COUR D’ALENE, Idaho — A 34-year-old man from Coeur d’Alene was sentenced to three years of probation after firing a weapon at multiple vehicles in a parking garage.
Lucas Hightower, 34, was charged with malicious injury to property and four counts of discharging a weapon in city limits.
On May 24, officers were called to a report of a man yelling and firing a weapon into vehicles at the Riverstone parking structure in Coeur d’Alene. As officers arrived on scene they saw Hightower, who matched the description based on witness statements.
When officers talked to Hightower they believed that he might be intoxicated and found a partially loaded 9mm handgun with several spent shell casings on him.
Hightower told law enforcement that he recently separated from his girlfriend and denied drinking or firing the handgun. Officers also searched his vehicle and found a second loaded handgun.
At Hightower’s bail hearing, the State recommended that he stay in jail and set his bail to $250,000.
Following this decision, Hightower requested to be released on his own recognizance or have his bail reduced on July 12. The State objected, but according to the Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Hightower mentioned that “his Veteran Affairs benefits would stop if he remained in custody for more than 60 days and that he was engaged in treatment prior to the incident.”
District Judge Richard Christensen reduced his bail to $60,000 and Hightower bonded out of jail after 52 days in custody.
Felony malicious injury to property can be up to a five year prison sentence and a misdemeanor charge of discharging a weapon in city limits can be up to 180 days in jail.
At Hightower’s sentencing on Dec. 8, the State recommended that he receive the maximum 5 years for his felony charge and the maximum of 180 days in jail for each misdemeanor charge (2 years).
They also mentioned that, “all five sentences run consecutively with each other; effectively recommending that Hightower spend 5 years in custody before becoming eligible for release.”
Judge Christensen sentenced Hightower to a 5 year prison sentence for his felony malicious injury to property charge, but suspended it and placed him on a three year probation.
He sentenced Hightower to 52 days in jail for each count of misdemeanor discharging a weapon in city limits, which was satisfied by the 52 days he spent in jail before bonding out.
Judge Christensen commented on the State’s recommendation for prison, calling it “pure vindictiveness.”
