Rexburg man goes on rider after threatening to kill mother and her kids
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REXBURG — A Rexburg man will spend time on a rider program after threatening to kill two children and their mother with a shotgun.
Aaron Isaac Bell, 44, was sentenced to three to five years in prison by District Judge Steven Boyce. However, the judge opted to retain jurisdiction in the case, meaning Bell will spend up to a year in a prison treatment program before Boyce either places him on probation or sends him back to prison.
Bell pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault and two misdemeanor counts of injury to a child, stemming from a Nov. 24 incident in which he made the threats. As part of a plea agreement made with Madison County prosecutors, two felony counts of injury to a child were reduced to the misdemeanors, and prosecutors added the aggravated assault charge.
Madison County Deputy Prosecutor Mckinzie Cole recommended Bell be placed on the rider with the three to five-year overhanging sentence. Defense attorney Jim Archibald said probation would be an appropriate sentence for Bell, according to court records.
Police learned of the threats made by Bell when responding to a domestic disturbance in a mobile home on South 5th West, according to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by EastIdahoNews.com. When police arrived, Bell answered the door and said they could not come inside.
Two children behind Bell told the officer to come inside because they were scared. A woman came to the door and stepped outside to speak with police as officers kept the door cracked open.
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The woman told police Bell threatened to shoot and kill her. She said two days earlier, he held a shotgun to her head and said he was going to take her life.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare removed the children from the home. A caseworker then called police and said the children told her Bell had threatened them on multiple occasions.
Prosecutors said the threats caused the children unjustifiable mental suffering.
Bell has been convicted of violent crimes before. In 2018, he pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace after a woman accused him of holding up what she believed to be a knife and threatening to slice her throat. A judge placed Bell on a year of probation in that case.
In addition to the time on the rider, Bell will also have to pay a $750 fine plus other court-related costs.