Bond Set in Pickax Assault

Bond was set at $10,000 Wednesday for a Ballantine man accused of assaulting a bail bondsman with a pickax.

Peter Francis Dolan, 54, appeared in Justice Court by video from the county jail on a felony charge of assault with a weapon. Judge Larry Herman ordered Dolan to appear Friday for arraignment in District Court.

According to court records, Dolan was arrested Tuesday when Yellowstone County deputies responded to a disturbance at a residence in Ballantine. When they arrived, a man who identified himself as a bail bondsman said he was at the residence looking to arrest a man who had violated a bond agreement.

The bondsman said he approached Dolan and asked if he knew where to find his client. The bondsman said Dolan grabbed a pickax and swung it at him. The bondsman said he took out pepper spray he carries with him and threatened Dolan with the chemical if he did not put down the ax. Dolan put down the ax and the bondsman called law enforcement.