Kalispell man pleads not guilty to assault with a weapon charges in road-rage incident

A Kalispell man on April 20 denied accusations that he chased two people who were on an all-terrain vehicle in his pickup, threatening them with a handgun.

Shanon Watson, 46, pleaded not guilty to two charges of assault with a weapon before Flathead District Court Judge Amy Eddy.

According to court documents, deputies responding to a report of road rage in March 2017 were informed by the alleged victims that two men in a maroon truck had tailgated their ATV as they were riding down Pleasant Valley Road.

The driver advised the officers that when he increased his speed to get away from the truck, both the driver, identified as Watson, and the passenger brandished handguns and allegedly pointed the weapons at them in “a threatening manner.”

The ATV riders said they then pulled over in a residential neighborhood and the pickup pulled over beside them. The two men in the truck then allegedly cursed them and pointed the guns directly at them.

Court records state that authorities later located Watson and the truck at a grocery store in Evergreen. They reportedly discovered multiple weapons inside the vehicle.

While talking with officers, Watson admitted to being in the area and to chasing the people “a little bit” because he was upset they were speeding in “his country.”

Watson refused to identify his passenger, who could not be located.

A jury trial has been set for July 3. If convicted, Watson could face up to 20 years and a $50,000 fine for each count.

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.