Man accused of killing-spree threats

PRIEST RIVER — A California man was arrested last week for allegedly attacking a couple at a Bonner County motel and threatening to kill them.

Mokthar Joseph Emilien is charged with burglary with intent to commit murder or felony battery and assault, second-degree kidnapping, aggravated battery and aggravated assault.

Emilien made an initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Monday via videoconferencing with the jail. Judge Lori Meulenberg set Emilien’s bail at $200,000 and appointed a public defender to represent him.

The court also entered orders forbidding Emilien from having any form of contact with the alleged victims in the case.

Emilien, a 23-year-old from Palmdale, was apparently suffering from a drug-induced psychotic break during the alleged attacks, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Deputies and Priest River Police were summoned to the River Country Motel west of town shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Thursday.

A couple that resides at the motel told investigators that Emilien forced his way into their room and began wrecking up the place. He threatened to kill them and everybody else in the motel while brandishing several kitchen knives.

Emilien stabbed one knife into a door, was naming the people he planned to kill and referring to imaginary men in cloaks he believed were in the room, the affidavit said.

At one point, Emilien was unarmed, prompting the 48-year woman to stand and announce she was leaving. Emilien responded by throwing her to the ground, which fractured her leg, according to court documents. The woman’s husband, 53, fled out a back window with his cellphone and alerted authorities.

The woman said Emilien held a knife and wrapped it with a large scarf in attempt to conceal it and threw a second knife at her from a distance of about 10 feet, court documents said. However, she was not struck by the knife’s blade.

Emilien surrendered to police without incident. He warned officers’ that the men in cloaks were leaving the room.

“He was hallucinating,” the affidavit said.

Emilien’s girlfriend arrived on the scene and said he had smoked methamphetamine two days before the incident. She added that Emilien is schizophrenic and bipolar and had been having hallucinations since using the stimulant.

Emilien had been staying at the motel with his girlfriend.