Justin A. Crabtree and Jeffrey A. Bowles (Bonneville County, Idaho Jail)
Two men in Idaho are facing felony criminal charges following a road rage incident in which they are accused of forcing a woman to pull over, beating her, then holding her down and using a box cutter to slice her face multiple times because she "flipped the vehicle off." Justin A. Crabtree and Jeffrey A. Bowles (also listed as "Jeffery Bowles" in jail records) were taken into custody and charged with one count each of aggravated battery in connection with the alleged attack, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Crabtree was also charged with one additional felony charge of being a "persistent violator."
Records show that the felony cases against both men were filed in Bonneville County on Sept. 25 over the incident, which is alleged to have taken place on Sept. 9 in Idaho Falls, Idaho, which is about 60 miles from the state's eastern border with Wyoming.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by East Idaho News, the victim was driving her vehicle east on 12th Street, and as she reached Merritt Drive, the victim reportedly told police that she was cut off by a white 2013 Ford Explorer that pulled out in front of her car.
The victim — whose name was not included in the affidavit — told police that after being cut off, she was "angry" and "flipped the vehicle off," the station reported. The white Explorer then stopped in front of her vehicle and two men — later identified as Crabtree and Bowles — allegedly got out and approached the victim's car, asking her "if she wanted to get jumped for flipping someone off."
The victim reportedly responded defiantly, asking the men, "What are you going to do about it?" That's when Crabtree and Bowles grabbed the victim, pulled her out of the car, and started beating and kicking her, police said.
Then, the duo allegedly held the victim down on the ground while one of them — it was not immediately clear whether it was Crabtree or Bowles — "cut her on the right cheek and eyebrow with a blue handled box cutter," leaving cuts that were about 2 inches in length, according to East Idaho News.
The men then left the scene, but before they got away, the victim was reportedly able to get a photograph of their license plate, which police used to locate the vehicle later that same day in the parking lot of a WinCo Foods. The report states that they were still wearing the same clothing the victim told police they had on during the attack.
The victim identified the two men as the ones who allegedly attacked her and they were booked into the Bonneville County Jail on Sept. 25. Crabtree's bond was set at $25,000 and Bowles was set at $15,000. Both posted bond and were released, according to East Idaho News, though jail records appear to show that Bowles was still incarcerated as of Monday morning.
The Idaho Falls Police Department and the Bonneville Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to messages seeking additional details and documents in the case.
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