Baszler pleads not guilty to gun threat

A Polson man is accused of threatening a couple with a handgun while intoxicated. Eric Walter Baszler, 41, entered a plea of not guilty in District Court in Polson Oct. 16 to felony assault with a weapon and misdemeanor DUI.

According to court records, on Sept. 16, a man and woman contacted law enforcement to report that a man in a white pickup pulled up alongside them and brandished a pistol at them. The incident occurred at the intersection of Memory Lane and U. S. Highway 93.

The man, later identified as Baszler, allegedly said, “I know who you are, chill the f*** out.” The couple stayed on the phone with emergency dispatchers as they made their way into the Wal-Mart parking lot, with the man chasing the couple in his vehicle.

Polson Police responded and located the suspect’s white pickup and made a traffic stop on it. The driver, identified as Baszler, indicated that the couple had stolen money from a friend. He acknowledged having a pistol, but said he never took it out of its holster.

Police searched the pickup and located two guns. Baszler allegedly smelled of alcohol and was brought to the Lake County Jail and processed under suspicion of DUI. He was unable to give a sufficient sample for the Intoxilizer 9000, which records a person’s blood alcohol content.

Judge Molly Owen set the case for trial March 31. Baszler is at liberty.