Man testifies about shooting

A judge ruled Friday that enough evidence exists against a Paradise Valley man for allegedly firing a shot at a neighbor.to charge Bodenhamer of Paradise Valley with felony aggravated assault.

Terry Bodenhamer, 64, was charged with felony aggravated assault for allegedly shooting at neighbor Michael Pintler on Pleasant Valley Loop Road, on Aug 6.

During a Friday preliminary hearing, Pintler testified he and his wife went outside to check on their children who were riding four-wheelers.  

Pintler explained he and his wife went to where their kids were riding, which is near an easement the neighbors share near the head of Bodenhamer’s driveway. He said he heard screaming and yelling from where he was standing in his driving.

Pintler said he saw Bodenhamer coming up the drive and Bodenhamer  started screaming obscenities and calling him names.

Pintler admitted to  yelling back at Bodenhamer in an aggressive tone and told the court Bodenhamer said, “we’ll see about that, I’ll take care of you.” 

Pintler testified  Bodenhamer then entered his garage and emerged with a gun and pointed it at Pintler, firing one time.   Pintler said there was about 40 to50 yards between the men when the shot was fired. 

Pintler stood up and demonstrated how Bodenhamer  allegedly with both hands on the gun  pointed the gun at him before shooting.  

“After he shot at me I ran, and my wife was about 12 feet away from me and she  ran behind the truck then she ran into the house,” said Pintler.  “As I was running, the serious thing for me was I was waiting for that second shot, like in the movies they always manage to dive or something,  I didn’t know whether to dive, keep running or whatever,  my kids were still on the driveway and I was able to get the kids and run back inside the house and called 911,” said Pintler.

Pintler the pointed out Bodenhamer in court as the shooter.

A Boundary County Sheriff’s deputy testified Bodenhamer made spontaneous statements him, telling him that Pintler entered the driveway yelling profanities and  challenging him to fight.  Bodenhamer told the deputy he felt physically threatened and acknowledged firing the .45 caliber pistol, but told him he fired it into the grass.

The deputy testified he found an expended .45 casing in the driveway and after he and another deputy searched, they could not see a hole anywhere in the grass where a bullet had been shot as Bodenhamer described.  The deputy said he did not find any evidence that a shot had been fired into the ground.

Bodenhamer relinquished all of his guns to Boundary County sheriff’s deputies in the bond agreement and willbe arraigned  before Judge Steven Verby at 9 a.m. on Tuesday Oct. 6, at Boundary County Courthouse.