counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person 60 or older, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, and assault and battery with serious injury on a disabled person 60 or older. Judge Tina Cafaro ruled the defendant can be released on $10,000 surety, meaning she will owe that much if she fails to appear for a May 15 pretrial conference. Flanagan also must have no contact with the alleged victim and report to probation.

According to a report filed by Montague Police Sgt. John Dempsey, he responded to a Montague City Road residence at around 1:10 p.m. on Saturday, April 15, for a report of a man in a wheelchair having been stabbed. Upon arrival, he found Officer Jamal Holland speaking with the man, who was keeping pressure on an abdominal wound. According to a report filed by Officer James Ruddock, the victim was wearing a white T-shirt soaked with blood and holding a blue cloth to the side of his stomach.

The man, a retired Turners Falls firefighter, reportedly told Dempsey he was in his kitchen listening to his police scanner to hear details about the fire happening on Summit Street in Orange when Flanagan, who is his wife’s caretaker, stabbed him. He said he initially thought he had been punched, and only realized he’d been stabbed after seeing blood. He also mentioned he had a cut on his hand due to attempting to swat away the steak knife. According to Ruddock’s report, the wound was ½-inch to ¾-inch in size.

The man told Ruddock he tried to swat away the knife and started kicking at Flanagan in self-defense. Ruddock noted the victim is a double-amputee and wears prosthetics from the knees down. The victim told Ruddock he then exited the house in his motorized scooter, rode next door and yelled for help.

Two women outside assisted the man and one of them called 911. They also signed voluntary statements corroborating what the victim told authorities. One of the women wrote that she saw Flanagan flee the scene.

According to police, the victim identified Flanagan as the assailant. He taken to Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield and then to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

Flanagan reportedly walked into the Montague Police Station voluntarily to speak with officers. She told police she was in the victim’s kitchen retrieving water for his wife when he made sexual advances toward her, at which time she took a steak knife from a nearby table and stabbed the victim.

Flanagan told police she could have left the room, and she did not tell the victim to go away or that she was uncomfortable with his sexual advances, according to police. Flanagan was then arrested.

Defense attorney Chrisiant Bracken, representing Flanagan, said in court that Flanagan has experienced past trauma and has been in therapy for three years. Bracken said the April 15 incident was a “fight-or-flight response” that her client admits was completely inappropriate.

“It was very much a one-off event,” Bracken said.

It was confirmed that Flanagan paid a fine for a 2012 conviction of leaving the scene of property damage.

Assistant District Attorney Aidan Lanciani represented the state on Tuesday.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.

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