Preston man charged after allegedly threatening another man with a gun
Published at
SWAN LAKE — A man police say pulled a gun during an argument has been charged with multiple crimes.
Waylan Duane Grantham, 35, faces one felony charge for aggravated assault, a misdemeanor charge for disturbing the peace and a felony enhancement for using a deadly weapon in the commission of a crime, court records show.
Bannock County sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of an assault at a church on Cottonwood Road around 9 p.m. March 19, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
While en route, the caller told deputies he would meet them at a fire station in Downey.
Upon arrival, officers spoke with the man, who said Grantham pulled a gun and pointed it at him. The victim told officers he asked if Grantham was going to shoot him, to which Grantham answered that he was.
The victim said that the altercation took place while he was in the driver’s seat of his car, so he “threw his car in reverse and fled.” He told deputies that his wife was still at the Swan Lake church, hiding from Grantham.
Deputies requested other local agencies respond to the church. Franklin County sheriff’s deputies, Preston police officers, Idaho State Police troopers and Idaho Fish and Game officers all responded.
Law enforcement found the victim’s wife at the church. She told them that Grantham left before their arrival, the affidavit says.
The woman told officers she knew Grantham and had recently been stalked by him. When she arrived at the church to meet up with the victim, she told officers, Grantham approached with a pistol holstered on his hip.
She said that she got into an argument with Grantham in front of the victim’s car. During the argument, she said, Grantham pulled the gun and pointed it at the victim. The victim “backed his car out of the parking lot in a hurry and left the area,” she said, according to the affidavit.
Officers noted in police reports that, when they recovered the gun, they found it to have a round in the chamber.
The woman said that a man who was at the church offered to give Grantham a ride home and that the two left just before officers arrived. She called the man who was driving, and he then turned around to head back toward the church. When he did, Grantham jumped from the car and ran away, the affidavit says.
Officers searched the area and were unable to find Grantham.
Police reports do not indicate how officers were able to locate Grantham, but he was arrested and booked at Bannock County Jail. He was released after posting a $35,000 bond.
Though Grantham has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
If he is found guilty, Grantham would face more than 20 years in prison.
He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing before Magistrate Judge Aaron Thompson on Wednesday.