The man arrested for allegedly sparking a standoff near West Idaho Street in Kalispell in spring 2023 saw the felony charge filed against him dismissed late last year.  

Prosecutors brought Erik Allen Rodriguez, 54, up on one count of assault with a weapon following the April 11, 2023 confrontation in an alley behind Second Avenue West North. Rodriguez was accused of aiming a rifle at a motorist who was traversing the passage, which provoked a response from multiple area law enforcement agencies, including the regional SWAT team.  

Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to the charge in Flathead County District Court later that month. In December 2023, his attorneys sought to have Rodriguez undergo mental health evaluation. 

Doctors deemed Rodriguez unfit to proceed in June 2024 and Eddy ordered him to the Montana State Hospital in August of that year.  

But when Rodriguez still had not secured a bed in the state facility by December, his attorneys made a motion to dismiss.  

Eddy found that because Rodriguez had remained stuck on the waiting list for more than 90 days and was unlikely to regain the ability to stand trial in the near future, she must grant the request.  

She ordered the case dismissed with prejudice Dec. 16, 2024. 

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].