Injured deputies remain on leave

SANDPOINT — Two deputies who were shot in the line of duty during the arrest of a Blanchard man are still recovering from their wounds.

Bonner County Undersheriff Ror Lakewold said deputies Michael Gagnon and Justin Penn may return to duty next month.

“Penn still has surgeries scheduled and he’s hopeful he’s going to get released (for duty), but we’re still a long way out yet,” Lakewold said on Friday.

The two deputies were injured in an exchange of gunfire with Adam Deacon Foster on Jan. 16

Gagnon, 53, and Penn, 30, were released from Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene. Gagnon has been with the department for nearly two years and Penn has been with the department for more than five.

Television station KXLY reported that more than $7,000 in donations have been collected for the injured deputies.

Foster, 31, was also injured in the shootout. He is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, although the criminal proceedings against him have been suspended because his fitness to proceed or make informed decisions about his mental health are in question, according to court documents.

Foster is slated to be held in an Idaho Department of Correction maximum security medical facility for the next 90 days.

The deputies resolved to arrest Foster after he threatened to kill a neighbor and anyone else — including law officers — who tried to thwart him, according to court documents. Foster is accused of opening fire with a .357 revolver when the deputies pursued him around a corner of his home.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and find him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.