A Belgrade-area man who made the news April 15 for allegedly wandering his neighborhood in body armor while threatening his neighbors with a rifle, had his case kicked up to District Court.
On April 29, John Skipperâs case was transferred from Justice Court to 18th Judicial District Court of Judge Rienne McElyea, where he is scheduled for an initial hearing June 6. At the time he was arrested for felony assault with a rifle and held without bond.
According to court documents, the 4 p.m. incident on the 5600 block of Foster Lane started when Skipper became irritated with a neighbor who confronted him after he backed over another neighborâs mailbox.
Vehicles parked at three area trailheads â Cherry Creek, the M, and Peetâs Hill â were burgled by two âHispanic-looking malesâ on May 9. The first report was at 1 p.m. at Peetâs Hill, when women returning from a hike realized their door lock had been drilled out and their credit cards were gone. Within 45 minutes, the owner of the cards was notified that $1,453.99 had just been charged on a card at Target.
At the same time, the county sheriff had been notified that another resident had the same done to her car at the Cherry Creek fishing access, and her cards were being used at Walmart to the tune of $828.65.
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A local man who made the news last week for threatening his neighbors with a rifle will appear for hearing in Justice Court on April 30 regarding a pending felony assault with a rifle charge.
John Francis Skipper, of the 5600 block of Foster Lane, Belgrade, apparently was irritated when a neighbor confronted him for hitting another neighborâs mailbox.
There was some initial confusion over the first reports of Skipperâs address. He has a Belgrade ZIP code, but lives outside the city limits some two miles south of the Springhill Church and just east of the Saddleback in an area old-time residents know as the Decker District.