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Transient man in Bozeman accused of stabbing another man near Glen Lake Rotary Park

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BOZEMAN — A transient Bozeman man was arrested in connection with the stabbing of another man near Glen Lake Rotary Park on Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Lonny Ray Williams, 53, appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court on Friday, charged with attempted deliberate homicide.

Court documents say on Thursday, Bozeman Police officers responded to the report of a man who had walked up to the AMR office on Industrial Drive with stab wounds.

The victim told officers Williams was the man who stabbed him; the victim was then taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries.

Officers learned that the alleged assault took place in the camper of a woman the victim had been staying with. While the victim was undergoing treatment, a detective spoke with the woman who confirmed she owned the trailer and gave police consent to search the trailer for evidence.

Officers reportedly located Williams around 12:30 a.m. on Friday in a tent on Iron Horse Road near the intersection with Manley Road. Court documents say Williams was with a woman, Claudine Wolfe, and both were detained and taken to the Bozeman Public Safety Center for interviews.

According to court documents, Williams had blood on his hands when he was detained, and there were drops of blood near the entrance of the tent. A detective also noted blood outside the camper where the victim was staying and more significant blood stains in the bed area where the alleged assault likely took place.

During her interview, Wolfe reportedly told a detective she and Williams have been in a relationship for several months. She said the victim had come to the tent intoxicated and was trying to sleep next to her. The victim allegedly began to rub her leg, causing her to become upset and leave the tent. She left the area and later returned, waiting outside until Williams arrived.

According to court documents, Williams and another man told the victim to get out of the tent and leave. The victim left and returned to the camper.

Williams allegedly said he was going to kill the victim and left the tent when Wolfe told him the victim had rubbed her leg. Wolfe said when Williams returned, he said he had "cut" the victim.

When the detective read Williams his rights and interviewed him, Williams claimed not to know about the incident and said he had been sleeping.

Officers collected blood-soaked items from the camper, and the detective obtained swabs from Williams for DNA testing. The knife allegedly used to assault the victim was not found.

In court on Friday, Williams's bail was set at $200,000. His next court date is set for July 21, 2023.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the bail amount as $300,000.