Man accused of shooting at kayakers maintains innocence
Jeffrey Allen Smith, charged with four counts of criminal endangerment, speaks with his defense attorney in Flathead County District Court on Feb. 9. (Derrick Perkins/Daily Inter Lake)
The Whitefish man facing multiple felonies for allegedly shooting at a group of kayakers on Lower Stillwater Lake over the summer has pleaded not guilty a second time.
Jeffrey Allen Smith, 49, appeared before Judge Amy Eddy in Flathead County District Court on Feb. 9 for his arraignment on four counts of criminal endangerment. Prosecutors initially brought him up on four counts of assault with a weapon following the alleged June 18 shooting, but amended the charges in November.
Smith entered the courtroom in an orange Flathead County Detention Center uniform, the arraignment coming after Eddy issued a bench warrant for his arrest for failing to appear at previously scheduled hearings.
Asking for Smith’s release from county jail, defense attorney Alisha Rapkoch told Eddy that her client missed the summons because he was temporarily staying with his father instead of at his Whitefish home. Deputy County Attorney Andrew Clegg, who is prosecuting the case, allowed that Smith was unclear earlier on when he was required to appear in court.
Smith, Clegg said, now understood what was expected of him.
Eddy ordered Smith’s release while underscoring his required appearance at an April 3 status hearing. She also urged him to keep close contact with Rapkoch, “so we don’t end up in this situation again.”
Smith came to the attention of the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office after kayakers on Lower Stillwater Lake called 911 to report an individual shooting at them. Arriving deputies, who reported hearing gunshots as they approached the lake, allegedly found Smith and his minivan in the area.
According to court documents, authorities recovered about 15 shotgun casings on the ground between the minivan and the water’s edge. They also discovered “numerous firearms and ammunition” inside the vehicle, court documents said.
Criminal endangerment carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in Montana State Prison and a $50,000 fine.
News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.
