Faribault Man Charged With Machete Assault Over Cigarette

A machete was swung at a woman in a Faribault grocery store parking lot after a cigarette flicked from her car window struck another vehicle, according to the complaint.

Corwin Johnathan Conrad Bicknell, 37, is charged in Rice County District Court with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and threats of violence, in a complaint filed October 8.

The complaint says officers responded to the parking lot at about 5:51 p.m. on October 6 after a reported stabbing. Officers spoke with the victim, who said she was dropping her daughter off at work when she flicked a cigarette out her window. The complaint states that as she did so, Bicknell drove by in a Chevrolet Malibu and the cigarette hit his vehicle.

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According to the complaint, Bicknell stopped his car and began arguing with the victim. Both got out of their vehicles. The complaint says after some back-and-forth, Bicknell went to his trunk, retrieved a sheathed machete, unsheathed it and swung it at the victim, striking her in the leg.

The victim told officers that after being struck with the machete, she threw her soda at Bicknell. The complaint says Bicknell then picked her up and slammed her to the ground. The victim reported injuries including a large bruise and abrasion on her left leg and redness on her upper chest.

Police spoke with a witness who corroborated the victim’s account. The witness reported that after the victim was slammed to the ground, Bicknell re-sheathed the machete and hit the victim on the head with the sheath before getting back in his car.

In a post-Miranda statement, Bicknell told police the incident began after the victim threw a cigarette at his car. The complaint says Bicknell admitted to arguing with the victim, getting out of their cars and grabbing his machete for “self-defense.” He admitted to striking the victim in the leg, claiming he used the flat part of the blade and confirmed that after the victim threw her drink at him, they ended up “wrestling.” Bicknell claimed he was struck in the back by the victim, but officers did not observe any obvious marks on his back.