Linerud pleads not guilty to assault
courtesy photo
Jonathan Linerud
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Jonathan James Linerud, 30, entered a plea of not guilty at District Court in Polson on March 25 to two felony counts of assault with a weapon. The Polson man is accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend.
According to court records, on Nov. 17, 2020, Polson police responded to a report that shots had been fired and a woman’s scream could be heard near Ducharme Park. A woman at the scene told the responding officer that she heard a woman scream who sounded extremely frightened and was sure she heard a shot fired.
As the officer was taking the statement, he received another report that emergency room staff at St. Joseph Medical Center, in Polson, were treating the victim of an apparent assault. The victim told police that Linerud had assaulted him and his companion and that she was Linerud’s former girlfriend.
Video surveillance shows Linerud come up behind the victim and swing a large stick at his head and miss. Linerud is seen swinging the stick at the victim a second time. The victim partially blocked the shot, which broke the stick and the victim’s left forearm. The victim retrieved a firearm and fired it to deter Linerud who then fled. In addition to a broken arm, the victim was treated for a laceration to his scalp.
Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher granted Linerud an own recognizance release with the condition that he not have any contact with the victim or the ex-girlfriend. She set the case for trial on Oct. 12.
