Battery suspect waives hearing

SANDPOINT — A Sandpoint man implicated in an alleged blind-sided attack on a Bonner County man outside a downtown bar waived his right Wednesday to a preliminary hearing.

Charles Tyler Sprinkle’s waiver clears the way for his arraignment in 1st District Court on Oct. 7. Sprinkle, 34, is charged with aggravated battery.

In exchange for not forcing the state to demonstrate that enough evidence exists to justify a trial, Sprinkle’s bail was lowered from $100,000 to $20,000, court records show.

Sprinkle is accused of attacking a 36-year-old man from behind after leaving the 219 Lounge on Sept. 30. The attack fractured the alleged victim’s skull. Jonathan Gary Howard was charged with aiding and abetting the attack for allegedly stopping the alleged victim’s friend from intervening.

The charge against Howard, a 23-year-old from Sagle, was dismissed on Wednesday, however. The case was dismissed without prejudice, which enables it to be re-filed at a later date.

“All I can say is that the matter remains under investigation,” Bonner County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Shane Greenbank said, referring to the case against Howard.

Greenbank declined to elaborate, but said he expects another charge against Howard to resurface.

The alleged victim declined on Wednesday to comment on the circumstances which led up to the attack, preferring for those details to emerge through the course of the criminal proceedings.

Sprinkle faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted as currently charged.