Man faces felony assault charge

PONDERAY — A Bonner County man was arrested for allegedly threatening a man with a hunting knife outside Walmart on Tuesday night,

Shawn William Walker is charged with aggravated assault. He made an initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Wednesday. Judge Tera Harden set Walker’s bail at $3,000 and appointed a public defender to represent him, court records show.

Ponderay Police were summoned to the west side of the store at about 10:30 p.m. after receiving a report of a fight. An officer encountered Walker laying in the parking lot with dried blood on his face. Walker, 37, told the officer he had been jumped by two or three people he didn’t know for no apparent reason, a probable cause affidavit.

However, police encountered a couple in the parking lot who said Walker cut the checkout line they were in and began touching on the man’s arms and shirt while commenting on his tattoos, the affidavit said.

The 24-year-old male told police that Walker followed him out of the store and became increasingly agitated and belligerent, the affidavit said. When the couple told him to beat it, Walker allegedly lifted his shirt to expose a large hunting knife in a sheath. Walker subsequently brandished the knife and close in on the couple’s vehicle in a threatening manner, court documents said.

In response, the 24-year-old punched Walker in the face.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for Aug 1.

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