Man arrested after allegedly throwing hatchet at man
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IDAHO FALLS — A man has been charged for reportedly throwing a hatchet at a man’s head.
On April 1, around 6:30 a.m. Richard Wolf, 43, called the police to report that a woman was being held hostage at a campground in Bonneville County, according to court documents. Wolf identified himself to law enforcement as John. He claimed the woman in question texted him saying she was “not allowed to leave.”
When law enforcement arrived at the camper trailer where the woman was allegedly being held against her will, they questioned the man and woman inside. They found that the woman was not in danger. The man inside the trailer said John was not Wolf’s first name, and that Wolf had thrown a hatchet at him.
Upon learning Wolf’s real name, law enforcement found that he had a warrant out for his arrest for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Texas. Wolf was then taken into custody on that warrant.
According to court documents, law enforcement questioned the owner of the trailer about what happened. The man said Wolf appeared outside his trailer around 3:30 a.m. and allegedly smashed the trailer door window.
Wolf and the man allegedly had an argument where Wolf said, “I’m going to f—— kill you.”
The man then lost sight of Wolf and left the trailer to look for him. That’s when he was hit in the upper back with a hatchet.
When questioned by authorities, Wolf reportedly said he threw the hatchet at the man, but that he was aiming for his head.
According to documents, the man re-entered the trailer and grabbed an AR-15 rifle, then left again to search for Wolf. While the man was searching for Wolf, Wolf allegedly entered the trailer and forcibly removed the woman.
When the man located Wolf again, Wolf was allegedly holding a curved knife that law enforcement later identified as scythe-like.
The man allegedly fired five shots in Wolf’s direction. Four of the shots hit the ground at Wolf’s feet and the other hit another trailer that was next to the man’s own trailer.
When questioned about the incident, Wolf said he arrived at the trailer around 3:30 a.m. to find the door locked. He then broke the window. Wolf claimed the man warned that he was going to grab his “shotgun.” Wolf said that is when he threw the hatchet at him.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, law enforcement said, due to Wolf misrepresenting the firearm and changing his story, they believe Wolf threw the hatchet before the man got the rifle.
Wolf was taken into custody and transported to the Bonneville County Jail. He was charged with felony aggravated battery with use of a deadly weapon and misdemeanor malicious injury to property.
Court documents do not explain what Wolf’s motive was in claiming the woman was kidnapped or why he got into a disagreement with the other man in the first place.
Wolf is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on April 24.