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LAVA HOT SPRINGS, Idaho — A 44-year-old man was arrested at the Blue Moon Bar & Grill in Lava Hot Springs around 12:30 a.m. Monday after allegedly choking a woman and physically assaulting another bar patron, according to authorities.
Brian Hirschi of Logan, Utah, has been charged with attempted strangulation and aggravated battery, both felonies that each carry a maximum of 15 years in prison, the Idaho State Journal reports.
Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen says the sheriff’s office received a call regarding a physical disturbance at the Blue Moon Bar & Grill shortly after midnight on Monday.
Nielsen said that Hirschi and the woman he allegedly choked were camping together at the time of the incident. Hirschi went to sleep and the woman went to the Blue Moon Bar & Grill, Nielsen said.
The man woke up and went to the bar to find the woman talking to another man, according to authorities. Hirschi allegedly attacked the woman, choking her hard enough that it left visible marks on her neck, Nielsen said.
Hirschi and the other man the woman was talking to then entered into a physical altercation, Nielsen said. The man Hirschi allegedly attacked was bruised and bloodied but was not seriously injured.
A ground ambulance was dispatched to the scene but nobody was transported to the hospital. Hirschi was arrested and booked into the Bannock County Jail.
Hirschi appeared in front of Bannock County Judge David A. Hooste for an arraignment hearing at 1:30 p.m. on Monday where he was released on his own recognizance.
If convicted of the charges against him, Hirschi faces up to 30 years in prison.
Hirschi's company, Bear Lake Fun, is listed as a concessionaire for Bear Lake State Park, according to the park website.
BLH Enterprises Inc. is doing business as Bear Lake Fun, according to a business search on the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code website. Brian L. Hirschi is a registered agent of BLH Enterprises, which has a Garden City address, according to the search.
