Powell man arrested after allegedly making threats with knife

Posted 12/31/20

A Powell man is facing multiple criminal charges after he allegedly threatened two people with a knife and then was combative with police.

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Powell man arrested after allegedly making threats with knife

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A Powell man is facing multiple criminal charges after he allegedly threatened two people with a knife and then was combative with police.

Ezekiel N. Martin, 36, has been charged with a felony count of aggravated assault and battery, plus misdemeanor counts of reckless endangering, interference with a peace officer and being a pedestrian under the influence of alcohol.

Charging documents say the incident began around 11:50 p.m. on Dec. 23, when Martin stopped by an apartment on West Third Street. The resident of the apartment told police she’d been visiting with a couple of Martin’s relatives and allowed him to come in.

“[The resident] told me the conversation was pleasant for a while,” Powell Police Officer Matt Brilakis wrote in an affidavit, “but Martin was intoxicated and became agitated over something and eventually pulled out a knife.”

The woman told police that Martin made “general comments about threatening to cut people” and waved the knife around; the resident said she was about 3 feet away and was “uncomfortable.”

A next-door neighbor eventually checked in after hearing a commotion, the charging
documents say. He told police he found Martin standing in front of the resident and threatening to stab her.

The neighbor said he told Martin to leave, and Martin then put him in a headlock and threatened to slit his throat.

After about 30 seconds, the neighbor said he got out of the headlock and Martin fell onto a glass table. The neighbor said Martin then fell down the stairs as he was being escorted out of the apartment — and drew another knife and waved it around before leaving.

Police were called and dispatched to the area at 11:58 p.m. They caught up with Martin near the intersection of Avenue G and Cary Street. Charging documents say he was staggering and bleeding from both his face and hands — and one of his teeth would later fall out.

He told police he’d been attacked, “but Martin was unable to give us any specifics on how or why it happened,” Brilakis wrote.

“... He refused to provide any information on why he was bleeding or how he got that way,” the officer said. He added that, “In speaking to the victims and witnesses, they advised no one touched or struck Martin.”

Given Martin’s injuries, signs of heavy intoxication and crude language, Powell Police Officer Sean Alquist placed him under arrest around 12:30 a.m. and he was taken to Powell Valley Hospital for treatment.

However, Martin reportedly became agitated in the emergency room. When police told him to calm down and explained the charges he was facing, Martin allegedly declared, “Dude, f— that!” He then charged at Sgt. Matt McCaslin before being subdued by police and PVHC personnel, Alquist wrote in an affidavit.

As of Wednesday, Martin remained in the Park County Detention Center, with bail set at $10,000. A preliminary hearing to determine whether there’s enough evidence for the case to advance toward a trial in district court is tentatively scheduled for Monday.

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