Idaho Falls man who pleaded guilty to pointing gun at family sentenced to probation

POCATELLO — A man who threatened a family with a gun pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of disturbing the peace and has been placed on probation.

Justin Lee Barrigan, 36, entered the guilty pleas after reaching a plea deal with the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office, court records show. In exchange, two felony counts of injury to a child and a deadly weapon enhancement were dismissed.

At a Tuesday hearing, Magistrate Judge Carol Tippi Jarman suspended 136 days of a 180-day jail sentence, according to court records. Barrigan received credit for 23 days time served, with the final 21 days of the sentence included in a two-year supervised probation sentence as a discretionary jail term.

RELATED | Man accused of pointing gun at a woman, two kids facing multiple felonies

Barrigan was arrested in March 2023 following reports he threatened a woman and her two children with a gun. The woman told officers she was involved in a verbal argument with Barrigan when he pulled a gun and aimed it at the family.

The mother said she feared for her own safety and that of her children. The kids told officers they hid under their beds for 15 to 30 minutes.

When officers spoke with Barrigan, he admitted to pulling a gun during an argument with the woman. He said he pointed the gun at himself, then the woman and her kids.

In addition to probation, Barrigan was ordered to pay $715 in fees and fines.