Pocatello man charged with felony after allegedly threatening housemate with knife
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POCATELLO — A man who police say threatened another man with a knife resulting in a felony charge, has also been charged with battery over a head injury suffered during a preceding altercation.
Trong Tuan Huynh, 30, has been charged with a felony for aggravated assault and a misdemeanor for domestic battery, court records show.
Pocatello police responded to reports of a physical disturbance in progress at a home on the 2400 block of Legacy around 1 a.m. on June 21, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
When officers arrived at the home, they found a man, later identified as Huynh, on the porch with blood on his forehead.
Officers asked Huynh where the blood came from, but he held out his hands and said, “Sorry.” According to the affidavit, Huynh does not speak English and could not understand the officers.
The officers went inside the home and spoke to one of its residents, who said he overheard Huynh and another resident, a woman, arguing. The man said he went to investigate and saw Huynh shove the woman down. He said the woman struck her head on the corner of a bathtub, so he pulled Huynh to the ground and held him down so the woman could escape.
The two men argued, and Huynh allegedly went to the kitchen and grabbed a kitchen knife.
After Huynh threatened the man with the knife, the woman with whom Huynh had been arguing took the knife from Huynh and threw it in the sink, police reports say. But Huynh grabbed a different knife.
Police arrived a short time later after a second woman in the home called 911.
The male victim told police that this was not the first time Huynh had threatened people in the home with a knife, the affidavit says.
The female victim was taken to Portneuf Medical Center by ambulance to be treated for an actively bleeding wound on the back of her head.
When officers told Huynh he was being arrested, he told them he did not understand and only speaks Vietnamese. He was arrested and taken to Bannock County Jail.
Officers spoke with the female victim at PMC. She allegedly told police that Huynh threatened the male victim with a cup, not a knife. She then provided officers with video from inside the home.
Upon review, officers confirmed that, during an argument, Huynh grabbed a knife from a knife block on the kitchen counter and threatened the male victim. The female victim pulled the knife from his hand and threw it toward the sink, but Huynh grabbed a second knife from the block and threatened the male victim again.
Huynh was released from jail after posting a $5,000 bond. However, he has been ordered to maintain contact with court services and has been served a no-contact order.
Though Huynh has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
If he is found guilty, Huynh could face up to five years and six months in prison.
He is scheduled to appear in court before magistrate judge Aaron Thompson for a preliminary hearing Wednesday.