Polson man accused of threatening Town Pump employees

A Polson man is accused of threatening employees of the Polson Town Pump. Joseph Channing Entwhistle, 21, entered a plea of not guilty in District Court in Polson on March 12 to felony assault with a weapon.

According to court records, on Feb. 27 Polson Police responded to a 911 report of a man threatening employees with a knife. The dispatcher could hear someone in the background say, “I’ll knock you out, I’ll go to jail right now.”

Police arrived to find Entwhistle surrendering at the front door of the store. When he was arrested, police found a folding knife in his pants pocket and a handgun in his waistband. He was still yelling at the employees.

Judge Molly Owen set a trial date of Sept. 15. The judge denied a request for an own-recognizance release when she was informed that Entwhistle had moved to the Polson area from Pennsylvania about two years ago. He remains in the Lake County Jail on a $50,000 bond.