Re: [RC] Angry in the mountains of Idaho! - Ed & Wendy Hauser
"He then told me that If I rode on that road again
with my horse that the horse would never come out of there and finished by
saying ?and that?s a threat"
If I were you I would talk to my lawyer. The
sheriff may not understand as much about law as he thinks. At the minimum
the person was intimidating you. I also suspect that if push came to shove
a jury would conclude that the threat that your horse would not come out implied
that you would also not come out. It would be very hard to kill or stop a
horse without putting you in danger. Again, it is not legal to endanger a
person, even if your didn't intend to. A reasonable person would know
that.
All this said, these are dangerous wackos. If
you decide to fight them be prepared for a long and dangerous
fight. Personally, if anyone grabbed my horse's bridle I would
be very afraid that they were going to kill or hurt me. That fits the
legal definition of intimidation and probably assault.
By the way, being afraid of great bodily harm or
death, is the only justification for using force to defend yourself. If
you ever do get into a position of using force against a person, the only thing
at all that you should ever say to the police is "I was afraid for my life ( or
possibly the life of another person). I will not talk further to you until
I have my attorney present". If again asked for a statement, or the
officer gives the impression that you can avoid arrest by saying something,
repeat "I was afraid for my life, I want to talk to my lawyer" You will usually
be arrested, but your attorney will make sure that everything you do or say will
minimize your chances of conviction. The police are not your friends in
these situations. They view their job to be to get convictions, not find
out the truth.
You do also have civil remedies. And since
you are in the area legally, restraining orders are also a
possibility.
Ed
Ed & Wendy Hauser 2994 Mittower
Road Victor, MT 59875
