Pocatello man charged following beating that left another man with fractured sternum, ribs - East Idaho News
Crime Watch

Pocatello man charged following beating that left another man with fractured sternum, ribs

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POCATELLO — A man accused of attacking another man with more than 70 punches and kicks is facing a felony charge.

David Jonathan Gunderson, 41, has been charged with aggravated battery, court records show.

Pocatello police received a call around 11:45 a.m. on May 27 reporting a battery that occurred the night before, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Officers were dispatched to East Wyeth Street to speak with the victim.

Upon arrival, officers asked the victim to tell them what had happened. He responded, “David beat the s*** out of me,” police reports say. He told officers that he and Gunderson had gone out bar hopping together before returning to the home where they lived together.

The victim told officers that he and Gunderson were eating together when Gunderson punched him. He said he fell to the ground, and Gunderson continued punching and kicking him.

Medical assistance was requested after the victim told them he was struggling to breathe.

Officers spoke with Gunderson, who said he and the victim had gone out bar hopping and then returned home. He said he warmed a bowl of spaghetti and ate before going to sleep. He said the victim did not eat with him, adding that he was unsure where the victim was when the injuries occurred.

Noticing that his hands were swollen, officers asked Gunderson what had happened. According to the affidavit, Gunderson told officers that he hurt them at work. Then officers asked Gunderson how he hurt his hands at work, to which Gunderson responded that he actually hurt them when he fell at his home. During later questioning, Gunderson again changed his story, saying that he hurt his hands while he was out the night prior when he fell at a bar.

Gunderson denied being involved in a physical altercation with the victim or knowing that the victim had been hurt.

Officers spoke with witnesses. One of the witnesses said they heard Gunderson say, “f*** you, get up,” during what sounded like an altercation. Another witness told officers they knew Gunderson to be loud and aggressive.

He was issued a citation for misdemeanor battery.

Officers were contacted again regarding the same incident two weeks later. They were informed that due to persistent physical pain, the victim had gone to Portneuf Medical Center for treatment.

Medical staff at PMC told officers that the victim had suffered a sternal fracture, rib fractures and a hemothorax — a blood build-up in the chamber between the chest and lung.

Speaking with officers again, the victim was more forthcoming about the events.

He said that he and Gunderson were involved in a relationship and that he asked Gunderson if he wanted to go out. The victim said that Gunderson refused to go out, so he went out with other friends.

When he returned, he said Gunderson had taken his car somewhere and left the keys to his car with someone else. The victim told officers that upon his return from a night out, he learned that Gunderson had been drinking at home.

He said he attempted to open a conversation with Gunderson, to which Gunderson responded, “shut the f*** up,” and began hitting him “like a punching bag,” the victim said.

In total, the victim said Gunderson punched him between 50 and 60 times before kicking him in the chest 20 to 30 times.

After speaking with the victim, a witness, and medical staff at PMC, officers determined that the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office would need to be contacted about amended charges.

Officers attended court for what was to be Gunderson’s initial appearance for the misdemeanor battery. However, Gunderson was a no-show for court. Unable to locate him at his home, a warrant was issued for Gunderson’s arrest for the charge of felony aggravated battery.

He was found and taken into custody by Bannock County sheriff’s deputies on Nov. 9. After being booked, he posted a $25,000 bond and was released from jail.

Though Gunderson has been charged with this crime, it does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.

If he is found guilty, Gunderson could face up to 15 years in prison.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 23 for arraignment.

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