A Kalispell man is accused of striking his mother with a laptop before running into a stranger’s apartment and allegedly beating a sleeping woman with a chair.
James Michael Reeves was charged in Flathead County District Court on Aug. 9 with felony burglary, three counts of felony assault with a weapon and one count of misdemeanor assault. Reeves pleaded not guilty to all of the charges at an arraignment on Sept. 8 before Judge Amy Eddy.
According to court documents, Reeves was watching television at his mother’s apartment in Kalispell on Aug. 6 when he allegedly began to punch her in the face. He then grabbed a laptop computer and started to hit her in the face repeatedly until it broke into two pieces. Reeves’ mother sustained a broken noise and several lacerations.
As Reeves allegedly beat his mother, the woman’s caretaker tried to intervene. Reeves grabbed a piece of the broken laptop and struck him. The caretaker tried to run but Reeves punched him in the back of the head, according to court documents.
Law enforcement say Reeves ran out of his mother’s apartment and into another one nearby. There, Reeves allegedly grabbed a kitchen chair and began to beat a woman who was sleeping on a couch. The woman rolled off the couch and ran down the hallway, at which point her husband, who had been taking out the trash and left the apartment door open, walked in. The man grabbed Reeves and held him down until his wife could escape. Reeves then ran out of the apartment.
Meanwhile, a neighbor heard a commotion and went outside to investigate. The man saw Reeves and asked what was going on. Reeves then allegedly shoved the man down a flight of stairs and fled.
A Kalispell police officer found Reeves on the side of the building. When the officer approached, Reeves allegedly got on his stomach and said “you got me.” The officer reported that Reeves had blood on his hands. As the officer placed Reeves under arrest, the man said he had ingested several types of narcotics, according to court records.
If convicted, Reeves could face up to 80 years in prison. He is expected to stand trial in 2017.