SOAP LAKE, Wash. — A man was arrested in Soap Lake on Thursday after he allegedly cut his wife's throat at an ice cream shop.
The suspect, 51-year-old Samuel Montoya of Quincy is facing first-degree attempted murder charges. During his initial court appearance on Friday, a Grant County judge issued a no-contact order with the victim and his bond was set at $1 million.
Montoya initially ran from the business where he attacked the victim but ultimately turned himself in. He was arrested and booked into the Grant County Jail for investigation of attempted first-degree murder. The victim was awake when police first arrived but her current condition is not known.
According to the Soap Lake Police Department (SLPD), officers responded to the Tutti Frutti Bar ice cream shop at approximately 11:45 a.m. on Thursday. When police arrived, they found a woman lying on the front sidewalk bleeding from the front of her neck.
The woman told police that her husband cut her throat with a knife. She was taken to Confluence Health-Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee for treatment. Her current condition isn't known and her identity has not been released at this time. Police believe she works at or owns the ice cream shop.
The victim's husband, later identified as Montoya, left the scene of the crime but eventually surrendered at the Ephrata Police Department. He was booked into the Grant County Jail for investigation of attempted first-degree murder.
During his first appearance in Grant County District Court, the prosecutor called the crime gruesome and despicable. According to the prosecutor, Montoya said to his wife "If I can't have you, no one can" before he cut her for a second time. Prosecutors said Montoya smiled when he was told the victim was still alive.
His arraignment is set for July 25 at 1:30 p.m.
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