Man arrested after allegedly threatening Avista crew with shotgun

Spokane County sheriff’s deputies arrested a man earlier this month after he used a loaded shotgun to confront an Avista crew that was trying to restore power in the Fairwood area, according to court documents.

The man, identified by sheriff’s deputies as Matthew R. McCauley, 48, arrived at the scene of a vehicle collision at about 9:45 p.m. April 7, at 1524 E. Farwell Drive, and confronted two sheriff’s deputies about their investigation.

According to court records, a vehicle struck a power line that night, causing power lines to drape over the road. An Avista crew was working to repair the line and restore power with two sheriff’s deputies on scene.

The man claimed to be an Oregon State Department of Transportation flagger and that Washington State Patrol had told him to leave the scene, according to Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Cpl. Mark Gregory. McCauley continued to question deputies at the scene about the collision, but was told it was under investigation, Gregory said.

Then “he started to get irate and call them liars,” Gregory said. The man referred to the deputies as “Joe Biden lovers” and “Nazis,” he said.

Other people inside McCauley’s vehicle attempted to get the man to leave, Gregory said.

He left the scene when the Avista crew moved to a different location. The workers were told to contact authorities if he returned.

McCauley returned several hours later after Avista crews came back to finish their work at about 2:45 a.m., only this time he was armed with a shotgun and a cell phone that he was using to record, court documents said. McCauley complained of Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations while walking down a sidewalk with his finger on the trigger of the shotgun, documents said.

Avista crews called the deputies back to the scene who were able to detain McCauley, despite his refusal to obey commands.

Deputies found a round chambered in the shotgun and three rounds in the magazine tube.

McCauley threatened to sue the sheriff’s deputies, Gregory said.

Deputies located a plastic bag with a “white crystalline substance believe to be meth,” Gregory said.

He was arrested on suspicion of three counts of harassment threats to kill and booked into the Spokane County Jail on April 8.