SANDPOINT — A preliminary hearing is pending for a former Sandpoint man accused of opening fire on an employee at a Huckleberry Retirement facility last summer.

James Albert Raftery III was being held at the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare’s northern regional hospital in Orofino until a commitment order in the case was terminated earlier this month, court records show.

The state and the defense moved jointly to have Raftery, 63, released on his own recognizance. A condition of his release requires him to remain in compliance with mental health treatment, according to court documents.

The hearing to determine if the state has enough evidence to justify trying Raftery in 1st District Court on a charge of aggravated assault is set for Wednesday.

An employee at the assisted-living facility told Sandpoint Police that he directed a coworker to collect a dinner plate from Raftery, who allegedly responding by grabbing the woman’s arm, reaching under his shirt to retrieve a pistol and firing on the male employee, a probable cause affidavit said.

Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Bill Wilson told a judge during Raftery’s initial appearance that the alleged victim came perilously close to being killed, but managed to duck being shot.

The firearm involved in the June 9 incident was a Model 1911 semiautomatic pistol chambered for a .22-caliber round, court records indicate.

Raftery’s fitness to proceed in the criminal case was drawn into question shortly after his arrest on the felony charge. Public court documents do not specify what informed a public defender’s request that he undergo a mental health evaluation.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.