West pleads not guilty to assault charge in Lincoln County District Court

Kenneth Lee West maintained his innocence in Lincoln County District Court last week despite surveillance footage allegedly showing him clubbing another man in a convenience store Dec. 31.

West, 60, of Eureka, pleaded not guilty to assault with a deadly weapon during a Jan. 27 arraignment hearing. Authorities arrested West after his victim reported the attack to Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies.

Deputy Dan Holskey, who led the investigation, according to court documents, obtained surveillance footage from the store detailing the attack. The film shows West approaching his victim with a billy club hidden behind his right leg, Holskey wrote in his affidavit.

In the video, West appears to speak with the victim before clubbing him, court documents said. The blow knocks the victim into a nearby shelf. Eventually, the victim staggers out with West following, according to the affidavit.

The victim told investigators that West threatened him in the past, court documents said.

West is well known to local law enforcement. In his affidavit, Holskey wrote that the Eureka resident is a drug dealer with past convictions in Montana.

West is due back in court on March 9 for an omnibus hearing.