Man hurt in shootout faces assault charge

The Riggins man wounded during a shootout with deputies Saturday was released from the hospital Thursday and charged with felony aggravated assault on a peace officer.

Sean L. Anderson, 52, who gained attention in 2016 as one of the final four holdouts during the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns, Ore., was discharged from a Spokane hospital and taken into custody. He is being held in the Spokane County Jail, awaiting extradition to Idaho.

The charges were filed in conjunction with the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office, which is part of the Critical Incident Task Force. Capt. Rich Adamson of the Idaho State Police said Anderson will be prosecuted in Idaho County, where the alleged crime occurred.

According to a news release from the state police, the charges stem from an incident that began with a traffic stop by a Lewis County deputy about 2:47 a.m. Saturday on U.S. Highway 12. The driver initially stopped for the deputy, but then drove off, initiating a pursuit that was later joined by another Lewis County deputy, an officer from the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office and Nez Perce Tribal Police.

The driver, later identified as Anderson, eventually stopped in a residential area outside of Ferdinand in Idaho County. Anderson allegedly fired a shotgun in the direction of the Lewis County deputy, and the officers returned fire. None of the officers was injured.

Anderson was taken to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and later transferred to the Spokane hospital with unspecified injuries. He was arrested, upon his release, by officers of the Spokane Police Department.

At the time of the incident, the state police said, the agencies involved invoked Critical Incident Task Force protocols that activated a multiagency investigation and participation of an independent prosecutor to avoid potential conflicts of interest. Detectives with the state police are leading the investigation, with the assistance of agents from the FBI and the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the state police office in Lewiston at (208) 799-5151.

Hedberg may be contacted at kathyhedberg@gmail.com or (208) 983-2326.