A Fridley man is charged with felony assault after threatening a woman with a kitchen knife and putting her in a chokehold during an early morning domestic dispute, according to a criminal complaint.
Caleb Donovan Blatcher, 21, is charged in Anoka County with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of misdemeanor domestic assault.
Around 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 12, Fridley police were dispatched to an apartment complex in the 5800 block of East River Road NE for a reported domestic assault. Dispatch advised that a man came at a woman with a knife and had just left in a Honda Civic. Officers located the Honda Civic en route and arrested Blatcher.
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Officers then met with the victim at the apartment. She told them a verbal argument had begun over their new dog. During the argument, Blatcher slapped her under the chin and later pulled her hair while she was on the bed.
At one point Blatcher grabbed a knife and threatened to kill himself with it, then left the apartment. He came back to the apartment and threatened the victim with the knife, holding it in an overhand grip while allegedly putting her in a chokehold.
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The victim told officers the incident made her fearful for her safety. She showed officers the knife, a large kitchen knife with a black handle, which appeared to have been tossed on the stove.
Blatcher is being held in custody as of publication. If convicted on the felony assault count, he faces up to seven years in prison.
