Man arrested for assault

SAGLE — A Clark Fork man has been arrested following an alleged assault on two men who were recently seeking political office in Bonner County.

According to Bonner County Sheriff's reports, late last month, deputies were called to a business in Sagle after reports of an assault. The suspect, Michael Franco, was arrested in front of the business while officers spoke to the two alleged victims.

The alleged victims were two men who ran for political office this year: Daniel Rose, who is running for the State Senate District 1 seat as an independent, and Spencer Hutchings, who had recently lost in the primary for the House of Representatives District 1A seat.

Rose allegedly told deputies he was visiting Hutchings at his business in Sagle when Franco entered the building.

“Hutchings immediately told him to leave because he is known to cause trouble,” the probable cause affidavit states. “[Rose] also told him to leave and he refused.

Court records say Franco was trying to speak with Rose, who agreed to come out of the store to have a conversation with him. After Franco left the store, Rose allegedly told deputies he tried to close the door behind Franco, who put his foot in the door to avoid being locked out.

“Franco then seized [Rose] by the shirt and pulled him outside,” a deputy wrote in the probable cause affidavit. “They started struggling and Franco pulled him to the ground where he started punching him. [Rose] in the chest.”

Rose told deputies that Hutchings yelled at Franco to stop, but was ignored. Court records say Hutchings began punching Franco in the back of the head in an attempt to get him away from Rose. When Franco finally got up, he allegedly snatched Hutchings' phone from his hands.

“Franco then struck Hutchings in the upper body with his hands,” the affidavit states.

As Franco fled the scene, he allegedly stomped on Hutchings' phone, causing it to break.

Deputies noted that Hutchings' story matched Rose's when he was questioned about the situation. Both men reportedly refused to receive medical treatment for the injuries they reported to deputies.

While speaking to law enforcement, Franco alleged that after being asked to come outside to speak with Rose, Hutchings allegedly began punching him in the back of the head “for no reason.”

In partially released security camera footage, it appears the incident unfolded differently than what was reported by the men. However, a full video of the assault has not been made public.

Franco was arrested on two counts of battery and was jailed. His bond was set at $300 for each battery and both men served him with a no-contact order.

Franco continued to maintain his innocence, speaking publicly at two meetings of the Bonner County Board of Commissioners.

“I am innocent,” he said at the May 28 meeting. “The most extreme and violent person is still at large.”

Franco spoke again at the June 4 work meeting, maintaining his innocence in the matter.

“I am still an innocent man,” he repeated. “We must ask ourselves why an extreme and violent man walks among us…”

Franco said he and the third person involved in the incident, presumably Rose, had been friends since around 2003, when they supported the same political candidate.

“What I was doing with this individual in Sagle was trying to locate him and give him one last chance to encourage him to leave a cult-type entity,” Franco said.

Rose also spoke about the incident in a press release.

“This was an unfortunate event that was not organized for political purposes and resulted in actual injuries/medical complications and property damage,” Rose said.

Franco's jury trial is set for July 25.