Lindstrom pleads guilty to lesser charges

Matthew R. Lindstrom, 29, pleaded guilty to an amended complaint of aiming a firearm at another person during the final of three days of preliminary hearing action that had played out over more than a month in Elmore County Magistrate Judge David Epis' courtroom.

Lindstrom was initially charged with aggravated battery in the case, in which he allegedly shot his wife, Sara, 34, at their home during an argument on Sept. 15 in which both parties admitted to being drunk.

The final plea was part of a plea bargain negotiated between the defendent's attorney and the Elmore County prosecuting attorney's office.

During testimony last month before Judge Epis, Sara Lindstrom, who admitted to constant suicidal thoughts most of her adult life, had indicated she might have grabbed the gun in her husband's hands and pushed the trigger, causing the .45 automatic to go off, the bullet from the gun striking her in her chest.

At the same time, Prosecuting Attorney Christina Schindele had pointed out the shooting would not have taken place if Matt Lindstrom had not gone and gotten the gun during the argument and threatened his wife with it.

The charge of aiming a firearm at others is a misdemeanor and punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.

Judge Epis will rule on the punishment on Jan. 17 at 11 a.m. In the meantime, he ordered Lindstrom to undergo an evaluation to determine if he suffers from an alcohol problem.

His attorney indicated that while Lindstrom had been drinking heavily in the six days prior to the shooting since he had returned from an overseas deployment, "he has been clean since then."

Lindstrom is an airman at Mountain Home Air Force Base.