Jail ordered in shooting

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County man implicated in a shooting incident that injured a teenager dodged a prison term on Monday, but could not steer clear of a custodial sentence.

First District Judge Barbara Buchanan ordered Leo Michael Inwood to spend six months in jail for concealing evidence by removing firearms from a home where he and Eric Rampton Wood had been firing from in September 2017.

Inwood, 43, and Wood, 53, were accused of firing from the deck of a home overlooking the Priest River and in the direction of two 13-year-old were casting fly lines into the river. The teens attempted to flee the area but the motorized scooter they were riding was damaged by gunfire and one of the teens was shot in the leg.

The mother of the boy who was shot said she tried to keep cool and stay level headed when she learned of the shooting.

“In reality, I wanted to find the persons responsible and make them pay for what they did,” the mother said on Monday, urging Buchanan to impose the maximum penalty of five years in prison.

The bullet remains lodged in the teen’s leg, where it could travel and come into contact with an artery or organs.

The boy’s father opted to observe the proceedings.

“I’d like to give a statement but I choose not to because I would get too angry,” he said.

Both of the teens’ mothers said the shooting has had an indelible effect on their sons.

“My son will always be changed because of this incident,” the other teen’s mother said.

Inwood declined to address the court, although nearly 20 friends and family wrote letters to the court attesting to his character and work ethic.

Bonner County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Shane Greenbank recommended a three- to five-year term.

“It’s a very serious offense he committed,” said Greenbank.

Inwood defense counsel, Deputy Public Defender Susie Jensen said her client is remorseful and sought a suspended sentence of one to three years.

“The state’s recommendations are beyond the pale,” said Jensen, noting that her client is rated as a low-risk offender with gainful employment and little prior criminal history.

Buchanan imposed a suspended two- to four-year term.

“This isn’t a case where the court rules that it’s appropriate to send Mr. Inwood to prison,” said Buchanan.

However, Buchanan found that Inwood had done little to accept responsibility and ordered him to serve 120 days in jail.

Jensen moved to stay execution of the sentence while Inwood appeals a Bonner County jury’s guilty verdict on the evidence tampering charge. The motion was denied.

“I have a hard time seeing a court overturning that verdict,” Buchanan said. “There’s overwhelming evidence from the court’s perspective.”

Wood pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm because of a felony conviction and a misdemeanor charge of causing injury with a discharged firearm. He was given a suspended prison term and sentenced to time served after spending 192 days in jail and cooperating with the investigation and Inwood’s prosecution.

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