Hayden man sentenced for firing weapon

COEUR d'ALENE — A Hayden man was recently convicted of felony aggravated assault and felony unlawful possession of a firearm in First Judicial District court.

District Judge John Mitchell, on May 17 sentenced Joshua Nathaniel Cottrell, 41, to a 10-year prison sentence and placed him on five-years probation.

Probation included a condition that he participate in Kootenai County’s Mental Health Specialty Court.

The charges stemmed from an incident Jan. 2 when neighbors heard Cottrell screaming and discharging a firearm from inside his Hayden apartment, according to a press release from the Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

Neighbors called 911 after several bullets were fired through their front door.

After Cottrell was arrested, deputies located a handgun in his apartment, the release said.

"It was determined that Cottrell was experiencing a mental health episode in which he mistakenly believed a woman was being held hostage by armed and masked individuals outside his apartment door," the release said.

Cottrell’s firearm rights were suspended in 2006 when he was convicted of felony possession of a controlled substance, the release said.