Man, 68, faces two charges in hatchet attack

The Flathead County Attorney’s Office has filed two felony assault charges following an apparent attack by a man wielding a hatchet and knives in west Kalispell on Friday.

Jerome Hamous, 68, will face two counts of assault with a weapon after allegedly attacking 74-year-old George Bennett with a hatchet, throwing a knife at a police officer and slitting his own throat, according to court documents.

Hamous was taken into custody just after 7 p.m. Friday by the Kalispell Police Department on Two Mile Drive. He was given a psychological evaluation, treated for his wounds and on Tuesday was booked into the Flathead County Detention Center.

According to police, he was found standing in the center of the road with a hatchet in his hand and knives in his pocket.

When the first responding officer approached him and demanded that Hamous disarm himself, he dropped the hatchet and slit his own throat with a utility knife, according to court documents.

Hamous then threw the knife at the officer and again picked up the hatchet. He began walking toward Bennett’s adult son Paul. He again dropped the hatchet after demands from police, but displayed a second knife, according to court documents.

Police used a Taser to subdue Hamous and then gave him first aid before he was transported to Kalispell Regional Medical Center for additional treatment.

The subsequent investigation revealed that before police arrived, Paul Bennett had blunted the blow of the hatchet attack on his father.

Hamous and Bennett live in the same apartment complex, but it’s not clear what led to the attack. George Bennett suffered what is described in court documents as a small cut consistent with a hatchet wound.

Paul Bennett swung a chair at Hamous after he “walked toward George and lifted his arms above his head with a hatchet in his hands,” according to court documents.

If convicted, each felony carries the possibility of 20 years in Montana State Prison and a $50,000 fine.

Hamous is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 2 in District Court.

Reporter Eric Schwartz may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at eschwartz@dailyinterlake.com