Following a four-day trial, a Cowlitz County jury found a Salkum man not guilty on charges stemming from an alleged 2021 road rage incident in Castle Rock.
A jury found Jack Louis Ritter, 65, of Salkum, not guilty on Oct 9. He faced multiple second-degree assault and harassment charges. One of those called to testify was Ritter’s co-arrestee Terry Gene Middleton, 73, of Napavine.
Middleton was sentenced to three months in county jail and three months of monitored home arrest after pleading guilty in March to criminal mischief, unlawful discharge of a firearm, and reckless driving, according to court records.
According to the probable cause statement, on July 3, 2021, the incident began after a motorhome abruptly stopped before the victim’s truck to make a left turn as they traveled east on Spirit Lake Highway in Castle Rock.
In reaction, the victim’s truck swerved into the right lane in an effort to avoid colliding with the motorhome. The quick lane shift landed the victims in front of Middleton and Ritter, who were riding motorcycles. Middleton would later tell deputies that Ritter was nearly knocked off the road.
One of the victims told authorities that Ritter and Middleton surrounded their vehicle on each side and began to make threats of violence against both the driver and the passenger.
Middleton, the report states, began to wave around a handgun, and deputies would later find a Taurus .357 revolver with six “live” bullets and a single spent shell in his bag.
Ritter allegedly also drew a semi-automatic handgun, pointed it at both victims from the truck’s passenger side, and admitted to authorities that he said, “I will shoot you,” to the victims while pointing the gun at them.
Deputies would later find a 9mm Ruger in Ritter’s back pocket, saying his actions were in self-defense.
The report states that while Middleton was about 2 feet from the driver’s side door, he pointed his gun at the driver’s head and threatened to kill him. Seconds later, he discharged his gun, striking the windshield of the victim’s vehicle. Middleton would later tell authorities that his gun went off by accident.
Ritter and Middleton faced a drive-by shooting charge but were later dropped.
