Chubbuck man charged after threatening another man with a knife

POCATELLO — A man police say held a knife to another man’s neck before punching him in the face has been charged with multiple crimes.

Joel Gonzalez-Rangel, 39, faces one felony count of aggravated assault and one misdemeanor count of battery, court records show.

Pocatello police responded to calls reporting an assault at a convenience store on Yellowstone Avenue around 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 25, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

When officers arrived at the scene, they spoke with the victim, who told them Gonzalez-Rangel, whom the victim knew before the incident, held a knife to his neck. The victim said that when he tried to escape, Gonzalez-Rangel punched him in the head. Police reports indicate the victim had a bloody nose, swollen eye and a cut on his face near his eye.

The victim said Gonzalez-Rangel was highly intoxicated at the time of the incident, the affidavit says.

Officers attempted to contact Gonzalez-Rangel but were unsuccessful until April 7, when they spoke with him after he was detained for an unrelated incident.

Court records do not indicate a reason for Gonzalez-Rangel’s detainment.

Though Gonzalez-Rangel was willing to speak with officers, he said he could not remember the incident and was unable to answer any questions about it.

Gonzalez-Rangel was taken to Bannock County Jail, where he was booked. He was released on a $5,000 bond the following day.

Though Gonzalez-Rangel has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.

If he is found guilty, Gonzalez-Rangel would face more than five years in prison.

He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing before Magistrate Judge Carol Tippi Jarman Monday.