Hearing waived in battery case

SANDPOINT — A California man accused of a violent attack on a Bonner County man  17 months ago waived his right to a preliminary hearing last Wednesday.

Arthur William Scott Mickelsen is charged with aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm and disfigurement. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the felony charge in 1st District Court on July 19.

Mickelsen, 28, is accused of attacking a 50-year-old man who was found lying on the ground near Family Foods in Oldtown on Feb. 1, 2009, according to court documents. The alleged victim lost a substantial amount of blood and his upper front teeth in the attack.

Mickelsen was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in Pend Oreille County, Wash., shortly after the alleged attack. Mickelsen denied being in the area where the beating occurred when he was questioned by a Bonner County Sheriff’s deputy, according to probable cause hearing testimony.

At the time of his arrest in Washington state, Mickelsen was wanted on a warrant out of California. The Idaho case was delayed because Mickelsen was ordered to serve time on a theft conviction at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad, Calif., court records indicate.

Mickelsen allegedly beat the victim because he disrespected a relative, court documents indicate.