Man charged with aggravated assault

SANDPOINT — A Washington state man was arrested on Thanksgiving for allegedly drawing a pistol on a Priest River man during a verbal altercation.

Mathew Raye Baker is charged with aggravated assault and was ordered held on Friday at the Bonner County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail, court records show.

Priest River Police were dispatched to a report of a weapons offense in 400 block of East Jackson Street shortly after noon. A 37-year-old man at the home told officers that Baker dropped his 6-year-old son off and left without incident, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Baker, a 25-year-old from Elk, returned about a half hour later and was reportedly upset about unspecified text messages the two had exchanged earlier in the day.

The alleged victim said he ordered Baker to leave, but Baker refused.

The alleged victim, the police report said, threatened to punch Baker in the face if he did not leave. When the man stepped toward Baker, Baker allegedly drew a pistol from a coat pocket and pointed it at him.

The defendant’s son, however, emerged from the home, which prompted Baker to put the gun away and leave the scene with the child. Baker was stopped on U.S. Highway 2 and a Taurus 40-caliber semiautomatic pistol with two magazines was recovered, according to court documents.

Baker’s account of the events matched that of the alleged victim’s, although Baker told police that the alleged victim grabbed him by the collar and cocked back his arm as if to throw a punch, which prompted Baker to withdraw the pistol.

The alleged victim told police he had no physical contact with Baker and were up to 2-3 feet away from one another during the dispute, the report said.

A preliminary hearing in the case is pending.