Whitefish man accused of pointing gun at neighbor

An 82-year-old Whitefish man was jailed last weekend after allegedly pointing a gun at his neighbor and threatening to kill him.

Franklin Delano Feeney was jailed on Aug. 15 and released on his own recognizance on Thursday. He faces one felony charge of assault with a weapon and one misdemeanor count of resisting arrest. An arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 9.

According to court records, a Whitefish police officer responded shortly before 9 a.m. on Aug. 15 after a man reported his neighbor had pointed a gun at him.

The victim told the officer his neighbor "Frank" previously had threatened to kill him, and that morning, when the victim walked onto his deck, he saw Feeney pointing a black handgun at him from a distance of 75 feet.

Feeney allegedly kicked the officer while being handcuffed. A search of his Baker Avenue home turned up a black and green Walther P22 handgun.

When releasing Feeney from jail, Flathead County District Judge Dan Wilson ordered Feeney to reside at his residence and not have any contact with the victim.

Flathead County court records indicate a man named Franklin Feeney was charged with assault with a weapon in 2003. The case later was moved to Flathead County Justice Court, but it wasn't immediately clear how the charge was resolved.

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