ROCK SPRINGS – A man accused of shooting at Rock Springs Police Officers Monday had his bond set at $150,000 cash only during his initial appearance Wednesday afternoon.

Kevin Lorentzen, 40, is charged with felony Aggravated Assault and Battery and misdemeanor Reckless Endangering. The felony charge carries a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $10,000 while the misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a fine of $750. 

The circumstances of the incident led to a $100,000 cash-only bond request from the Sweetwater County Attorney’s Office. Deputy County and Prosecuting Attorney TahNee Alton, said the use of alcohol and the allegation that Lorentzen pointed a firearm at officers and fired are the contributing factors to the bond request.

“There is a serious risk the defendant represents to the community as a whole,” Alton said.

Circuit Court Judge John Prokos opted to set a higher bond, establishing the $150,000 cash-only bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 23 at 10:30 a.m. before Circuit Court Judge Craig Jones.

According to court documents, RSPD Officers Jerry Mignerey and Michelle Garrettson responded to a residence, identified by the RSPD in a press release Tuesday as 122 L Street, Monday evening. Officers had been sent to the address at times earlier that day and during the prior day for calls involving Lorentzen. When Mignerey arrived at the address, Garrettson was speaking to a neighbor. The neighbor claimed Lorentzen was walking outside shirtless and holding something in his hand. The two officers approached the side door to Lorentzen’s residence and knocked at the door several times without receiving an answer. 

They went to another door and saw the main door was open, with the screen door shut. They looked through the door to see if they could make contact with someone, but all the lights were off in the house, leading them to use their flashlights to look inside the house from outside. As the officers were about to go back to their vehicles Garrettson flashed her light back into the residence once more and Mignerey observed Garrettson unholster her weapon duck to take cover and make her way into the street, with Garrettson telling Mignerey to get down.

According to court documents, Garrettson said when she looked through the door window, she allegedly saw Lorentzen standing there, holding a gun pointed toward her. As Mignerey kneeled to take cover, he heard a gunshot come from the residence, then heard the front door open. The officers announced they were police and Lorentzen walked out of the house, placed a gun on a nearby trashcan and held his hands in the air. Lorentzen was then placed in handcuffs and the officers recovered a pink 9mm handgun with a live round in the chamber. 

Speaking with officers, Lorentzen allegedly said he had been drinking vodka since noon that day and had been having issues with his neighbors. He said he thought the two flashlights he saw outside of his house were his neighbor. Lorentzen allegedly said he got his gun and aimed at the flashlight and thought he hit the nearby grill. Officers found a spent 9mm casing in the mud room of Lorentzen’s residence and a bullet outside the house, near the grill. They also found a bucket half full of 9mm ammunition, a magazine loaded with 10 bullets, and a holster in the dining room. According to documents, a trajectory rod was utilized to determine the shot fired was aimed at the area Mignerey was standing outside the home, with the RSPD believing if he hadn’t moved when Garrettson told him to, he would have been hit by the bullet.