The Anaconda man accused of planning to kill an abortion provider in Missoula in March and firing into the front of a Helena Planned Parenthood of Montana clinic in 2023 plans to argue a mental health-related defense, according to a document filed in court this week.
Charles Felix Jones, 20, appeared virtually from the Missoula County Detention Center for an omnibus hearing Tuesday before state District Court Judge Jason Marks. During the brief hearing, Marks scheduled a five-day trial to begin Sept. 23.
Jones pleaded not guilty in March to two counts of assault with a weapon, intimidation and criminal trespass after he allegedly broke into the doctor’s backyard with a gun March 8 and threw the weapon and other items at the back window, according to court documents. The charges of assault and intimidation are felonies, while the criminal trespass charge is a misdemeanor offense.
After his March arrest, Jones also admitted to firing into the front entry of the Helena Planned Parenthood clinic in 2023 when he was 17 years old, according to charging documents filed by Missoula prosecutors. Neither the police nor the FBI had previously identified a suspect in the case. Lewis and Clark County prosecutors have not said whether they plan to file charges against Jones.
As of Tuesday, Jones remained in the Missoula County jail on $5 million bail.
The omnibus memorandum filed Monday by both prosecutors and defense attorneys indicated Jones has “a mental disease or disorder issue,” and noted he will assert an affirmative defense related to that. Details about that defense were not discussed during the hearing and the judge did not order an evaluation of Jones Tuesday. A criminal defendant may be examined to determine their fitness to stand trial and, if needed, receive treatment to restore their competency to proceed with the case.
Monday court filings also outlined some of the evidence Missoula County prosecutors are gathering for the case against Jones. That includes the Helena Police Department’s 2023 investigation; incident reports from Manhattan, the small town west of Bozeman where Jones lived before moving to Anaconda about 10 months ago; and any available Missoula Planned Parenthood surveillance video from an unspecified February 2026 incident. Prosecutors are also seeking information from Jones’ cell phone, according to court records, and plan to review calls, texts and video visits to Jones in the jail.
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What we know about the Anaconda man accused of planning to kill a Montana abortion doctor
An Anaconda man accused of planning to kill an abortion doctor in Missoula earlier and firing a gun at a Helena clinic in 2023 is being held on $5 million bail.
After his arrest, Jones told Missoula police detectives that he targeted the doctor for providing abortions and that he had been passionate about anti-abortion causes for “many years,” according to charging documents. He said he located the doctor’s address through internet research and had “started obsessing” over the medical provider nearly two years ago.
Jones recalled driving to Missoula on March 8 to attend a pro-life event at Blue Mountain Clinic. He told police that he was trying to meet “other people who were crazy like me,” court filings show. Jones said the event lasted a couple hours and he intended to stay in Missoula until the next day. He told police he “felt fine” until about 6 p.m., when he remembered the abortion provider’s address.
The evening of March 8, Jones allegedly drove and walked by the doctor’s house before he entered the backyard, knocked on the glass door, dropped his gun and walked away. He turned back around and threw other items on the porch before leaving, according to court records. Jones told police he planned to shoot the doctor before changing his mind. He returned to Anaconda and turned himself in at the Anaconda Police Station that night.
Jones also detailed for police how he shot at the Helena Planned Parenthood building in 2023, court records show. He said he took a shotgun, but did not say from where, and drove from Manhattan to Helena in October of that year. While he said he did not intend to hurt anyone, charging documents say Jones described wanting to “make people more open to violence.”
Jones also told police that his parents had confiscated his firearms in September 2025, but that he took a revolver back without their knowledge earlier this year. Jones said he had a rifle in his apartment and a list of people he intended to harm, according to the charging documents.
Abortion is legal in Montana and was protected by the right to privacy before being cemented in the state Constitution when voters approved Constitutional Initiative 128 in 2024. Violence and threats against abortion clinics and providers have increased nationwide in recent years.
In an earlier statement about the attempted attack, Martha Fuller, Planned Parenthood of Montana’s CEO and president said “no one should face harassment, intimidation, or violence for receiving, or providing, essential health care.”
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