BOZEMAN — Clayton Richard Russell was arrested in Bozeman on Friday after allegedly walking into a coffee shop, pointing an object at an employee, and yelling at customers to put their hands in the air.
Russell, 38 years old, appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court on Tuesday on a felony charge of assault with a weapon.
Court documents say that at around 8 a.m. on Friday, staff at The Daily Coffee & Eatery on Rouse Avenue reported that a man had pointed a gun at an employee.
The employee reportedly told a Bozeman police officer who arrived on scene that Russell pointed a black, metallic object she believed to be a gun at her, yelling profanities and telling everyone in the business to put their hands in the air.
Russell then allegedly lowered the object and said, "Sometimes you have to get a rise out of people." He left the coffee shop before police arrived.
Officers located and detained Russell, who was seen walking north on Rouse, and transported him to the Law and Justice Center. According to court documents, officers twice read Russell his Miranda rights but "Russell did not invoke his right to silence."
Russell allegedly told the officers he was attempting to get "shock value" by mimicking a comedian's sketch he had seen and pointed a magnet at the employee, telling her to give him all her money.
Police determined that Russell had recently been paroled; they were reportedly able to gather GPS coordinates from Russell's ankle bracelet that confirmed he was at the coffee shop at the time of the incident.
According to the Montana Department of Corrections, Russell has at least four DUI convictions.
In court Tuesday, Russell's bail was set at $100,000. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 6.
