Dismissal granted in moonwalk case

SANDPOINT — A felony assault charge was dismissed Wednesday against a Clark Fork man accused of using a weapon to coerce another man to perform a dance move called the moonwalk.

The aggravated assault charge pending against John Ernest Cross was dismissed without prejudice, which means it can be re-filed if additional evidence becomes available.

Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Shane Greenbank moved to dismiss the charge against Cross because the alleged victim requested that the case not be pursued and didn’t want to testify.

Judge Justin Julian granted the state’s motion.

Cross, 30, was charged after allegedly pointing a weapon at the man on April 23 and saying, “Now moonwalk,” according to a probable cause affidavit.

Singer Michael Jackson popularized the dance move, which creates an illusion that a person is gliding backward.

The weapon was described as an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle in court documents, although Cross told a judge during a prior hearing that it was only a pellet gun and that had no intention of causing any harm.

Although the charge was dismissed, Cross remains jailed for allegedly violating the terms of his probation in a 2009 burglary and forgery case, court records indicate.