Bat-wielding incident leads to assault charge

A Whitefish man has pleaded not guilty to a pair of charges after allegedly swinging a bat at law enforcement officers.

Cody James Olszyk, 35, entered the pleas Thursday in Flathead District Court to felony assault on a peace officer and misdemeanor criminal trespass to property.

A court document states police initially were called to Super 1 Foods in Evergreen after an employee had to tell Olszyk to leave because he was acting strangely and scaring customers.

When a pair of deputies and a Kalispell police officer arrived and approached Olszyk, he was allegedly standing in a fighting stance in the parking lot swinging a bat.

The document says Olszyk put the bat down when commanded but picked it back up and began swinging at officers when they told him to get on his knees. One of the deputies then fired a Taser at Olszyk, who was subsequently taken into custody.

If convicted of both charges, Olszyk faces up to six months in the Flathead County Detention Center, between two and 10 years in the Montana State Prison, and a fine of up to $50,500.

He is currently incarcerated in the county jail, where his bond is set at $5,000.

His next hearing is set for Feb. 12.