Alva Review-Courier -

A little detective work helped a Woods County deputy sort out differing accounts of an incident involving firearms.

According to court documents, on Friday, March 31, about 11:35 p.m. Toby Patton reported to the Woods County Sheriff’s Office that a man had pounded on the front door of his residence at 1117 Broadway in Capron.

Patton told Deputy Adam Honeyman that when he approached the front door before opening it he shouted, “Who is it?” Patton said the man answered, “Don’t worry about it; get your a—out here.” Patton said he repeated his question and the man repeated his answer.

Patton said he opened the door with a rifle in his hand as he was nervous about the loud knocking as well as the man’s tone of voice and wording. He said when he opened the door, the man pulled a semi-automatic pistol from his back and pointed it at his face.

Patton said he slammed the door shut on the man, retreated to a safe distance and fired one round through the door hoping to scare off the man. He said he aimed toward the door trying not to hit the man on the other side. Patton said he saw taillights of a vehicle driving away. He gave chase to obtain the vehicle license plate number, leaving his girlfriend Brenda Russell inside the residence.

The license number Patton provided was registered to a 1998 Dodge pickup owned by Mike Jones of Helena. Russell told Deputy Honeyman she knew the man who had been on the porch to be Jones due to a previous relationship with him. She also told Honeyman that Jones owns several firearms.

On Tuesday, April 4, about 10 a.m. Deputy Honeyman met with Jones at the Helena Police Department and conducted a non-custodial interview. Jones said he and Russell have known each other for years. Russell had told Honeyman that Jones had two vehicles, a Ford and a Dodge. Jones said he drives the Ford during the week for business and the Dodge after hours. He said he is the only one who drives the vehicles.

Honeyman had contacted Jones on his cellphone. He asked Jones if he shares the phone and Jones said no. Jones also told Honeyman he had been at his bar in Helena all evening on Friday night, March 31. He said he was not in Capron and that he did not own any firearms. He wrote a statement to that effect.

Honeyman obtained a search warrant through Woods County District Court. The GPS coordinates of Jones phone showed he was in Capron on March 31.

On Friday, April 7, about 10 a.m. Jones came to the Woods County Sheriff’s Office in Alva for a second interview based on his cellphone coordinates. Jones immediately said, “Yes, I went to Capron on Friday night to check on Brenda.” He told Honeyman he was uncomfortable with her living situation with Patton and wanted to check on her. Jones admitted to pounding on the door and the same exchange of words that Patton had reported. The only variance in his story was that Jones said he did not have a gun. He did not provide any reason why Russell, a good friend of his for a long time, would tell Honeyman he owns guns. Jones was offered a polygraph exam to confirm the information he gave Honeyman.

The polygraph was scheduled for Wednesday, April 12, at 9 a.m. Jones failed to show for the exam or to call and cancel. Honeyman attempted to call Jones, leaving a voice mail when he did not answer.

Michael Wayne Jones, 40, of Helena has been charged with a felony of assault with a dangerous weapon. This crime is punishable by imprisonment for up to ten years in the penitentiary or one year in the county jail. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.