Man brandishes shotgun after social distancing plea

“Town Crier” newsletter – Briefs from the Region (1) – 3/31/20

The crazies are out and about—all you have to do is try to buy a bar of soap or a roll of toilet paper in most U.S. suburban, micro- and metropolitan areas, where they sparsely exist—to realize this fact. While we can laugh, can you blame them? The rapid global spread of COVID-19, among subsequent setbacks, has scared people into acting rashly with stories of life and death and total economic shutdown on many lips, talking heads notwithstanding. With this particular story, however, we can only laugh…nervously. On March 28, a Missoula man had a shotgun pulled on him after requesting another man to practice social distancing in a convenience store. Timothy John Foley, 30, became irate in the store checkout line, asking the victim if he wanted to “settle this outside,” according to The Missoulian. The victim responded, “I don’t want to fight, I just don’t want to get sick,” according to police reports. Didn’t matter—Foley left and was found waiting outside with a drawn shotgun. The victim returned to the safety of the store, where he called the police. Foley was promptly arrested trying to drive away from the parking lot, and was charged with felony assault with a weapon on March 30, which carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence. His next hearing is set for April 13.