Plea agreement reached in road rage incident

A Whitefish man accused of firing a handgun at a motorcycle reached a plea agreement with prosecutors last week.

Christopher Robert Showen, 35, entered an Alford plea to one felony count of assault with a weapon. A second count of assault with a weapon was dismissed in the agreement.

An Alford plea means that the defendant doesn’t admit guilt but would likely be found guilty at trial.

On Aug. 2, 2014, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a motorcycle rider who said somebody in a vehicle had fired three rounds at him and a passenger on Montana 35.

Deputies tracked the license plate of the vehicle to Showen, who was with his wife, Jennifer. According to court documents, Jennifer Showen told deputies that she was driving and attempted to pass a motorcycle, but it sped up and forced her to back down. She said that she didn’t recall shooting the gun, but she keeps a .40-caliber Beretta in the car.

Christopher Showen admitted being the passenger in the car. The motorcycle rider reported that a male passenger fired the gun.

Jennifer Showen told the Daily Inter Lake that the woman on the back of the motorcycle made an obscene gesture at her, which she and her husband returned. She said that shots were fired into the air, but she didn’t say who fired the gun.

Showen initially pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The judge signed a conditional release order for Christopher Showen on the same day as the plea agreement.

His sentencing is scheduled for June 2.