Shot fired during dispute near PR

PRIEST RIVER — A group of Independence Day revelers managed to disarm and subdue a Bonner County man who allegedly threatened them with a pistol on Thursday evening.

Mark Anthony Thiers is charged with aggravated assault and use of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, according to court records. Thiers made an initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Friday via video feed from the county jail. Judge Tera Harden set Thiers’ bail at $2,500 and appointed a public defender to represent him on the two felony charges, court records indicate.

A criminal complaint alleges as many as eight people were threatened by Thiers’ .44.caliber pistol.

A sheriff’s deputy was summoned to Cat Road north of Priest River after dispatchers received a report of disorderly conduct which had escalated into a physical altercation in which a gunshot was fired, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Thiers, 49, told a sheriff’s deputy said he confronted his neighbors about setting off fireworks and firing guns. He also admitted felling a tree across the road to block it, which prompted people from the gathering to cut the tree up to remove the blockage and a second confrontation. Video footage captured by a mobile phone showed Thiers instigating the confrontation and repeatedly placing his hand on his holstered revolver, according to the affidavit.

A shot rang out during an initial physical struggle, although it didn’t strike anyone, the affidavit said. The gun was taken from Thiers and he was briefly subdued. He was let go, but returned and confronted the group with a rifle. The group dispersed and summoned law enforcement.

Thiers, who had blood covering his face and numerous abrasions to his torso, argued he was defending himself against a large group of unruly and intoxicated people on his property. But the deputy noted that the confrontation began on the road next to his property and carried on to his property. He further noted that the alleged victims managed to disarm him without furthering the confrontation.

An aggravated assault conviction is punishable by up to five years in prison. The charging enhancement for using a gun would add 15 years to the underlying prison term, according to Idaho Code.

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