A Kalispell man accused of impersonating a police officer pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Flathead District Court to assault with a weapon.

According to a court document, a Cottonwood Drive resident went outside to investigate when his truck alarm went off on April 24, when one of his neighbors — Richard Mullens — walked up from between two parked vehicles.

Mullens allegedly was wearing a badge on a chain around his neck and a holstered pistol on his hip. Mullens’ neighbor said Mullens told him he worked for the sheriff’s office before pulling the pistol from the holster and telling the neighbor that he was going to “blow him away.”

The document states the neighbor convinced Mullens to holster the pistol, at which point Mullens allegedly told the neighbor he was lucky they were both lawmen.

A deputy who responded to Mullens’ trailer reported Mullens had a cloth holster on his hip and a fake sheriff’s badge on a chain around his neck when he arrived. The deputy then arrested Mullens.

A child who was present during the incident later allegedly told a deputy that Mullens was drunk and that he “threw the table” that evening.

The court document goes on to state that deputies had to place Mullens on his knees to gain his compliance. Mullens allegedly screamed obscenities while being transported to the Flathead County Detention Center and smashed his head into the Plexiglas cage, bleeding “significantly” on himself and the interior of the car.

Additional law officers had to help transport Mullens from the patrol car into the jail.

If convicted, Mullens faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. He is currently incarcerated in the county jail, where his bond is set at $40,000.

His next hearing is set for June 12.