Man appears in court after allegedly threatening a woman with a knife over a parking spot
Published at
IDAHO FALLS – A local man appeared in district court Tuesday after he allegedly pointed a knife at a woman after she parked in the wrong area.
Kyle Ryan Wright, 31, pleaded not guilty to one count of felony aggravated assault.
Idaho Falls Police were called to a laundromat on July 31 due to reports of a weapons call. When they arrived, the victim told them that a man, identified as Wright, said she could not park where she had left her car.
According to the victim, she acknowledged to Wright that she was not parked in a legal parking spot and told Wright to “mind his f****** business.”
Wright allegedly “flipped the knife at her” and walked toward the victim, according to court documents.
A witnesses told officers she was inside the laundromat when the victim came in “frantic” and asked if she could borrow a phone to call the police.
When officers interviewed Wright, he said he “told (the victim) where she was parked was not a parking spot.” The victim reportedly told Wright to “mind your own business and go f*** yourself.”
Wright said he got his knife “for his own protection” because he did not know if anyone else was with the woman or what was in her car.
Wright says he took the knife out and “stumbled.”
According to police reports, Wright says he closed the knife and “in doing so, I kinda stumbled. I did kinda go towards her, but it wasn’t intentional.”
The victim later told officers Wright had allegedly “asked if she wanted to fight” during the incident.
Officers asked Wright why he was so upset about the parking spot. He reportedly responded, “if he parked in that spot, then someone would say something to him or tow his car.”
Police told Wright he “should have kept to himself,” to which Wright responded, “You’re right absolutely, but that doesn’t happen to me…nobody minds their own business when it comes to me…but I didn’t do anything at all until she came at me.”
Wright later admitted he “overreacted because of the heat of the moment and hadn’t eaten.”
Officers arrested Wright and booked him into the Bonneville County Jail, where his bond was set to $10,000, and a no-contact order was issued for the victim.
Wright later posted bail and was released to pre-trial supervision.
Though Wright has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
Wright is scheduled for a jury trial on Dec. 19. If convicted, he could face up to 5 years in prison.