Man accused of battering officers
PRIEST RIVER — A Priest River man is facing a host of felony and misdemeanor charges following spasm of violence and a manhunt on Saturday.
Keith William Rabidue is charged with two felony counts of battery on a law officer and burglary, in addition to misdemeanor counts of domestic battery, resisting arrest and destruction of a telecommunications device.
Rabidue, 30, made an initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Monday. Judge Tera Harden set bail at $200,000 and appointed a public defender to represent him, court records show. The court also entered an order forbidding him from contacting the alleged victim of the domestic battery.
Priest River Police were summoned to the 300 block of East Jefferson Avenue after dispatchers received a report of a physical altercation. The alleged victim told police Rabidue forcibly took a mobile phone from her and removed a Subscriber Identification Module from the device. The removal of the SIM card rendered the phone inoperable.
Rabidue allegedly wrestled the woman to the ground and she fled to the home of relatives, according to the affidavit.
Officer Tanner Bodie attempted to detain Rabidue while awaiting backup, but Rabidue would not comply with being handcuffed, the affidavit alleges. Rabidue denied anything physical had taken place, but Bodie sought to detain him while backup arrived due to Rabidue’s combativeness and unpredictability, the affidavit said. Bonner County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Bonner arrived and the two officers attempted to subdue Rabidue.
In the ensuing scuffle, Rabidue allegedly struck Bodie and shoved him aside as Rabidue made for the home’s living room, the police report said. Bodie attempted to Taser Rabidue into submission, but the stun device malfunctioned.
Bonner grasped on to Rabidue and Bodie applied a headlock, but Rabidue still managed to break free. Bonner discharged his Taser in Rabidue’s back and also used the device’s direct-contact stun feature, but the jolts had no effect on the man, the report said.
Bodie executed another headlock, causing Rabidue the crash into a hallway wall and Bodie to lose hold of him, according to the affidavit. Bonner lined up another jolt from the Taser, but was struck in the face and suffered a concussion, court documents state.
Rabidue fled the scene on foot and allegedly forced his way in to a Sixth Street residence and leaving a trail of blood and damages estimated at $3,000, according to the police report. Rabidue was apprehended by a deputy’s K-9 partner an hour or so after the episode began.
A preliminary hearing in the case is set for May 1.
Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.