RENO COUNTY — A Kansas man arrested in March of 2016 after he allegedly held a Westar Energy employee at gunpoint was in court Wednesday where he entered a plea.

Marc Miller, 66, rural Reno County was charged with one count of aggravated assault, but entered a plea to a lesser charge of felony criminal threat.

Miller held the victim, 61-year-old Brent Bunting, a Westar Energy employee, from leaving his home east of Hutchinson after Bunting replaced an electric meter at the residence

Bunting told deputies that when he arrived at the residence to exchange the electrical meter, he went to the front door of the residence and knocked.

No one answered the door, so Bunting put one of the fliers in the doorway and walked to the east side of the house to exchange the meter.

After exchanging the meter, Bunting said a white male appeared and told him he did not have permission to be on the property and to put the meter back.

Bunting tried to explain that he couldn’t do that, and began walking towards his Truck. Miller told him he needed to come sit down. Bunting ignored Miller’s request.

Bunting said that Miller stepped into the residence through a sliding glass door and came right back out with a shotgun and then told Bunting again that he wasn’t leaving.

Bunting made his way back up to the front of the residence where an outside table is located and sat in a chair at that location.

Bunting told deputies that while he was seated at the table, Miller allowed him to call his supervisor.

When deputies arrived on scene they confronted Miller with a rifle. After some verbal commands, he gave up without incident.

Miller was arrested for aggravated assault and kidnapping and was transported to the Reno County Correctional Facility without incident.

Miller is free on bond and is scheduled for sentencing in April

The case was handled by Harvey County Attorney David Yoder, who agreed to act as a special prosecutor after the local DA’s office recused itself.