Shooting suspect pleads not guilty

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County man charged with shooting at an employee of an assisted-living facility in Sandpoint last summer is pleading not guilty, court records show.

James Albert Raftery III’s plea on Monday clears the way for the two-day jury trial in 1st District Court on April 9. Charged with aggravated assault, Raftery faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000 if he’s convicted.

Raftery, 63, is free on conditional release while the case is pending, court records show.

Raftery is accused of firing on an employee at a Huckleberry Retirement facility on June 9, 2018, according to court documents. According to court records, he produced a semiautomatic pistol from beneath his shirt and fired, although the employee managed to duck the gunshot and escaped unscathed.

Raftery opened fire on the employee after he directed another employee to collect Raftery’s dinner plate, a probable cause affidavit alleges.

The firearm involved in the shooting was a Model 1911 chambered for a .22-caliber round, according to court documents.

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