'Not guilty' plea entered in gun case

The Daily Inter Lake

Joshua McIlhargey pleaded not guilty Thursday to two counts of assault with a weapon.

The 25-year-old Whitefish man was arrested Feb. 6 after a shooting incident at the Haskill Basin home he shared with his father.

During an altercation that occurred after his insistence that his brother should not be living there, he reportedly grabbed what was described as a high-powered rifle and shot toward his father inside the house. The shot went through the wall near where his father was standing, Flathead County sheriff's deputies said.

When his brother, who deputies said had gone outside by that time, returned to the house, McIlhargey met him at the door.

Assault with a weapon includes cases in which a suspect has a weapon that reasonably poses a threat to life or bodily injury. In the case of a gun, it does not necessarily have to be discharged.

Initially, detention center records indicated he was arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide.

McIlhargey had his bond reduced, then was released on his own recognizance. His attorney, Carolyn Gill, said he now is on informal house arrest. Under that "honor system" arrangement, McIlhargey agrees to remain at his own home, leaving only to go to work, attend to legal matters or carry out needed errands.