Suspect in fight faces assault with a weapon charge
Brett Wayne Pointer. (Photo courtesy the Flathead County Sheriff's Office)
Prosecutors have brought a Flathead Valley man up on a felony charge after a Feb. 5 confrontation in a Kalispell area RV park allegedly devolved into a fight.
Brett Wayne Pointer, 36, faces a single count of assault with a weapon in Flathead County District Court for allegedly threatening a teenager with a knife during the disagreement. He is scheduled to appear before Judge Robert Allison for his Feb. 8 arraignment.
Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Swan Mountain Drive RV park on Feb. 5 after receiving a 911 call reporting a fight involving a knife sparked by an auto wreck, court documents said. Witnesses told investigators that a 16-year-old sped through the park before losing control of his truck and crashing into a snowbank, according to court documents.
Pointer, a resident of the park, told authorities he went to the truck and tried to take the keys from the teen. He accused the 16-year-old of punching him in the face in response, court documents said.
Pointer admitted to pulling the teen out of the vehicle, but said he let the minor go at the urging of other bystanders, according to court documents.
Other witnesses told deputies that Pointer and the teen continued to argue and the former produced a knife at some point during the disagreement, court documents said. One bystander reported seeing Pointer allegedly on top of the teenager with the knife at the juvenile’s face.
He reported grabbing Pointer’s wrist, afraid the 36-year-old was going to stab the teenager, according to court documents.
Deputies noted that Pointer suffered a cut to his hand, a wound he said he suffered while turning the knife over to a bystander. The teenager, who accused Pointer of threatening to stab him, boasted bruising on the left side of his face, court documents said.
Deputies seized the knife, described as sporting a wooden handle, as evidence.
Assault with a weapon is punishable by up to 20 years in Montana State Prison and a fine of $50,000.
News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.