Libby man faces 60 years in prison

A Libby man is facing up to 60 years in prison and fines of more than $150,000 following his arrest March 15. Craig Alan Barrows, 29, was charged with three felony counts of assault with a weapon and booked into the Lincoln County jail on $100,000 bond.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by the arresting officer, Ron Buckner of the Libby Police Department, Barrows allegedly pointed a gun at three individuals while riding in a car in Libby.

“I was advised by dispatch that [victim name withheld] called 911 and advised that a male in a blue passenger car similar to a Ford Taurus pointed a gun at him and was following him through town westbound from Town Pump,” he wrote. “Dispatch advised that [victim] was in a silver Grand Am passing the Venture Inn. While responding to the complaint, I observed the silver Grand Am near the Venture Inn. I observed a blue Ford Crown Vic traveling westbound not far behind the reporting party’s vehicle.”

Buckner executed a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle and asked Barrows about the incident. Barrows admitted to being in a “road rage incident,” but claimed he was the victim. Barrows also admitted having an air pistol in the vehicle, which, according to Buckner’s report, resembled a Sig Sauer handgun.

“While I detained Barrows, Deputy Boyd White interviewed the three victims [names redacted],” Buckner wrote. “All three victims told Deputy White that a vehicle resembling a blue Ford Taurus pulled up beside them, opened the passenger door of the suspect car and pointed a handgun at them. The victims described the suspect as having a skinny face, beard and mustache, wearing a ball cap and smoking a cigarette. The victims told Deputy White that they were in fear for their safety. Craig Barrows has a skinny face, beard and mustache, and was smoking a cigarette when I stopped him. I believe that Craig Barrows committed the offense of assault with a weapon by reasonable apprehension of serious bodily injury in another by use of a weapon or what reasonably appears to be a weapon.”

Barrows is no stranger to law enforcement. In January 2016 he was sentenced to 190 days in jail with 180 days credit for time served and 10 days suspended after entering into a plea agreement with the Lincoln County Attorney’s Office on drug-related charges. In exchange for his guilty plea to misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, a felony charge of criminal possession of dangerous drugs was dismissed.

Barrows was also arrested Jan. 5, 2016, and charged with a felony count of assault with a weapon stemming from a confrontation with another individual at a residence on Bobtail Cutoff Road. Barrows was accused of firing a rifle toward the house of the reporting party, but the charges were dismissed by the Lincoln County Attorney’s Office Feb. 5, 2016.