A Bigfork man was accused of attempting to harm a woman with a hatchet during a recent altercation at their residence.

Robert Ryan Dury, 40, is charged with one felony count of assault with a weapon. The maximum sentence for the crime is 20 years in the Montana State Prison.

According to court documents, at 7:56 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, a Flathead County Sheriff’s Office officer responded to Springcreek Drive to investigate a reported assault with a weapon.

When the officer spoke to the victim, she said she had been in an altercation with Dury in the yard outside their home. She said the fight ended with Dury allegedly picking up a hatchet and throwing it toward her.

She said the hatchet came within a foot of her face and she was afraid of being injured. She also said Dury dared her to “call the cops” and spat on her.

The victim said after she called police, he left.

The officer also spoke to a 16-year-old person who witnessed the altercation from a nearby window and corroborated the woman’s account, having personally seen Dury throw the hatchet.

The officer found a hatchet laying in the yard. The officer located Dury nearby who appeared to be impaired by alcohol, based upon the officer’s training and experience.

Dury posted the $25,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in court for his arraignment at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 7.

Reporter Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 406-758-4441 or [email protected].