Charge: Railroad spike used in assault

Authorities in Carlton County Sixth District Court charged a 37-year-old Carlton man with attempted murder Feb. 23, two days after he allegedly attacked another resident in a local halfway house using a weapon made with a railroad spike.

Jacob Robert Clarin faces up to 20 years in prison for a second-degree felony attempted murder charge, labeled “with intent-not premeditated.” A second felony, assault with a dangerous weapon, carries a maximum seven-year sentence and $14,000 fine.

The attack occurred Feb. 21, when Carlton County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Lake Venoah Board and Lodge outside Carlton, in Twin Lakes Township, and found a victim who’d been struck several times with a makeshift instrument. The male victim was bleeding with wounds to his forehead, back of head and scalp. One injury extended through an eyebrow “and was significantly opened,” the criminal complaint said.

The victim required 15 stitches as part of medical attention.

According to the complaint, Clarin was apprehended on thin lake ice after fleeing the scene. A drone-aided search helped to locate him on a nearby lake where he was known to fish. The victim had been newly admitted to the treatment-based facility, and Clarin seemed to target him from the beginning, yelling at him and suggesting he knew the victim.

Upon being coaxed off the ice by officers, Clarin allegedly “made spontaneous statements,” including, “‘I wanted to kill him,”” and alluding to the victim having done Clarin wrong in the past.

A search of Clarin’s room yielded numerous writings, including violent statements that referenced the attack.

Deputies located an improvised weapon at the scene — a long shaft consisting of added curved metal points and topped with a railroad spike affixed with electrical tape. The instrument was broken into three pieces, the complaint said.

Lake Venoah Board and Lodge describes itself on social media as “offering supportive services for adult men with alcohol and drug addictions.” Lake Venoah says it does medication management, sets up appointments and transportation, and helps with residents’ paperwork.

Clarin next appears in Sixth District Court for a remote hearing at 10 a.m. Monday, for an initial Rule 8 hearing, which will give him an opportunity to plead guilty. If he does not, the case will proceed toward a formal arraignment.