Man accused of threatening woman with axe

PRIEST RIVER — A Priest River man was arrested on Monday for allegedly threatening a woman with an axe.

Robert James Ravenscroft is charged with aggravated a battery, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, and misdemeanor domestic battery. Ravenscroft made an initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Tuesday via video feed with the county jail.

Minutes from the brief proceeding were not immediately available on Tuesday.

Priest River Police were summoned to the 300 block of Kluth Street after receiving a report of disorderly conduct. Witnesses said Ravenscroft was acting "crazy" in the days leading up to the axe incident, according to an officer's probable cause affidavit.

Ravenscroft, the affidavit said, had urinated and defecated in a trailer and threatened to kill a woman with an axe. Three adults wrestled the axe from Ravenscroft. He's further accused of hitting the woman in the face.

Priest River Police Chief Drew McLain had to separate Ravenscroft and the alleged victim, the affidavit said. Ravenscroft said he took up the axe in self-defense after being attacked by the woman, who allegedly hit him with a piece of wood.

Ravenscroft, 51, is being prosecuted as a persistent violator due to previous felony convictions for burglary and drug possession in 2018, according to court documents. The sentencing enhancement, Idaho's version of a three-strikes law, could add five years to life to Ravenscroft's underlying sentence if convicted.

A preliminary hearing in the case is pending.