Cloquet Slashing Suspect Charged

A man allegedly slashes woman for 'snitching'

CLOQUET, Minn. — A Cloquet area man is accused of slashing a woman’s throat, after accusing her of snitching; according to Probable Cause Documents filed in District Court.

25-year-old Toby Ray Smith is being held in the Carlton County Jail on $100,000 bond, after police alleged, he stabbed a woman in the neck on Aug. 22, on the Fond Du Lac reservation. Police say they had attempted to arrest Smith earlier in the day for an unrelated warrant, but he ultimately evaded them on foot.

Shortly before midnight on Aug. 22, officers responded to a call for a stolen ATV. Upon arrival, they were made aware of a possible domestic victim and located a woman with a wound on her neck.

The woman, later alleged to be in a romantic relationship with Smith, told police that she was riding with Smith, when he began to tighten her helmet’s chin strap. Smith reportedly asked the woman why she was ‘snitching’ on him, referencing his police interaction earlier in the day, while tightening the strap to the point it began to choke her. When Smith allegedly pulled a knife and stabbed at the woman, she attempted to fight back and was able to escape off the ATV trail.

Officers located the ATV, what appeared to be blood, a helmet, and the woman’s purse, in the area she had described to them.

Smith was later located in the possession of a bandana, with what appeared to be blood stains, and what officers observed as cuts on his hand. He will make his initial appearance on these charges in court on Tuesday.