A Missoula man faces four new charges after an attempted escape from Flathead County Justice Court last month.
Jonathan George Graves, 23, appeared before Flathead District Court Judge David Ortley on Jan. 12. His attorney, Lane Bennett, entered not guilty pleas to the charges against his client.
The charges include two counts of felony assault on a peace officer, felony attempted escape and resisting arrest, a misdemeanor. Prosecutors dropped a fifth charge of eluding a peace officer.
According to court documents, Graves’ ordeal began on Nov. 26 after the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office received a call reporting two male intruders in a U.S. Highway 2 East home.
Deputies located the suspects’ vehicle and gave chase, but the driver sped up and eluded police on Highway 2 before crashing near West Glacier. Deputies investigated the scene and identified Graves as one of the suspects.
On Dec. 13, agents from the Northwest Drug Task Force arrested Graves on a warrant out of Missoula County, and afterward he allegedly admitted to burglary and driving the vehicle involved in the chase.
Graves went to justice court for his initial appearance on Dec. 22. Prosecutors say that as he was sitting down, Graves jumped from his chair and ran to the door.
A detention officer tried to grab Graves, records state, but Graves was able to break free and knock both of the men out of the courtroom. Another detention officer caught and deployed a Taser on Graves, who then allegedly pulled out the wires and attempted to grab the Taser from the officer.
A bystander and another detention officer helped hold Graves down while he was handcuffed.
Records state that Graves is also facing numerous additional felony charges in Missoula and Lake counties.
At the Jan. 12 hearing, Ortley confirmed that Graves’ bond will remain at $100,000 and set a trial date for April 2. Graves remains in the Flathead County Detention Center.
If found guilty of all charges, Graves could face a maximum of 40 years and six months in prison and fines of over $100,000.