SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane man in his late 60s was sent to the hospital with head and rib injuries after an argument with his neighbor over where to pile snow turned physical on Friday.
According to a Spokane County Sheriff's Office press release, deputies responded to a reported assault in the 6600 block of North Whitehouse Ave. at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 15.
The victim, whose name has not been released, said the dispute started after his neighbor, 48-year-old Michael P. Jones, wouldn't stop piling snow from a nearby alley in the victim's shed with his snow blower, according to the press release.
Deputies said the victim told them he had thanked Jones a couple weeks ago for removing the snow from the alley but had asked that he not pile it in his shed, to which Jones responded negatively.
On the night of Feb. 15, Jones allegedly began using his snow blower to again pile the snow on the victim's property.
The victim then told deputies he put his shovel in the path of the snow blower and Jones allegedly ran into the shovel into the snow blower, causing it to tip.
At this point, Jones tackled the victim and began punching him in the head and rib areas. According to the release, Jones also used his knees against the rib area of the victim while on the ground.
The victim was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital for injuries to his head and ribs. He has since been released, according to the press release.
Jones denied that he assaulted the victim when questioned by deputies, and said he saw the victim throwing snow back onto his property, according to the press release. Jones also told deputies he went to clear the snow that had been thrown over when the victim came over and took off the snow chute from the snow blower.
Jones also claimed the two fell down but that he did not know how it happened, according to the release.
While Jones was initially taken to the Spokane County Jail on misdemeanor fourth-degree assault charges, but he is now facing a felony second-degree assault charge after the initial charge was dropped due to the extent of the victim's injuries.
