Intimidation trial on hold

SANDPOINT - A mental evaluation has been ordered for a Washington state man accused of forcing his way into a Sandpoint woman's apartment and threatening her with a handgun to keep her from testifying in a drug case.

The state and the defense moved for the evaluation because Robert James Sutton Jr. suffers from auditory and visual hallucinations, according to court documents. Senior District Judge James Michaud granted the order.

The order put Sutton's trial, which was set for this week, on hold. Sutton is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and witness intimidation.

Sutton, 25, of Spokane Valley, allegedly busted through the door of the woman's apartment on June 17 and pointed a cocked .45-caliber pistol at her face. Sutton's father was an alleged accomplice in the home invasion, but a judge found there was insufficient evidence to sustain the charges against him.

Sutton reportedly threatened the 28-year-old woman, believing she played a role in the takedown of his uncle, a suspected methamphetamine dealer.

Sutton's uncle, Michael Ray O'Neil, was arrested for delivery of meth following an undercover drug sting earlier this summer. O'Neil, 37, pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced last month to 2-5 years in prison, court records show.

O'Neil's wife, Leslie, was also charged with delivery of meth, a charge which was later downgraded to simple possession. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday.

Sutton contends he has an alibi for the home-invasion incident and maintains he is innocent of the charges.