Suspect in felony battery pleads not guilty

SANDPOINT — A Sandpoint man accused of fracturing another man’s skull in an alleged attack outside a downtown bar pleaded not guilty on Thursday.

Charles Tyler Sprinkle’s plea sets the stage for a four-day jury trial in 1st District Court in December. Sprinkle is charged with aggravated battery, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Sprinkle, 34, is free on a reduced bond of $20,000 while the case is pending, court records indicate.

Sprinkle is accused of jumping a 36-year-old Bonner County man behind the 219 Lounge on the night of Sept. 30. Reports conflict as to whether the attack was provoked or unprovoked.