Man accused of cutting his father, eluding officers

A man who is accused of cutting his father with a box cutter and running from police officers is scheduled to appear in state District Court Friday at 1 p.m.

Kevin D. Trumble is charged with assault with a weapon, second offense partner or family member assault and obstructing a police officer. Trumble is being held in the Hill County Detention Center on $20,000 bond.

Court documents say a man called 911 April 2 and reported that he’d been beaten up by his son. After entering the house, officers noticed several cuts on the man’s arms, one across his stomach and a red mark on his cheek.

Documents say the father admitted he had been drinking even though he was not supposed to. He said he drank because he was in a lot of pain.

The man told officers he and Trumble, his son, were getting ready to go fishing when Trumble “went ballistic, cut him up” and kicked him in the back and hit him in the face. Officers asked the man what Trumble cut him with and he answered that Trumble kept two utility knives on him.

The man told officers the fight happened in the kitchen and living room. He said Trumble smashed a beer in his face and broke his glasses. Files say one of the officers found a broken pair of glasses with blood on the lenses, which were seized as evidence.

The man said he did not know what started the fight, but mentioned that Trumble couldn’t find something he was looking for and blamed his dad for it. The man also said Trumble threatened to burn everything down if he said a word.

The man was arrested for violating his probation by drinking and escorted to Hill County Detention Center.

The man’s Bronco, the one Trumble took, was found in the Bear Paw Credit Union parking lot. A total of two officers and two Hill County sheriff’s deputies teamed up to walk the bars and find Trumble.

Officers saw a man and a woman walk out of a 1st Street tavern. They suspected the man to be Trumble. After a few twists and turns on the streets, an officer caught up with the woman, who was no longer walking with the man. The woman confirmed she had been with Trumble.

An officer found Trumble standing on the grass boulevard between PJ’s Tavern & Casino and the railroad depot. Trumble saw the officer and began to run, documents say. The officer yelled at Trumble.

Because the officer couldn’t see Trumble’s hands and had reason to suspect Trumble had at least two knives on him, reached for his duty weapon.Trumble immediately put his hands up and lay on the ground, after which he was handcuffed, files say.

Files say Trumble would not stop talking and his arms and legs were continuously twitching. Charging documents say the officers had reason to suspect Trumble’s behavior was due to alcohol and narcotic intoxication.

Officers seized two knives off Trumble for evidence, one of which was a box cutter. A criminal background check revealed Trumble was convicted of domestic battery in Ada County, Idaho, in 1990.

Officers spoke to Trumble, two days later, April 4, at the jail.

Trumble said he didn’t know anything about the incident his father reported. Files say Trumble said his father had been suicidal and believed he caused the injuries to himself. Trumble said he didn’t know why his father blamed him for the incident.

Trumble told officers he came home 15 minutes before 11 a.m. that day and planned on going fishing with his girlfriend. The documents said that Trumble said, a second time, that he came home at 15 minutes before noon and left at 5 p.m.

Trumble said he was leaving a bar when he saw police, “freaked out” and ran.

In a follow-up interview at the jail, Trumble’s father elaborated on the incident, adding that Trumble’s behavior was getting worse because of his drug use, and it scared him.

On April 11, Trumble’s father called police to tell them that, after having brought home the Bronco his son drove off in the day of the incident, he found three knives hidden in the car.

One of the knives had what appeared to be blood on it. An officer put it in a paper evidence bag to be sent to the Montana State Crime Lab for a DNA test.

DNA samples were also collected from Trumble and his father and sent to the Montana State Crime Lab for testing.