His son had left home in Julian, W. Va., last week bound for Washington state, said Melvin Dolin. He took a bus to the edge of Montana and intended to work his way to Washington from there, the father said.

"He was on the way across the country taking pictures," Melvin Dolin said, adding that his son's travel plans had been flexible. "He was going to make up his mind as he traveled along. But he didn't get that far."

Glasgow is about 120 miles west of the Montana-North Dakota border. Still dominated by agriculture, the town of about 3,000 residents is increasingly feeling the effects of the oil boom to the east. In January, a Florida man working in the oil patch allegedly ran over a fellow worker along Highway 2 near the town where Danielson was arrested.

Danielson was jailed in Roosevelt County on suspicion of felony assault with a weapon and driving under the influence. During an initial court appearance on Monday, City Judge Traci Harada set bail for Danielson at $50,000 on the felony assault charge and $685 for the DUI. Danielson did not enter a plea.

The sheriff's office had identified Danielson as a resident of Olympia, Wash., but he said in court that he was from Tumwater, Wash., Harada said.