Man Who Waived Machete At Mother, Sister Bound Over For Trial

A man who allegedly waived a machete and threatened to kill his mother and sister was bound over to Natrona County District Court for trial on Thursday.

Eric Phifer, who was 38 at the time of his arrest, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault.

Through his public defender Kurt Infanger, Phifer waived his preliminary hearing in Natrona County Circuit Court. The court holds preliminary hearings in which the state presents evidence to show probable cause a crime has been committed and the accused committed it. Defendants have the right to skip this step and go directly to trial.

If convicted, Phifer faces up to 10 years imprisonment on each count.

The case began early April 5 when Casper police responded to a call by Phifer’s mother and sister, who said he was waving a machete and making threats at their residence, according to court records.

On Thursday, after waiving the preliminary hearing, Infanger asked Natrona County Circuit Court Judge Michael Patchen to reduce Phifer's bond from $20,000 to $5,000.

Infanger said Phifer has ties to the community including family members who are victims. Some of those family members were present in court.

But Assistant District Attorney Dan Itzen responded that the charges are serious, and Phifer has had previous offenses including assault and possession of methamphetamine.

Patchen agreed with Itzen's concerns, and said the $20,000 bond would continue.