Man arrested on threats charge

A Sandpoint man was arrested last week after deputies say he allegedly crashed another man’s truck and threatened to beat him with a hammer.

On July 28, Bonner County deputies received a call that a man’s truck had allegedly been crashed by another man and that man was now starting a fire in a driveway. When deputies arrived on scene, 28-year-old David Burns was standing near his car with multiple Twisted Tea bottles sitting on the hood, court records said. Burns was detained and, after being read his Miranda Rights, the probable cause affidavit said he refused to speak with deputies.

The alleged victim told deputies that he was inside his house when he heard his truck starting up outside, court records said. When he went to see what was happening, he noticed his vehicle down the side of a hill, crashed into some trees. Court records contend the alleged victim found a hammer wedged onto the gas pedal to accelerate the truck even with no one inside.

The man pulled the hammer out of the vehicle and carried it back up the hill where he planned to call deputies, court records said. When he made it back up the hill, he saw Burns allegedly standing with another hammer in his hand.

“We can have a hammer fight,” Burns allegedly told the victim, according to the probable cause affidavit. “I’d be happy to smash your skull in.”

The alleged victim told deputies that he challenged Burns to a fistfight instead and punched him a few times before calling law enforcement. It is unclear whether the two men knew each other prior to this incident.

The alleged victim’s vehicle received over $1,000 in damages, not including the fees to tow the truck back up the hill or to replace the trees damaged in the collision, court records said.

Because of the amount of damage done, Burns was arrested on one charge of malicious injury to property. No bail has been set and he has a preliminary hearing date of Aug. 9.