Court report: Man with gun didn't want wife to leave

The man arrested Monday morning after an incident involving a firearm at a Great Falls apartment complex made his initial court appearance Tuesday.

Austin James Sell, 25, was charged with two counts of assault with a weapon, a felony, for allegedly pointing an assault rifle at two people.

The incident occurred at the Aspen Villages apartment complex, 3010 11th Ave. S., and prompted a brief "shelter in place" precaution to be taken at several area schools.

Court documents say Sell pointed an AR-15 at his wife's sister after she came to the apartment to take her sister out of state because she was afraid of Sell. The man and woman involved told police Sell said nobody was going to take his wife and asked if they were there for a gunfight, according to documents.

Charging documents say a dispatcher spoke with Sell on the phone during the incident. The report says Sell agreed to turn himself into police when they arrived, and he did come down to the parking lot, unarmed, where he was arrested without incident. A public defender representing Sell during Tuesday's hearing indicated his firearms were seized after the incident.

According to Great Falls police information given to the Tribune on Monday, the call originated when a man living in the apartment complex called to report a man was at his apartment with a gun and he had drawn his own gun to protect himself. GFPD reports that the confrontation started with a social media dispute. The charging documents do not mention anyone else at the scene possessing a weapon.

The state's charging affidavit says Sell has a prior domestic assault conviction in Minnesota and other misdemeanor charges in Georgia including theft and providing alcohol to minors.

The judge set bail at $100,000.