COEUR d’ALENE — A man who fired a gun during an altercation with his neighbor is serving a jail sentence.

A jury convicted Christopher N. Cox, 53, of aggravated assault in May. 

The charge stemmed from last November, when Cox confronted a neighbor who he mistakenly believed had trespassed onto his property. Cox fired a gun as his neighbor was walking away, according to court records, and later threatened to “hunt down” his neighbor. 

First District Judge Rich Christensen sentenced Cox to five years in prison, the maximum possible penalty, but suspended the sentence and placed Cox on probation for three years. Cox must spend 45 days in jail as a condition of his probation. 

“This was a scary event for the victim, as it would have been to anyone,” Christensen said before delivering the sentence. “You were a hazard to society that night.” 

Prosecutors had asked the court to retain jurisdiction over Cox and place him in a prison treatment program, called a rider, for up to a year before either placing him on probation or ordering him to serve the rest of his sentence in prison. 

“There was a severe lack of remorse or accountability,” prosecuting attorney Matthew Welde said of Cox. 

Legal counsel for Cox said a presentence investigation found that Cox has a very low risk of reoffending. 

Cox told the court that he fired his gun to “establish his boundary.” 

“I was trying to protect my family,” he said. “I tried not to pursue my neighbors in any sort of legal affair or accuse them of anything that would inflict any harm on them. I tried the best I could to abide by the law and follow the open carry law.” 

Before handing down the sentence, Christensen said he’s seen a troubling increase in cases involving people who “reach for their weapons first” in a dispute. 

“You had every right, until conviction, to carry a weapon,” he told Cox. “Having that weapon in your hand and speaking in the manner that you did, ‘I will hunt you down.’ How can anyone take that as anything but a threat? That is not how a good citizen acts. Why couldn’t you have walked up to the person, who is not on your property, and asked what is going on without a gun in your hand?”