Henderson pleads not guilty, hearing set for Wednesday

A Box Elder man pleaded not guilty to charges including attempted deliberate homicide stemming from a shooting outside of a Box Elder tavern and convenience store. The judge set a hearing to listen to arguments about reducing his $500,000 bond.

Garrison W. Henderson, born in 1993, entered the pleas in state District Court in Havre on the felony charges of attempted deliberate homicide, assault with a weapon and two counts of criminal endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving.

Judge Dan Boucher set the bond reduction hearing for Wednesday. He set an omnibus hearing, for Jan. 28. Omnibus hearings are usually where a trial date is set.

Judge Audrey Barger previously said she set Henderson's bond at $500,000 because the people in the pickup he is accused of shooting at included a 3-year-old child.

According to the charging document, a Hill County sheriff's deputy and Rocky Boy police officers responded Nov. 26 to a report of a shootout outside of the tavern. A witness reported that the shooter had fled from the scene, crashing his vehicle into several cars before going off the road and running away, hiding something in a tree as he left.

The deputy found Henderson hiding in tall grass in the field across which he was said to have run. He told the deputy he had had an assault rifle pulled on him and "what was he supposed to do? " the charging document says.

Jarod Parker told the deputy that he had arrived at the store and Henderson was parked at the gas pump and appeared drunk. When he got out of his truck, Parker said, Henderson pulled a rifle out of his truck. He said Henderson first approached and struck Parker's windshield with the stock of the rifle, breaking it, then returned to his own pickup.

When he got to his vehicle, Henderson turned and fired six to eight rounds at Parker's truck, Parker said, with himself, his girlfriend and his 3-year-old daughter inside. At least one round struck the windshield.

Deputies investigating the scene found a bullet hole indicating a bullet went through the cab just above Parker's head.

Surveillance video at the convenience store shows what appears to be Henderson pulling a rifle from his vehicle and, after leaving then returning to the camera view, firing the rifle.

When interviewed Nov. 27, Henderson said Parker had a pistol and that he shot two times in the air when he thought he saw the pistol. He said no one other than Parker was in Parker's truck.

The Hill County sheriff's deputy conducting the interview said Henderson appeared surprised when he was told Parker's vehicle had two bullet holes in it, and became very upset when he was told a woman and child also were in the vehicle.