Powell man re-arrested after alleged knife chase

Posted 10/17/19

A Powell man facing allegations that he strangled his girlfriend in June was re-arrested Monday after he allegedly chased a man with a knife.

At a Tuesday morning appearance in Park …

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Powell man re-arrested after alleged knife chase

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A Powell man facing allegations that he strangled his girlfriend in June was re-arrested Monday after he allegedly chased a man with a knife.

At a Tuesday morning appearance in Park County’s Circuit Court, Aaron B. Ilg, 41, was ordered to remain in jail indefinitely, as he awaits future court hearings.

Ilg is facing charges from three separate incidents: a June 1 crash in the Crandall area that he allegedly failed to report, a June 5 incident in Crandall in which he allegedly punched and choked his girlfriend and Monday’s incident, in which he reportedly fought with an unknown man outside the Best Choice Motel.

Ilg has pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges, while he has yet to enter a plea to the allegations from Monday.

Following the alleged altercation with his girlfriend in June, Ilg entered and completed an eight-week treatment and mental health rehabilitation program at the Sheridan VA Medical Center. The Powell veteran finished those programs last month and was released on bond; Ilg’s defense attorney said in late September that she was working on a possible plea deal with the Park County Attorney’s Office.

But things changed around 4:30 p.m. Monday, when Powell police officers were dispatched to the Best Choice Motel for a report of an assault with a knife.

A motel guest told responding officers that a Hispanic man in a gray van had pulled into the Best Choice parking lot. As soon as the man got out of the vehicle, Ilg reportedly came running up and began punching him, the witness told police. According to the witness’ account, Ilg put the unknown man into a headlock before he escaped and ran off, with Ilg in pursuit.

Ilg chased the man around a parked truck, carrying a black knife in his hand, the witness told police.

“As Aaron [Ilg] ran past [the witness], she stated the knife came within a foot of her body as Aaron ran with it open and out,” Powell Police Officer Dustin DelBiaggio wrote in an affidavit.

The Hispanic man eventually got back into his van and drove off, the witness said, while Ilg fled on foot with an unidentified female.

DelBiaggio indicated that the witness’ juvenile daughter told a similar story — though she said it was the woman with Ilg who put the unidentified man in a headlock.

Police officers ultimately found Ilg outside Powell Valley Clinic and handcuffed him.

“We informed Aaron [Ilg] of the reason of our contact, and he denied any involvement in the incident” and requested an attorney, DelBiaggio wrote.

The affidavit indicates that police were unable to determine the identity of the man that Ilg is alleged to have fought with — and there’s no indication why the two men were fighting.

Police arrested Ilg on suspicion of misdemeanor counts of reckless endangering and fighting in public. However, because the citations had not yet been processed, he wasn’t seen on those allegations Tuesday morning.

Instead, the Park County Attorney’s Office moved to revoke Ilg’s bond on the pending crash case. Circuit Court Judge Bruce Waters agreed, meaning Ilg must remain in custody until the misdemeanor case concludes or the judge sets a new bond amount.

It remains to be seen what effect Monday’s arrest will have on the strangulation case, which is pending in Park County’s District Court.

Ilg’s girlfriend told the Park County Sheriff’s Office that Ilg had gotten his vehicle stuck by Pilot Creek and became angry when she wouldn’t help him retrieve it. By her account, Ilg attacked her on the afternoon of June 5, punching her in the face and putting his arm on her throat in a way that made it hard to breath. She later fled to a neighbor’s property, charging documents say.

Ilg, who reportedly had been drinking, told the sheriff’s office he didn’t know what had happened. But after noting red marks on the woman’s neck and face, and dark bruising around her eye, Deputy Clayton Creel concluded there was enough evidence for an arrest.

After being transported from Crandall to the jail in Cody, Ilg reportedly told the deputy that, “the strangulation thing is bull[crap]” and offered that “she was hyperventilating a little because of the pressure I put on her.”

Ilg is currently set to be tried on the felony strangulation charge starting Dec. 9 in district court. As for the misdemeanor citations from Monday, he’s set to make an initial appearance on those allegations on Dec. 3 in circuit court.

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