YAVAPAI COUNTY, Ariz. -- The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of threatening a family with a gun.
Ricky Donalson, 59, has been booked into the Camp Verde Detention Center on several charges, including five counts of aggravated assault and two counts of assault on a child under 15.
On July 7, Donalson approached a family of five as they were getting into their SUV, which was parked at the Turkey Creek Trailhead.
Donalson reportedly pointed a rifle at the family and asked if they had started a campfire. The father explained that they had just been hiking, at which time Donalson told them to leave the area.
The family was able to drive away, and after reaching a safe area, the father called the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office.
Donalson was not immediately arrested, but a week after the incident deputies were able to identify a man that matched the description provided by the family.
Donalson’s involvement in the case was confirmed when the mother and father were able to identify Donalson in a photo lineup.
On Wednesday, deputies served a search warrant on a trailer belonging to Donalson. Donalson was arrested, and a pellet gun matching the description of the weapon used in the July 7 incident was located.
Donalson has claimed to know nothing about the incident. His bond has yet to be set.
