Man pleads guilty to domestic gun incident

A Kalispell man accused of firing a gun during a domestic incident last month pleaded guilty Thursday in Flathead County District Court.

Joshua Michael Blackburn, 28, pleaded guilty to one felony count of criminal endangerment, after a July 16 incident involving his wife and three children.

A charge of assault with a weapon was dropped in exchange for the plea.

Blackburn’s attorney, Sean Hinchey, made a request on behalf of his client to be released on his own recognizance. Judge Dan Wilson granted it.

As part of his conditions of release, which his wife supported, Blackburn must wear a monitoring device and arrange for alcohol treatment. He is allowed to have contact with his wife and children by phone only.

Blackburn will be sentenced Oct. 29.

According to charging documents, Blackburn’s wife called 911 at about 10:22 p.m. to report he had fired a gun from his vehicle. When deputies arrived at the home, which was located in the center of a trailer park with residences located on each side of it, they reported finding the man visibly upset and intoxicated.

Deputies also spoke with his wife and children. His wife said Joshua had consumed alcohol while taking medication. She said it “makes him erratic and unruly.”

She also said they had an argument; then he punched the bedroom door and said he was leaving. She said she got the keys from the vehicle so he couldn’t drive. She also said when she returned to the house, he got into the truck.

She said she was standing on the porch with one of the kids when she heard a gunshot from inside the truck. She told the kids to go inside, then approached the vehicle where she saw Blackburn allegedly trying to fire another round.

She backed away, then heard another gun shot. She said she was very afraid and ran back into the house to call 911.

Deputies said they saw evidence of two gunshots which appeared to come from inside the truck. They spoke to a neighbor who reported hearing gunshots and ran back inside his home to take cover. The neighbor also reported seeing Blackburn earlier in the day and said he appeared to be intoxicated at the time.

Deputies spoke with Joshua Blackburn the next day on July 17. He allegedly admitted to drinking several beers and nearly an entire bottle of hard liquor. He allegedly said he fired the gun because he was frustrated with his wife and was trying to get her attention.

Blackburn also allegedly said he saw his children were frightened during the altercation.

The maximum sentence for assault with a weapon is 20 years. For endangerment, it’s 10 years.

Reporter Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com