Man accused of Placer County assault. He held box cutter to woman’s throat, deputies say

A man was arrested after he choked a woman while holding a box cutter to her throat, authorities said this week.

Richard Nave, 44, attacked the woman at her workplace on Auburn Folsom Road, according to a Facebook post on Friday by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office stated that Nave approached the woman and claimed to be an employee as she walked into work at 4:30 a.m. last Sunday.

The woman didn’t recognize Nave and told him to wait outside, but, the Sheriff’s Office said, he followed her into the business “and put her in a choke hold while holding a box cutter knife to her throat.”

The woman’s finger was slashed as she pushed the knife away, the post states.

A deputy arrived and found the woman holding a bloodied towel. The assailant had fled, but Nave was found a few hours later on Douglas Boulevard.

Nave became uncooperative with deputies, according to the post, but was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a controlled substance.