Man who shot wife arrested again
KAYE THORNBRUGH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years AGO
Kaye Thornbrugh is a second-generation Kootenai County resident who has been with the Coeur d’Alene Press for six years. She primarily covers Kootenai County’s government, as well as law enforcement, the legal system and North Idaho College. | August 25, 2021 1:00 AM
SANDPOINT — A man who avoided prison after pleading guilty to shooting his wife is back in jail after he allegedly violated the terms of his probation.
The 75-year-old Coeur d’Alene man pleaded guilty in accordance with Alford to aggravated battery, a felony.
The Press is not naming him because that would reveal the identity of the victim.
The charge stems from October 2020, when police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance involving a gun at a Fernan Hill residence.
On the porch, police found a 63-year-old woman who said her husband had shot her in the back.
She reportedly lost multiple organs as a result of the shooting and will experience significant health effects for the rest of her life.
Earlier this month, Judge Cynthia Meyer placed the man on supervised probation for five years, noting that he may not live that long.
He reportedly has about six months left to live.
Meyer said the man’s declining health and poor prognosis contributed to her decision. If he were a healthy 75-year-old, she said, he would likely have received prison time.
As part of a plea agreement in the case, prosecutors recommended a suspended prison sentence if the man made arrangements for assisted living.
In lieu of prison, he must reside in either assisted living or hospice care.
He is also required to take all prescribed medication and commit no new criminal offenses.
Sandpoint police responded Aug. 14 to the assisted living facility where the man resided, after a health care worker said he battered her.
She told police the man grabbed her hand hard enough that she “felt something pop.”
Her hand swelled painfully and she sought medical care, police said. Records indicate her hand was either fractured or had a pinched nerve.
The man denied touching the health care worker.
He allegedly did not disclose his felony conviction to the assisted living facility and refused to take prescribed medication.
Due to these factors, as well as the alleged battery, the facility started the process of evicting the man.
Police obtained a warrant for his arrest, on the grounds that he violated the terms of his probation.
He was taken into custody Monday afternoon.
He remains in jail without bond until his next court appearance, which is scheduled for Sept. 24.
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