A Marion man arrested after allegedly shooting another man multiple times has pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of assault with a weapon.

Paul West, 51, entered the plea Thursday in Flathead District Court.

A court document alleges West got into a verbal altercation with another man on Sept. 12, 2013, in front of the home of Jason Guymon over hunting on private property, and that Guymon walked out of his home with a shotgun to see what the yelling was about.

The man with whom West had been arguing reported Guymon and West exchanged words, then he heard gunfire and saw Guymon fall to the ground.

West allegedly admitted to shooting at Guymon, but said he was unaware whether or not Guymon had been hit.

Flathead County Undersheriff Dave Leib said the argument started when the witness was riding his horse down a private drive off Badger Hollow Trail; West lives at the entrance. Leib said the witness was on his way to Guymon’s house, and that West got into his pickup and followed the man to the house.

In a request for a temporary order of protection against West filed by Guymon’s girlfriend, she wrote that after West arrived outside the house, he said he owned the road and nobody else could drive on it, and that he didn’t care if he shot Guymon, because if he did, all that would happen is he would spend four months in a VA hospital.

She wrote that while following the witness to the house, West was revving his engine and ramming into the horse the witness was riding. When they arrived, she wrote, she was sitting outside eating with Guymon and her 4-month-old son, and that Guymon tried to de-escalate the situation.

Her account also includes a claim that West’s father — who was in the pickup — handed West the gun he fired at Guymon when they pulled onto the property, and that neither ever physically left the truck.

Leib said Guymon was struck by two rounds fired by West — one in the back of his right shoulder, passing through, and one in his abdomen, which struck him in the side and traveled through his body and out the other side.

Guymon’s current medical status is unknown.

Regarding other behavior from West, Guymon’s girlfriend wrote that West and his father are known to put spikes in the road to flatten people’s tires, that West randomly shoots his guns off at erratic times, and that he used to have a large sign in his yard that read “deadly force will be used to keep PTSD in check,” but that he took it down immediately after he shot Guymon.

The protection order request was eventually denied after West was released from jail, as his conditions of release include that he have no contact with any victims or witnesses.

Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry was not available to answer questions about the investigation into the shooting, but had previously stated his deputies received different stories from the different people who were present when it happened, complicating the case.

What is known is that West fired his weapon several times, and Guymon fired at least one shot from his shotgun, although it is unknown whether it was intentional or accidental.

The investigation was also initially delayed while deputies awaited Guymon’s return to the Flathead from Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was transported for continuing treatment after undergoing emergency surgery in Kalispell.

If convicted, West faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. He is currently released after posting a $20,000 bond, which was reduced after initially being set at $100,000.

Since his release, West has been the focus of at least one call to law enforcement.

According to a Flathead County Sheriff’s Office dispatch log, a man reported Sept. 25 that West threatened to come to his home and shoot him and his wife after his wife and West’s wife had gotten into an argument at another location earlier that day.

The man told a dispatcher West threatened to beat him up and take him out. He also told the dispatcher that he would shoot West if West showed up at his house.

A deputy eventually spoke with both West and the other man, advising them to get along.

West’s next hearing is set for Dec. 4.