Man facing new charges for intimidation, violating no contact order
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IDAHO FALLS — A 42-year-old man facing multiple charges following a domestic dispute in January, is now facing additional charges including a felony for intimidating a witness to prevent them from testifying in a criminal case.
Christopher Kerins is also facing two misdemeanor charges for a no-contact order violation. The new case against him was filed in May.
According to court records, Kerins is currently being held in the Bonneville County jail for 10 felony charges stemming from a domestic disturbance involving multiple firearms in Idaho Falls that happened earlier this year.
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He allegedly held a victim against her will at gunpoint for over two hours. During that time, Kerins shot the victim in the leg and foot, hit her with the butt and barrel of multiple firearms in the face and chest, and punched her in the face and chest. The victim escaped after texting her neighbor to call 911.
In the new case filed against him, court documents explained that Kerins called his mother from jail in February and attempted to use her to prevent the victim from testifying against him in a preliminary hearing. In a recorded phone call, he made the following statement, “Mom, you got to tell her to get in a (expletive) truck, go to North Carolina and just heal a while.”
He also allegedly attempted to violate his active no-contact order with the victim multiple times through three different people.
Documents said Kerins would use an alias to contact the victim. Kerins wrote a letter to someone he knew and asked her to assist him in violating the no-contact order.
In the letter, he wrote statements like, “Don’t say names because I am not allowed to talk to her I don’t think if she wrote me they could do anything but if I contact her I’m getting a new felony.”
According to Idaho state law, an intimidation felony can carry up to five years in jail and a $50,000 fine. Violating a no-contact order misdemeanor charge carries up to six months in jail and a $500 fine.
Kerins was given a $25,000 bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on June 15 at 1 p.m. in Bonneville County Magistrate Court.