By Northern News Now staff • October 7, 2022 

 Police have arrested Brendan Smith of Cloquet for his involvement in a home invasion in June.

The 43-year-old was taken into custody on Thursday after an extensive investigation following the incident on June 7.  Police said Smith broke into a home on Boulder Drive in Cloquet.

They say he then began to strangle a woman as she slept. Law enforcement says the victim’s husband was then alerted from another room and confronted Smith.  Smith then fled the home into the nearby woods.

During an investigation, officers found a vehicle registered to Smith in the woods just south of the victim’s home.

On June 11, surveillance cameras at the victim’s home captured footage of a person resembling the intruder approaching the house.

In July, detectives attempted to execute a search warrant for Smith’s DNA, but he refused to provide a sample. In August, they executed a second search warrant for his DNA and got a sample.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension informed Carlton Police that Smith’s sample matched DNA obtained at the scene of the invasion. He is now charged with 1st-degree burglary and 3rd-degree assault to cause substantial bodily harm.

Smith is currently being held in the Carlton County Jail and is expected to make a court appearance early next week.

To see the original report and read updates to this story, follow this link to the Northern News Now website.  https://www.northernnewsnow.com/2022/10/08/cloquet-man-arrested-charged-after-home-invasion/