Shooting suspect enters not guilty plea

NEWPORT — A Bonner County man accused of shooting at a sheriff’s deputy during an interstate pursuit last spring is pleading not guilty to attempted second-degree murder.

Steven Michael Gervasi’s plea sets the stage for a jury trial in Pend Oreille County Superior Court. The proceedings are slated to start on Dec. 19, according to court records.

Gervasi is being held at the Bonner County Jail on a spate of criminal offenses in Idaho which preceded the armed confrontation with sheriff’s deputies in Washington state on May 9.

Proceedings against Gervasi in Bonner County are being delayed while he undergoes prosecution in Pend Oreille County, Idaho 1st District Court records indicate.

Gervasi, 25, is accused of opening fire on Bonner County Sheriff’s Deputy Alex Hughes during a high-speed chase that began south of Oldtown and ended amid gunfire after crossing into Washington state.

Several gunshots struck the deputy’s Chevrolet Tahoe, narrowly missing Hughes, according to court records.

Gervasi evaded capture, but was later arrested without incident during a traffic stop in June.

Three days before the confrontation with law enforcement, Gervasi was accused of burglarizing a relative’s home and vehicle, stealing an all-terrain vehicle and a Berette semiautomatic pistol. He’s also accused of setting fire to a Spirit Valley residence and robbing a woman who happened to be parked nearby. The woman told sheriff’s investigators that Gervasi opened fire on her vehicle as she sped away from the scene on Curtis Creek Road.

Charges in the Idaho case include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, arson, burglary, grand theft and felon in possession of a firearm.

Motives for the spasms of violence have not been released, although methamphetamine use is a recurring theme in police reports, court records show. Gervasi faces a meth possession charge in Pend Oreille County.

Gervasi faces a life sentence in the Pend Oreille County case if convicted as charged.