Casper Man Threatens Group of Men With Shotgun Outside Bar in Evansville
"Nothing about the night had been abnormal" said a bouncer to a police officer.
But at the end of the evening, some men asked that they be escorted to their vehicle in the parking lot as they were concerned they would be attacked otherwise.
The bouncer alleged that when they got to the parking lot he saw a white pickup truck pull up and the door open; "he heard the distinct and recognizable sound of a pump shotgun being chambered," this per court records.
Jacob Collett, 29, appeared in Natrona County Initial Appearances before Judge Michael Patchen on Thursday afternoon.
He was read the following charges:
- Aggravated Assault and Battery, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison
- Reckless Endangering, a misdemeanor punishable by 6 months in jail
Collett was represented by attorney Ryan Semerad.
Assistant District Attorney Blaine Nelson recommended the judge set bond at $15,000 cash or surety.
Semerad asked that the judge consider lowering it to $7,500. Patchen set bond at $10,000 cash or surety.
Semerad asked that his client's right to a speedy trial be waived as Collett is currently being held in Carbon County on a separate misdemeanor. Nelson and Semerad will discuss when a reasonable date for a preliminary hearing can be scheduled so Collett might attend in-person.
The investigation began at 2:15 a.m. on January 16th when a police officer was flagged down by two men, one was a bouncer from Butch's. This per court records.
They told the officer they were concerned that there was about to be a weapon's offense in the dirt parking lot.
The affidavit accompanying the case says that the police officer noticed a white truck pull into the dirt parking lot -- one of the occupants got out of the truck and began walking towards another truck. "Through the dim light" the officer "could see a silhouette of what appeared to be a shotgun in the hands of the man, later identified as Jacob Collett, as he walked towards the other truck."
Records indicate that the officer and a seargeant immediately intervened, and that Collett dropped the shotgun and walked away from it.
The authorities ordered everyone out of their vehicles and checked for weapons, finding only a pocket-knife on Collett and nothing else on the other parties.
The affidavit says the officer "picked up the shotgun and made it safe by ejecting the two shotgun shells that were loaded in the weapon." One of the men offered the officer a handgun, which was inside the cab of the truck. The officer ejected the magazine and the round that was chambered.
Court documents allege that the parties' stories were all "wildly different" explaining what happened that night.
The bar's exterior cameras did not catch the altercation, either, they just show that the men all exited the bar within one minute of each other.
The affidavit states that at this point there is no evidence to suggest that the man who had the handgun in his truck was armed prior to being confronted by Collett while he was sitting in the cab. Records indicate Collett chose to enter the parking lot for seemingly no other reason than to escalate the conflict between the two groups.
Collett is currently at the jail in Carbon County for a separate misdemeanor. He will have a preliminary hearing at a later date.