Richmond gets 45 months for Loon Lake road rage shooting | News

The suspect in a Loon Lake road rage shooting incident in March has pleaded guilty on an assault charge and has been sentenced to 45 months in prison.

Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen reported that Matthew Richmond pleaded guilty to second degree assault with an enhanced weapons charge.

Last March, Richmond shot at another car driven by Josh Pickens, at the tail end of a road rage incident. The two got into a verbal altercation after one cut off the other while driving along Highway 292.

Richmond blocked Pickens in, who was trying to get away, and then pulled out a gun and opened fire, hitting Pickens in the neck.

Pickens was hit in the carotid artery and was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center where he underwent emergency surgery to repair the damage.

Richmond's sentence, 45 months, was on the high end of the available range on the assault charge.