Man accused of pulling gun gets suspended sentence

Accused of drawing a gun during a noise dispute with a neighbor last year, a Columbia Falls man earned a suspended jail sentence in Flathead County District Court in June.

Prosecutors brought Peter James Clancy, 60, up on a felony count of assault with a weapon following the alleged Aug. 14 disagreement near Parker Hill Road. He initially pleaded not guilty, but struck a deal in early June that saw the charge amended to misdemeanor negligent endangerment in exchange for pleading no contest.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, agreed to recommend Clancy pay a $100 fine and receive a suspended one-year sentence in county jail.

Judge Heidi Ulbricht stuck to the terms of the deal at Clancy’s June 9 sentencing and gave him credit for four days of time served. She also ordered Clancy to have no contact with the victim in the case.

The victim was working outside on his property when the dispute began, according to court documents. Clancy allegedly pulled up in a vehicle and threatened him regarding the noise generated by the work. He also made a reference to a firearm before driving off, court documents said.

Calling 911, the neighbor walked down the side of the road and found Clancy’s vehicle parked behind a gate. Approaching it in the hopes of giving dispatchers an address, the victim came face-to-face with Clancy, who allegedly exited his vehicle armed with a handgun.

Clancy then racked a round into the chamber and leveled it at the victim, court documents said.

When deputies later interviewed Clancy, he recounted the confrontation by the gate and allegedly admitted to pulling out a gun and aiming it at his neighbor.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.