Bigfork man pleads not guilty in river shooting

A 66-year-old Bigfork man pleaded not guilty Thursday in Flathead District Court to felony charges of criminal endangerment and assault with a weapon.

Norman Berman is accused of firing several shots from his .357-caliber Colt Python at or near boaters traveling down the Swan River on June 18, 2011.

According to a court document, a man and his 8-year-old son were in one boat being followed by a man in another boat when the shots were fired. The man in the second boat said he saw Berman take aim and fire at the first boat, at which point he ducked in his boat for the duration of the shooting.

The document states that when deputies approached Berman at his home, he answered the door and said “I shot at those boys in the speed boats.” He said he had been working for weeks putting sandbags along his property, and when the speedboats went by, the wake was washing over the sandbags.

Berman allegedly claimed he first tried to slow the boats using hand signals and yelling, but the people ignored him, so he fired several shots into the air. He said he never aimed the gun at them and never intended to hurt them.

He reportedly said several times that he was upset and sorry that it had happened, but that he wasn’t sorry for what he did.

If convicted of both charges, Berman faces up to 30 years in jail and a fine of up to $100,000.

His next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 17.