Woman pleads guilty to assaulting officers

A 24-year-old Eureka-area woman pleaded guilty last week to three felony charges stemming from an incident last December that led to the wounding of her father in a shootout with a police officer.

Jennifer Nelson pleaded guilty to two counts of assault on a peace officer and one count of making threats in official matters in exchange for a recommendation from the county attorney's office for a three-year deferred imposition of sentence and the dismissal of a misdemeanor charge of assault with bodily fluids. The plea agreement also recommends Nelson be assessed a $1,500 fine and $610 in surcharges and fees in addition to a monthly supervision fee of $15 while she is on probation. She would also be required to reimburse the state for medical expenses and public defender fees.

Nelson was granted a public defender after her arrest. In a February order, Judge Michael Prezeau noted that Nelson had posted bond secured by 20 acres of property she owns on Kearney Lake, valued at $300,000. Because the property was encumbered by the bond, Prezeau ordered that Nelson be permitted to retain court-appointed counsel subject to a possible requirement for reimbursement at a later date.

Nelson was arrested at the Eureka VFW club on Dec. 18 following a disturbance in which she is alleged to have used profane and abusive language and to have fought with the law enforcement officers who arrested her. Her father, Mark Nelson, 55, and boyfriend, Christopher Showen, 26, were initially cited for disorderly conduct and released from custody after about an hour. Jennifer Nelson remained in custody at the Eureka police station pending transport for a mental health evaluation. She continued to spit at officers and threaten to kill them and family members, the charges against her contend.

According to court documents, Mark Nelson returned to the station with a shotgun about 20 minutes after his release from custody and entered through a side door that had been opened for an ambulance crew preparing to transport his daughter. He is accused of pointing the gun at ambulance crew members and demanding his daughter's release.

Nelson fired a single round of buckshot at Eureka police officer Ian Jeffcock after Jeffcock, standing in a doorway leading to another room, commanded him to back away, the charges contend. Jeffcock, who wasn't hit, fired five rounds and hit Nelson once in the abdomen and twice in the thigh. A second round from Nelson's gun also missed Jeffcock.

Shortly after the shooting, officers found Showen sitting in the front passenger seat of a car that was parked, with the motor running, near the police station. He was taken into custody without incident. According to the charges, officers found a loaded handgun, shotgun and hunting rifle within Showen's reach along with 15 to 20 shotgun rounds and 50 to 100 handgun rounds on his person.

Showen entered an Alford plea — not admitting guilt but accepting a conviction — to charges of conspiracy to commit assault with a weapon and was given a five-year suspended sentence. An additional felony charge of evidence tampering, stemming from allegations that Showen spit on blood on the floor following the shooting, was dismissed.

Mark Nelson remains in custody of charges of attempted deliberate homicide and two counts each of assault on a peace officer and assault with a weapon.

Sentencing for Jennifer Nelson is scheduled for May 22 following the completion of a pre-sentence report by a probation officer.