Felony assault charge lowered in road rage case

The felony assault charge against a 28-year-old Columbia Falls man charged in a March 26 road rage incident was lowered to a misdemeanor in a plea deal.

Joshua Darling had faced up to 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine if convicted of felony assault with a weapon.

The June 25 plea deal called for amending the felony charge to misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor criminal mischief, and the state recommended a $175 fine and a six-month suspended sentence with credit for time served for each count.

According to court records, sheriff’s deputies who responded to Darling’s residence on Trap Road on March 26 heard conflicting accounts.

A man told deputies he was driving down Columbia Falls Stage Road when Darling flipped him off. The man said he followed Darling to the Trap Road residence and pulled in the driveway behind Darling’s vehicle.

The man said that as he exited his truck, Darling used a metal pipe to break out one of the truck’s windows and then hit the man on the arm. The man then pulled out a gun in self-defense but never fired it.

After speaking to Darling and his father, the deputies concluded Darling’s version of the events was “questionable” because it wasn’t corroborated by the evidence and witness statements.

Flathead County District Court Judge Heidi Ulbricht sentenced Darling in accordance with the plea deal on June 25.