Moorhead Man Charged After Neighbor Stabbed in Abdomen

Sep 4

A Moorhead man has been charged after police say he stabbed his neighbor during an unprovoked attack that left the victim hospitalized with a collapsed lung.

According to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday, 37-year-old Joshua John David Carney is charged with first-degree assault causing great bodily harm and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

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The charges stem from an incident around 9:15 a.m. Tuesday on the 300 block of 16th Street North, where police responded to a 911 call reporting a stabbing.

Officers arrived to find the victim holding a towel against his abdomen and bleeding heavily. He told police that Carney, his neighbor of about a year, had knocked on his door asking for a cup of sugar. Before he could respond, Carney allegedly lunged forward with a knife that had a reddish handle and stabbed him in the abdomen. The victim managed to slam his door shut before Carney could enter his apartment.

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Paramedics treated the victim on scene before transporting him to the hospital, where doctors later informed investigators that the stabbing had collapsed one of his lungs. Police say the victim told them he had spoken with officers just days earlier about a disturbance involving Carney.

Carney was located shortly after the stabbing near Park Christian School by police. Officers said he denied being involved in any altercation but remarked that law enforcement had “got here real quick.” No knife was recovered from him at the time of arrest.

If convicted, Carney faces up to 20 years in prison and a $30,000 fine on the first-degree assault charge, and up to seven years and a $14,000 fine on the second-degree assault charge.

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