Pocatello man charged after allegedly breaking into home and beating resident
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POCATELLO — One of two men who police say entered a home without permission and beat a person living there has been charged with a felony.
Seth Odell Stacey, 40, of Pocatello, faces a felony charge for attempted robbery, court records show. Officers have yet to identify the second man involved in the attack.
Pocatello police received a call around 3 p.m. on May 27. According to an affidavit of probable cause, the caller said that three people broke into his apartment and attacked his roommate.
When officers arrived at the apartment on South Von Elm Street, the victim and witnesses told them that a woman knocked on their apartment door. One of the residents opened the door, and two men walked into the apartment, shoved the victim to the ground and started to kick him.
The victim said that he was trying to fight them off while calling for his roommate. He said that during the attack, one of the men mentioned the victim disrespecting his niece.
When the roommate heard the victim call for him, he got out of bed but was stopped at the door by a man who threatened to harm him if he left the room.
After they stopped their attack, the victim heard one of the men say that the victim was going to call the police. The victim said the men tried to take his cell phone, but he was able to fight the intruders off.
The victim and witnesses described the attackers as two Native American men, both around 40, with mustaches and goatees. They said that they did not recognize either of them.
Officers were provided with video from the incident. According to the affidavit, a woman knocked on the door while the men stood on either side of the door — not within view from the peephole. The woman can be heard asking for someone. Then, when the door opened, the two men “rushed into the residence.”
The victim denied medical attention. Officers described him as having redness on his face and head but no “significant” injuries.
While officers were trying to identify the people involved, they received a call from the victim, who said he found one of the men, Stacey, on Facebook.
A deputy with the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office found Stacey on May 30. According to the affidavit, he was walking in the middle of West Reservation Road in Fort Hall. He was arrested and taken to Bannock County Jail where he was booked and is being held.
The other man has not yet been identified, according to the affidavit.
Though Stacey has been charged with this crime, it does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
If he is found guilty, Stacey could face up to 15 years in prison.
He is scheduled to appear in court before Magistrate Judge Thomas Clark for a preliminary hearing on June 13.