Man jailed after spraying wife with bear spray

A Columbia Falls man was taken to jail after he allegedly sprayed his wife in the face with bear spray.

Nathan Lee Roth, 32, is in the Flathead County Detention Center on $50,000 bail and facing one felony count of assault with a weapon.

He is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Thursday in Flathead County District Court.

According to the charging document, deputies from the county were called to a home at Serenity Acres on July 28. The victim said Roth had assaulted her and the officers saw her face was swollen and that she was very upset.

The victim told officers she told Roth she wanted a separation earlier that day. She said he went to a bar, returned home drunk and then fired a shotgun while threatening to kill her and burn the house down.

The victim said she grabbed a can of bear spray, but Roth allegedly took it from her, sprayed her with it and punched her in the face. She said escaped and called police from her grandparent’s home.

When deputies spoke with Roth, he allegedly admitted to firing the gun during the argument. Officers reported finding a spent shell casing outside the home as well as the shotgun and bear spray inside the residence.