Man suspected of knife attack pleads not guilty to felony charge

A 27-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges after he allegedly attacked a married couple while armed with a knife and an ax last month.  

Vincent Theodore Brunson of no fixed address faces a felony count of assault with a weapon and a misdemeanor count of criminal trespass to property in Flathead County District Court following the alleged April 10 attack. Arraigned before Judge Heidi Ulbricht on April 23, he remains in the county jail with bail set at $40,000.  

One half of the married couple spotted Brunson in their driveway at about 2:25 p.m. after hearing her dogs bark, according to court documents. When she told him he was barred from the property and needed to leave, Brunson allegedly pulled an ax from his backpack.  

Curling his lips and making snorting sounds, Brunson began to stalk up the driveway toward her husband, who was nearer the home, court documents said. The woman attempted to block Brunson, but he brushed by her. Grappling with the woman’s husband, Brunson pulled a knife from a holster on his waistband and allegedly slashed him on the right shoulder.  

The husband later showed responding Flathead County Sheriff's Office deputies a 2-inch hole cut through two layers of shirts. The attack left a red surface slash on his right shoulder, court documents said.  

Brunson, described in court documents as having a history of mental illness, allegedly told deputies he believed the home was his as he received mail there. Even so, he acknowledged no longer living in the house, according to court documents.  

Brunson described his actions as self-defense, allegedly telling deputies he swung the knife after being choked.  

Prosecutors wrote in the charging documents that the couple in the home reported Brunson for trespassing on Feb. 11. The wife told authorities that Brunson was carrying an ax at the time.  

Brunson also has two cases pending in Whitefish Municipal Court. In one, Brunson is accused of using an ax to try and get inside his former apartment. In the other, Brunson allegedly was caught warming a machete in a fireplace in a downtown Whitefish hotel.  

In the latter case, Brunson told responding law enforcement personnel that he was "heating up a sword," according to court documents. A search of Brunson following his arrest for trespassing revealed a sword, large knife, hatchet, multitool and machete, court documents said.  

Felony assault with a weapon is punishable by up to 20 years behind bars and a $50,000 fine. 

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 406-758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.