Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Emmet Man Facing Four Charges

A 26-year-old Emmet man was arrested Thursday, Dec. 7, and charged with four separate offenses.

According to reports from the Nevada County Sheriff's Office, Brian Stockslager was charged with his second offense of domestic battery in the third degree, kidnaping, two counts of assault and terroristic threatening in connection with a family quarrel.

The NCSO received a call around 8:10 a.m., on the day in question about a disturbance at the parsonage at the Methodist Church. Sheriff Steve Otwell responded, but saw no vehicles at the residence when he arrived.

However, Joni Stockslager opened the back door and let Otwell in. About two minutes later, he saw her husband walking in the back yard.

Brian said he had parked the family vehicle away from the house and walked back.

Otwell placed him under arrest and told him to put his hands behind his back. He refused.

Otwell gave him three chances before spraying him with pepper spray, subduing him, then putting the cuffs on.

According to the report, Joni told Otwell Brian had picked her up from school Wednesday, Dec. 6, telling her a gun of his had been stolen and he wanted to look for it.

She begged him to take her home, according to her statement, but this only fueled the fire of the argument, and he drove down Experiment Station Road, claiming he would end it all.

She managed to get him calmed down and they went to her mothers to get their baby.

She stated he was fine for a while, then left. She went to bed, waking up around 11, when it was time for him to go to work

He returned home and began getting dressed for his job, when she told him she was going to leave him Saturday, Dec. 9, instead of Dec. 16, as she'd said before.

This set him off again. He began making demands on what she would do for him, according to her statement, and how she would help him.

He then began making threats against her family, saying he would bring her their heads.

She told Otwell Brian then began breaking things in the living room, and saying he would cut her mother's head off.

She told him to go ahead and do it, according to the statement, with his response being to tie her up with a belt, a jump rope and the cord from an iron.

She begged him to leave her family alone, promising not to leave. But, he got a .30-.30 rifle, put it to her head and pulled the trigger.

Then, according to the report, he loaded the rifle and tried to give it to her so she could shoot him. However, her hands were still tied.

Instead he fired a shot in the living room and reloaded the weapon, again trying to put it in her hands, telling her to go ahead and shoot him.

She managed to talk him into untying her. They went into the living room, where he began to burn himself with a lighter, telling her it would be a reminder of what had happened, according to the report.

From there he threw her down, reportedly choking her several times before deciding to go and get some cigarettes. When he left, he dared her to call someone, she said in the statement.

This is exactly what she did, and he was arrested around 11:15 a.m. by Otwell.

Brian Stockslager told Otwell they had been arguing since 10 a.m. the night before.

He said she threatened to kill him and the children, but admitted tying her up, getting the rifle and choking her.

Stockslager was placed in jail on a $10,000 bond and has since bonded out.

This, though, was not the first time he has been charged with domestic battery in the third degree. The first offense occurred Sept. 9, 2000.