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Man with gun outside Silver Dollar gets jail time [UPDATED]
Published 12:06pm Tuesday, November 23, 2010 Updated 12:08pm Tuesday, November 30, 2010A Fergus Falls man who drunkenly threatened a man with a gun in Elizabeth will see jail time after being convicted of second degree assault with a dangerous weapon on Friday.
Jason Henry Jepson, 37, was also charged with discharging a firearm in a municipality, but that charge was dismissed. For his conviction, Jepson was sentenced to 180 days in the Otter Tail County Jail, and he was fined $500, which he will pay off through community service.
Jepson’s most serious penalty was a three year prison sentence. This sentence, however, will be stayed for seven years. If Jepson successfully completes supervised probation for that amount of time, the sentence will be dismissed.
According to the criminal complaint, things started to go wrong for Jepson on the evening of May 1, as he was having some drinks at the Silver Dollar Saloon in Elizabeth. Jepson, who is an Inuit of Alaskan descent, told law enforcement that he was being insulted by other patrons at the bar, who he said were calling him Mexican and Indian.
After finishing his drinks, Jepson walked out of the bar and, according to witnesses, began hanging around the parking lot, shouting at some passersby and leaning on a car that didn’t belong to him.
After some time had passed, a man who was entering the bar approached Jepson and told him that he probably shouldn’t be leaning on other people’s cars. The complaint stated that Jepson, who was wearing a black trench coat and a black rimmed hat, then pulled his trench coat aside to reveal a revolver, which he cocked and pointed at the man. The man pushed Jepson’s revolver away and hurried into the bar, and the bouncer called 911 soon after. This was about 10:45 p.m.
Witnesses reported hearing Jepson fire a shot in an unknown direction shortly thereafter.
After learning that Jepson was the man with the gun, sheriff’s officers looked up his address and went to his home in Fergus Falls. They found Jepson and his gun there.
Jepson’s blood alcohol content was also taken, and it came in at .195.
Tags: assault, Elizabeth
