RUPERT -- A Rupert man who gouged his boss in the neck with a hay hook during a fight over a broken snow shovel will be on probation for three years but could eventually have his felony battery conviction erased from his record.

Gavin Wade Freeman was on a snow-removal crew near Ketchum last February when he became embroiled in an altercation with his boss, Mark William Clifford, according to 4th District Court documents.

Freeman alleges Clifford attacked and choked him, prompting Freeman to retrieve a five-inch-long hay hook and gouge Clifford in the neck.

Prosecutors conceded there was some disagreement about whether the incident involved self defense and recommended probation for Freeman.

Freeman, 29, told the court that the incident was "stupid" and said he'd "certainly learned a lesson."