Pocatello woman charged after allegedly pulling gun on another woman
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INKOM — A woman police say pulled a pistol during a dispute over childrearing faces a felony charge.
Aschia Marie Shepherd, 30, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, court records show.
Bannock County sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of a disturbance involving a gun at a home on North Rapid Creek Road around 4 p.m. March 17, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
While en route, deputies were informed the suspect, Shepherd, fled the area in a red four-door Pontiac Grand Prix.
Deputies went to the scene of the incident and spoke with the victims and the victim’s daughter.
The victim and witness told deputies they were arguing with Shepherd after they scolded her for what they believed to be poor parenting. Shepherd, they said, became upset and pulled a pistol on the women.
Police reports noted Shepherd had four children with her at the time of the incident and put the youngest in the car before drawing the gun.
The victim and a second witness who spoke with officers said they did not see the pistol at first. The first witness — the victim’s daughter — was the person who alerted the other two women that Shepherd had pulled a gun, the affidavit says.
The victim’s daughter provided deputies with a description of the gun she saw.
While deputies were speaking with the victim and witnesses, they received an alert that another deputy had located Shepherd’s vehicle going west on Buckskin Road. Because the patrolling deputy was alone and Shepherd was believed to be armed, others left the scene to join the lone deputy.
Pocatello police also redirected to assist with the high-risk stop.
Authorities pulled her over without any issues. Shepherd was taken into police custody and the children were turned over to their father.
While speaking with deputies, Shepherd allegedly admitted that she “messed up.”
When the deputy asked her to elaborate, Shepherd said she was arguing with two women regarding the way she was disciplining her children. While she was loading her children into her car, she “let her emotions get to her” and grabbed her gun, the affidavit says. She said she pointed it at one of the women before loading her children into her car and leaving.
Shepherd was arrested and taken to Bannock County Jail for booking. She was released the following day after posting a $5,000 bond.
If she is found guilty, Shepherd could face up to five years in prison.
She is scheduled to appear in court before Magistrate Judge Paul Laggis for a preliminary hearing on April 11.
Though Shepherd has been charged with a crime, it does not necessarily mean she committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.