Bail set for Thurston man accused of using ruse to stage kidnapping, assault
An Olympia man accused of burglary and kidnapping is being held in Thurston County jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Brent Michael Ockerman, 37, on Wednesday at a home on the 1100 block of Nisqually Park Loop Southeast. He has been accused of using a ruse to kidnap his ex-partner and violating an order protecting the home’s resident.
Specifically, prosecutors charged him on Friday with first-degree kidnapping, second-degree burglary, violating a protection order and fourth-degree assault, domestic violence.
Ockerman attended his preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on Friday after failing to appear the previous day. Court Commissioner Nathan Kortokrax found probable cause for the alleged crimes on Thursday.
The next day, Commissioner Charles Houser set the bail amount. In doing so, he reasoned Ockerman may commit a violent crime or seek to intimidate witnesses.
Ockerman has a criminal history dating back to 1999, including multiple assault convictions. He failed to appear in court nine times in the last two years and 17 times in all, according to court records.
A probable cause statement describes the events leading up to Ockerman’s arrest from the perspective of law enforcement.
A deputy went to the Nisqually Park Loop home looking for Ockerman because they believed he violated an order prohibiting him from being within 1,000 feet of the residence. He reportedly lived in a shed on the property.
At the same time, the Department of Corrections and U.S. Marshals were surveilling Ockerman because there was a DOC warrant for his arrest and they believed he possessed a firearm when he was not allowed to, according to the statement.
Together, law enforcement approached the home about 7:30 p.m. The resident answered the door and initially denied Ockerman was living on the property, the statement says, but they later admitted he was in the shed.
Law enforcement reportedly approached the shed and announced their presence. A male voice eventually answered their knocks and told them to go away.
However, law enforcement heard another person’s voice inside the shed who said Ockerman was not allowing them to leave.
The deputy called a sergeant who contacted a SWAT Commander, according to court documents. Meanwhile, the deputy was granted a search warrant to enter the shed.
A moment later, the statement says the ex-partner emerged from the shed and law enforcement placed them in the back of a patrol vehicle. Then Ockerman exited and “tried to run away.”
Law enforcement tased Ockerman and handcuffed him, according to records. When they searched the shed, they did not find a firearm inside.
The ex-partner later told police they arrived at the residence to retrieve an item from Ockerman when they believed he wasn’t there.
The resident of the home reportedly texted them that Ockerman was gone. But the resident later told law enforcement Ockerman had their phone and probably texted the ex-partner on their behalf.
When the ex-partner arrived, Ockerman allegedly punched them and held them in the shed against their will. He also allegedly tried to barricade the door with 25-pound dumbbells, according to the statement.
He eventually decided to let the ex-partner leave for some unknown reason, the ex-partner told law enforcement.
Based on this, law enforcement believe Ockerman lured his ex-partner to the scene under a ruse.
