March 28, 2024

Monroe man to face trial for shooting firearm at local motel

A Monroe man wanted for assault and firing shots in the air at a local hotel in February will appear for a jury trial in June on charges of intimidation with a dangerous weapon.

Matthew S. Holett, 25, of Monroe, was arrested in another county March 1 on an active warrant relating to a Feb. 17 incident, in which police say Holett pointed a firearm at people and fired shots in the air at a hotel in Newton.

Holett pleaded not guilty in Jasper County District Court. A jury trial is set for June 14.

During the February incident, Newton police responded at 6:19 p.m. to America’s Best Value Inn in reference to an active fight and shots fired. Witnesses told police Holett had pointed a firearm at people and fired shots in the air following a fight that started inside the hotel and then moved outside.

One person told police they “had never been in such fear in their entire life,” a police report states.

Police reached Holett by phone later that evening. Holett told police he had been at the motel and was involved in a fight.

Holett is accused of committing a Class C felony. He was arrested and taken to the Jasper County Jail and was released on $5,000 bond.

Holett was sentenced to five years in prison in 2015 after he pulled a handgun on a Colfax police officer during an arrest in December 2014.

Contact Kayla Langmaid at
641-792-3121 ext. 6513
or klangmaid@newtondailynews.com