All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law
Michael Lott, 31, of Fremont County is facing one count of Property Destruction and Defacement, one count of Reckless Endangering, and one count of Interference with a Peace Officer.
On April 15, 2020 the Fremont County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to a residential neighborhood in Dubois for a weapons offense.
As Sheriff’s Deputies approached a household, they described hearing yelling inside of the house, and Lott telling an individual, “he was going to kill them.” Deputies knocked on Lott’s door and asked him to exit the house. As he exited, he was holding a rifle. Deputies then drew their weapons, and asked Lott to put his gun down. Lott refused and continue to argue with the other individual inside the house.
Deputies again instructed Lott to drop his weapon and come talk to them. At this point, he dropped the gun, but returned inside of the house.
As Lott returned inside, Deputies heard a gunshot from in the house. Unsure of which direction the gunfire was coming from, law enforcement sought cover. Court documents describe that after the gunfire, “Lott then put his head out of a window and said he would not come out and they should shoot him.” Eventually, Lott would throw a second gun from the house outside.
A few moments later, Lott appeared at the front door again. At this point, a Deputy was able to grab his hand and restrain Michael.
As Lott was being transported to the Fremont County Detention Center, court documents show that he complained to a Sheriff’s Deputy his handcuffs were, “too tight.” The Deputy stopped his vehicle and adjusted the handcuffs to the front of Lott’s body. As the Deputy continued to transport him, he began to, “yell and kick the light and camera in the caged area of the patrol vehicle causing them to stop working.” Documents show Lott then began kicking the glass partition in the front of the vehicle cage.
The damage to the vehicle was estimated in court documents to total $1,927.
If convicted, Property Destruction and Defacement is a felony and punishable by up to 10 years of imprisonment and fine of up to $10,000. Reckless Endangering is a misdemeanor and punishable by up to 1 year in jail. Interference with a Peace Officer is a misdemeanor and punishable by imprisonment of up to 1 year and a fine of up to $1,000.