A 52-year-old Somers man accused of shooting his 18-year-old son in the chest and stomach with a pistol pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony aggravated assault.
Timothy W. Withrow appeared in Flathead County District Court for the June 30 shooting of Timothy W. Withrow Jr. The elder Withrow was released from jail on his own recognizance, while the teen remains at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and is recovering from two gunshot wounds.
Sheriff’s deputies say the elder Withrow called 911 after the incident to report that he had shot his son. Witnesses said the two men had been arguing
“I think his son has shown a pattern of abuse that’s been ongoing for some time against, as far as I can tell, all the members of the family,” said defense attorney Sean D. Hinchey, who indicated he would argue that the shooting was in self defense.
At the time of the shooting, the teen was serving a one-year probationary sentence for assaulting family members, including his father, mother and girlfriend. He was charged in September with felony aggravated assault, tampering with a communications device, and three counts of partner or family member assault after trying to strangle his girlfriend and then punching his parents.
Hinchey said the teen also is facing misdemeanor assault charges in Columbia Falls.