Charges reduced for Ketchum man in domestic assault case
James Steven Buntain, 58, of Ketchum, was initially arrested on a charge of felony aggravated assault last November for allegedly firing a pistol at his partner during an argument, according to the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office. He was accused of using the gun “with apparent ability” and creating a fear of “imminent” violence in his partner, Blaine County Prosecutor Matthew Fredback stated in his original criminal complaint filed on Nov. 14, 2022.
According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to a possible domestic-violence situation at The Meadows trailer park south of Ketchum shortly after 1 a.m. on Nov. 12. In an interview with police, Buntain allegedly admitted to trying to get his partner to leave a residence by firing one round into the floor from his Smith and Wesson 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistol, according to a probable-cause-for-arrest affidavit filed with the court by Ketchum Police Officer Ted Carsley.
The alleged victim also told police that Buntain had pointed the pistol at her head, Carsley stated.
Buntain now faces one count of misdemeanor assault and one count of misdemeanor discharging a weapon at another person “without malice,” according to an amended criminal complaint filed by Blaine County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Stacie Summerhill on Feb. 27.
Through his attorney, Public Defender Doug Nelson, Buntain entered a not guilty plea to misdemeanor assault on Feb. 27. He did not enter a plea to the other charge.
After Buntain's arrest last fall, Judge Ned Williamson entered a no-contact order to protect the alleged victim. However, on Jan. 3, at the request of the alleged victim, Williamson agreed to modify the order to allow the woman and Buntain to seek "joint partner counseling."
Summerhill told the court on Jan. 3 that she opposed any modification of the order, as it was a “serious incident involving a gun,” and said it would be more productive for Buntain to seek counseling on his own. Williamson ruled that the alleged victim and Buntain can be together, but only while supervised in the presence of a counselor.
Buntain originally faced up to five years in state prison and a $5,000 fine if convicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He now faces up to three months in county jail for misdemeanor assault, six months in county jail for the illegal weapon firing and combined fines of $2,000.
Buntain is due back in court for sentencing on the morning of April 18 before Judge Daniel Dolan.
Charge reduced for wrong-way driver
A Jerome resident initially charged with felony excessive DUI for driving through Sun Valley on Feb. 28 with a blood-alcohol content over .20 has been sentenced for misdemeanor DUI after accepting a plea deal with the court on March 14.
Johnathan Casiano, 31, initially faced up to five years in state prison for the DUI and an additional six months in county jail for allegedly providing false information to officers. His felony DUI charge was reduced to a "second offense DUI," a misdemeanor, through an amended complaint filed by prosecutor Stacie Summerhill with the court on March 14.
On Thursday, Magistrate Judge Jennifer Haemmerle sentenced Casiano, who works in Sun Valley, to two years of probation and one year of jail time, with 300 days suspended and 30 days credit for time served—leaving 30 days still to serve. She also revoked his driving privileges for one year and required an ignition interlock device after that point.
Casiano was initially charged with felony DUI because he had a previous excessive DUI conviction in Jerome County dating to August 2020. In Idaho, excessive DUI indicates a BAC figure over .20; the offense becomes a felony upon the second charge within five years.
According to a probable-cause-for-arrest affidavit filed by Sun Valley Police Officer Steven Whiting, the officer was driving on Sun Valley Road toward the Dollar Road intersection around 11:25 p.m. on Feb. 28 when he observed a black Ford Eclipse "completely in the wrong lane of travel,” according to the affidavit. Whiting stated that he conducted a traffic stop and field sobriety testing on Casiano. According to Whiting, Casiano allegedly failed the sobriety test.
Between 12:30 and 12:45 a.m.—more than an hour after Casiano was pulled over—three breathalyzer tests Whiting administered at the Sun Valley Police Station showed blood-alcohol levels of about .203/.208, .220/.226 and .202/.208, the affidavit states. Later, at the police station, Casiano was charged with misdemeanor providing false information to police after he allegedly gave multiple aliases and three different dates of birth and presented a driver's license belonging to another man, Whiting wrote.
Casiano has been held in the Blaine County Detention Center since March 1 on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold and is facing deportation to his country of origin, according to the sheriff's office.
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