FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
| For Release: | April 24, 2014 |
| Contact Person: | Roger Bourne / Joshua Haws |
| Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys | |
| 208-287-7700 |
04-24-2014 State v. James Twitchell-Sentencing
Last July, 2013, two Boise Police Officers responded to the James Twitchell residence on Excaliber in Boise to investigate a report that Twitchell had just battered his wife. She had fled the residence and called the police from a friend’s house. Mr. Twitchell let the officers into the house and then immediately grabbed a gun from the top of a television stand and attempted to bring the gun to bear on the two officers who had followed him into the house. The two officers were able to get control of Twitchell and the firearm, but Twitchell made every effort to point the .45 caliber pistol at the officers.
Twitchell was charged with two counts of aggravated assault on the officers. He ultimately pled guilty to the charges in February 2014 and was sentenced by Judge Richard Greenwood yesterday, April 23, 2014. During the sentencing hearing, the two officers testified to the fear they felt during the struggle with Twitchell that he would shoot them. The officer’s audio recordings were played to the court. Twitchell repeatedly told the officers during the struggle and also interviewing detectives afterwards that he had intended to shoot the officers because he was mad at the Boise police over a DUI arrest he had from a couple of years earlier. Twitchell had pled guilty to that DUI as well.
Judge Greenwood commented on the fear that Twitchell had caused the officers. The judge found that a prison sentence was necessary to protect the public from Twitchell and to deter others from similar behavior. Twitchell was sentenced to a 15 year term with the first 5 years fixed. That means Twitchell will be eligible for parole in 5 years.