OLDTOWN — An Oldtown man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly swerving a vehicle at another Oldtown man.

Joshua Tyler Earle is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He made an initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Wednesday via videoconferencing with the county jail.

Judge Tera Harden set Earle’s bail at $5,000 and appointed a public defender to represent him, according to court records.

Harden also entered an order forbidding Earle from having any contact with the alleged victim in the case.

The alleged victim told sheriff’s deputies that a neighbor advised him that somebody in a white hatchback sport utility vehicle slashed the tires on his vehicle, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The vehicle returned 15 minutes later, but sped away and nearly hit the alleged victim as he attempted to take a photo of the SUV, the affidavit alleges. The man told authorities that he had to jump into a yard to avoid being hit.

The suspect vehicle was stopped by Priest River Police at the corner of Highway 41 and Old Priest River Road.

The registered owner of the vehicle was behind the wheel, while Earle and a 14-year-old and 16-year-old females were passengers, the affidavit said. The 14-year-old, who turned out to be a runaway from Oregon, admitted slashing the man’s tires because he is the father of her former boyfriend. Earle, meanwhile, was allegedly driving when he swerved at the alleged victim.

Earle, 18, admitted driving, but denied swerving at the man, who told deputies he a well-founded fear that he would be struck by the SUV, court documents indicate.

Earle was arrested on the felony charge and the 14-year-old was cited for malicious injury to property and taken to the Bonner County Juvenile Detention Center due to her status as a runaway, according to court documents.

A preliminary hearing in Earle’s case is set for April 29. If convicted, Earle faces up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

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