Charges: Woman assaulted mother with hammer

A Thomson Township woman was airlifted to a Duluth hospital last week following an alleged assault by her daughter.

Amber Rae Stonemark, 35, is facing charges of first-degree assault, great bodily harm as well as second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, both felonies, for allegedly assaulting her mother with a hammer Aug. 5. Stonemark was charged in Carlton County Court Aug. 7.

According to the criminal complaint, Minnesota State Patrol and Carlton County Sheriff’s Office officers responded to a welfare check Thursday, Aug. 6, on East Stark Road in Esko. The welfare check came after Stonemark was detained by law enforcement in Minneapolis and told them she had “harmed her mother the prior evening with a hammer.”

Upon arrival at the residence, no one responded and officers found a mattress propped against the door. Upon breaching the door, officers found large amounts of blood and located the victim on the floor of the bathroom. She said she had fallen but was unable to provide a formal statement due to her condition. Officers observed visible injuries and located a hammer in the immediate vicinity. The victim was transported by air ambulance to a Duluth hospital.

Esko Fire, Cloquet Area Fire District, and Life Link III Air Ambulance tended to, and transported the woman.

With assistance from Twin Cities area law enforcement, Stonemark was taken into custody and transported to the Carlton County Jail. According to the criminal complaint, she allegedly admitted to assaulting her mother with a hammer.

The Carlton County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the matter with the assistance of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The Sheriff’s Office is not looking for any other suspects.

The assault is not the first for Stonemark.

According to newspaper and television stories from 2011, Stonemark was also charged that year with second-degree attempted murder and assault after she allegedly assaulted a man with a straight-edge folding razor following a domestic abuse incident. Police said she told them she was Jesus Christ. Her public defender said she was “extremely delusional” and suffered from mental illness. He argued she should be treated rather than charged. The charges were dismissed in November 2011 after Stonemark was civilly committed.

Stonemark also was found guilty of first-degree burglary and third-degree assault in 2007, in a case where she and three other young adults assaulted and robbed a 65-year-old Cloquet man after he had drinks with Stonemark at his residence.

She was also convicted of fifth- degree assault in 2018.

Stonemark was due in court via Zoom hearing again Wednesday morning. Bail was set at $200,000.