Charges amended in pastor shooting

COEUR d'ALENE — Charges against Kyle Andrew Odom were amended Tuesday from attempted murder to aggravated battery, according to Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh.

Odom, 30, is accused of shooting Pastor Tim Remington six times in the parking lot of The Altar Church in Coeur d'Alene on March 6. McHugh told The Press Tuesday that, if Odom is found guilty, the aggravated battery charge carries the same maximum sentence of 15 years in prison as the original attempted murder charge.

A deadly weapon enhancement, which could add another 15 years to Odom's sentence should he be convicted, will remain associated with the case, McHugh added.

McHugh said his office discussed amending the charges with Remington and his family, as well as with Coeur d'Alene Police Department officials, prior to filing the paperwork in Kootenai County District Court.

After allegedly shooting Remington following church services on the afternoon of March 6, Odom reportedly drove to Spokane before heading south to Boise. On March 7, Odom boarded a flight from the Boise Airport to Washington, D.C., and was seen throwing flash drives and other items over the White House fence prior to being arrested by Secret Service agents.

Odom signed a waiver of extradition in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on April 6, and was escorted to Kootenai County by the U.S. Marshals Service. He was booked into the Kootenai County jail on May 6, and is being held on $500,000 bail.

A preliminary hearing, during which prosecutors will attempt to prove they have sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial, is scheduled for June 3 in Kootenai County District Court.