Bail is set at $20,000 for a man accused of threatening to kill Morton Police Chief Cole Cournyer, driving toward Cournyer at a high rate of speed before swerving and fleeing and later being stopped by a deputy on Monday.
Jess Keawe Galiher, 41, of Cinebar, is accused of telling a barista at a drive-thru coffee stand that “he was going to kill Chief Cournyer,” then leaving the coffee stand at a high rate of speed heading directly toward Cournyer, who was in his patrol vehicle, according to court documents.
Cournyer had stopped to run a check on Galiher’s vehicle after an employee at a pub in Morton informed Cournyer earlier that day that a man, identified as Galiher from his receipt, had “made a comment about killing a trooper” before leaving the pub in a white Chrysler, according to court documents.
Cournyer confirmed that the white Chrysler at the drive-thru coffee stand was registered to Galiher. The vehicle was then “observed leaving the coffee stand at a high rate of speed and heading directly toward Chief Cournyer,” according to court documents. The Chrysler reportedly “swerved just before striking his vehicle and sped off.”
Cournyer reportedly pursued the Chrysler, with Galiher allegedly passing vehicles in a no passing zone at speeds of up to 50 mph in a 25 mph zone, forcing oncoming traffic to leave the roadway to avoid a collision.
“Due to heavy traffic in the area and threats made toward law enforcement with no backup, Chief Cournyer terminated his pursuit,” the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office stated in charging documents.
Cournyer reportedly returned to the coffee stand to get the barista’s account of the incident.
A Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputy reportedly located Galiher “a short while later,” and Galiher was arrested.
Galiher was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 7:03 p.m. on Feb. 17, according to jail records.
He was charged Tuesday, Feb. 18, in Lewis County Superior Court with one count each of felony harassment and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle.
“The allegations here are not in his nature whatsoever,” defense attorney Rachael Tiller said of Galiher during his preliminary hearing on Tuesday, noting his lack of felony or assault-like history and adding that alcohol or drugs “may be the crux of the case.”
While Tiller asked that bail be set no higher than $10,000 and the prosecution asked for $100,000 bail, Judge Paul Strophy opted to set Galiher’s bail at $20,000.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 27.
