Man who pointed gun at another driver placed on probation

IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls man who pointed a gun at another driver during a road rage incident in October was placed on probation Friday.

Kristoffer Jensen, 40, was originally charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon but as part of a plea agreement, the charge was amended to misdemeanor disturbing the peace and misdemeanor exhibition or use of deadly weapon.

Magistrate Judge Kent W. Gauchay placed Jensen on two years of supervised probation and gave him a suspended 180 day prison sentence with credit for the one day Jensen spent in jail. Gauchay also imposed $2,315 in fees and fines.

According to court documents, 35-year-old Patricia Beyer was driving on Woodruff Avenue when Jensen cut her off and forced her to pull over on Parkwood Street.

Jensen then got out of his car and pounded on one of Beyer’s windows and yelled at her. Police say he went back to his car and retrieved a 9mm Springfield XDm from behind the driver’s seat. He then pointed the gun at the woman, who told investigators that it appeared Jensen racked a round into the chamber. During the incident, Beyer was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher.

Jensen has a history of run-ins with the police and has been previously charged with driving without privileges, driving under the influence, disturbing the peace and resisting arrest.

In Jensen’s version of events, he was the one being chased. He told officers that the other vehicle had been following him on Woodruff Avenue and he turned west onto Parkwood Street to get away, according to court documents.

Jensen then told police he got out of his car and confronted Beyer. He admitted to police he had retrieved his gun and held it at his side so “they” could see it. He initially told police the gun was unloaded, but when the magazine was brought up again, he admitted the gun was loaded.

Jensen told police that people in the other car had been “yelling at him and flipping him off,” according to documents.

He said he grabbed the gun because he was fearful and was worried the other car would run him over. He also said he did not rack a round into the chamber of the gun.

When police arrived, Beyer was the only person in the car.

Beyer also has a long history of run-ins with police involving traffic incidents. In 2017, she was convicted for misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter and other traffic infractions after the car she was driving struck and killed a woman and paralyzed another while they were on bicycles. She has a significant number of other traffic infractions and misdemeanors on her record as well.