Idaho man sentenced to prison time for assault, intimidation in Caldwell incidents
.jpg "Brandon Hockenberry was sentenced Tuesday.")
Editor’s note: The following story contains content that could be upsetting to some readers.
A 40-year-old Caldwell man who pleaded guilty to various crimes related to a single victim was sentenced Tuesday to at least two years in prison for intimidating a witness, aggravated assault and violation of no-contact orders.
Brandon Hockenberry was arrested in May 2020 on battery and witness intimidation charges, according to court records. After a pretrial release, he was arrested again in January after police said they responded to a house in Caldwell where a woman said he had beaten her and threatened to kill her. The woman had visible wounds and bruises on her face and neck, according to police.
On New Year’s Day or Jan. 2, the same woman said Hockenberry followed her, choked her until she was unconscious and raped her in a field, police noted in a probable cause affidavit. The accuser told police that she had a no-contact order against Hockenberry. She reported trying to stab Hockenberry, but he then grabbed the knife and held it to her throat, she told police.
Hockenberry was charged with battery, attempted strangulation, assault, rape and a no-contact order violation. He initially pleaded not guilty to all charges and his bond was set at $1 million.
On Feb. 11, Hockenberry pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and a misdemeanor no-contact order violation, according to court records. In the ensuing months, prosecutors allege that Hockenberry repeatedly spoke on the phone with his victim, despite several no-contact orders.
Hockenberry was sentenced to 6 months in prison as part of a plea agreement that includes counts of witness intimidation, aggravated assault and two counts of misdemeanor no-contact violation. He was also sentenced to 18 months in prison on a felony no-contact violation.
In Idaho, conviction of violating a no-contact order for a third time results in a felony charge, according to state law.
Though the charges were spread between several cases, they were combined before sentencing under what’s known as a global resolution, according to Joe Decker, a Canyon County spokesman. Hockenberry will serve the 6-month sentence and 18-month sentence consecutively. He will be credited for time already spent in jail.
The sentencing came during a hearing in 3rd District Court on Tuesday, with Judge Andrea Courtney also ordering Hockenberry to pay $2,000 in fines, court costs, reimbursement of his public defender and a $500 civil penalty to his accuser.
The state also moved to dismiss counts of battery, attempted strangulation, aggravated battery, rape and other no-contact violations. Prosecutor Kara Przybos said at the hearing that Hockenberry’s accuser had quit cooperating with the state’s case.
On Thursday, the court is set to consider a motion from the victim to drop a remaining no-contact order.
