Masked attacker arrested in Armour

ARMOUR — A California man accused of assaulting a juvenile in her tent and attacking another woman as she took her morning walk has pleaded not guilty to four charges.

Brandon Joseph Boeding, 18, of Fullerton, Calif., entered the plea Thursday at the Douglas County Courthouse in Armour.

Boeding has been charged with one count of first-degree burglary, two counts of simple assault and one count of consumption of alcohol by a minor.

The charges stem from two incidents in Armour in the early morning hours of Monday, the Fourth of July, following a celebratory weekend for Armour’s 125th anniversary and all-school reunion.

According to court documents, Boeding went to the 4-H fairgrounds and entered the tent of a 15-year-old juvenile, who later told Douglas County Sheriff Troy Strid she was sleeping and woke up with Boeding on top of her “with a hand on her throat.”

When the juvenile flipped on her stomach, Boeding allegedly pushed her face into the pillow.

The juvenile was yelling and hitting her friend in an attempt to wake her up when Boeding fled the tent, court documents say. When Boeding attempted to return, a male on the scene “scared him off.”

Boeding was allegedly seen driving away in a van, which Dorothea Hotchkiss reported seeing drive by her residence as she embarked on her morning walk. She told authorities the driver was a man wearing a mask.

Hotchkiss said she saw the van driving around her neighborhood throughout her walk until the van stopped on Matthews Street.

After walking past the van, Hotchkiss heard an individual get out and start running toward her. Boeding allegedly knocked her down and punched her repeatedly “on the head,” according to a court document, before she pulled of his mask. When another Armour resident came to her assistance, Boeding returned to his van and left.

Officers later found a white minivan parked in front of a residence at 304 Fourth St. in Armour with a hood that was “warm to the touch as it was recently driven,” a report states. Although no one answered the door during the officers’ first visit, they returned to the home later and arrested Boeding after both the juvenile and Hotchkiss identified him as their attacker.

At the time of Boeding’s booking, he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.109. The legal driving limit is 0.08.

Boeding made his initial appearance Thursday. He is currently in custody. Bond was set at $100,000, and a hearing will be held prior to any release. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for later this month.

Deputy Rob Hotchkiss of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department said the incident is under investigation by the department. Hotchkiss declined to comment further on the case.

First-degree burglary is a Class 2 felony punishable by a maximum of 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Simple assault is a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. Minor consumption of alcohol is a Class 2 misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.

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