A 37-year-old Napa man barricaded himself inside a hallway of a Silverado Trail home last Sunday and told officers to shoot him before a police dog helped bring the standoff to an end. Erik Vincent Schoch now faces a felony charge of making a criminal threat, along with false imprisonment, violating a protective order, drug possession, resisting arrest, and nine misdemeanor counts.
According to the Napa Valley Register, Napa police officers went to a home in the 100 block of Silverado Trail last Sunday to serve an active arrest warrant on Schoch. Officers believed Schoch was staying at the residence despite being subject to a restraining order barring him from the home, and as reported by Patch, he barricaded the door when officers knocked.
Once inside, officers say Schoch confronted them in a hallway, told them he had a firearm, and instructed them to shoot him. He ignored officers' orders to come out, prompting the deployment of a patrol dog trained for suspect apprehension, per background from D-TAC K9, before officers were able to detain him.
Woman Inside the Home Assisted Out
Napa police say a woman protected by the restraining order was inside the home during the confrontation, and officers believed she was not being allowed to leave freely. Officers assisted the woman's exit from the home once they gained entry, according to the same report.
Officers also found suspected drug paraphernalia and a replica firearm in the area where Schoch had barricaded himself, police said. Displaying an imitation firearm in a threatening manner is itself a misdemeanor under California Penal Code 417.4, carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 days and up to six months in jail, according to Shouse Law Group.
Felony Charges Carry Steep Penalties
Schoch's felony criminal threat charge falls under Penal Code 422, a wobbler offense that, when charged as a felony, carries a maximum of three years in state prison, a fine of up to $10,000, and a strike under California's Three Strikes Law, per Power Trial Lawyers. The false imprisonment charge is likewise a felony matter: under Penal Code Section 237, false imprisonment accomplished through violence, menace, fraud, or deceit can bring 16 months, two years, or three years in county jail or state prison, according to Eisner Gorin LLP.
The protective order violation adds further exposure. Knowingly violating a court protective order under Penal Code 273.6 is generally a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in county jail and $1,000 in fines, but it can escalate to a felony carrying up to three years in prison if the violation involved violence or credible threats, according to Shouse Law Group.
Bail Set at $100,000
Schoch was booked into Napa County Jail with bail set at $100,000. That figure aligns with the Napa County Superior Court Bail Schedule's standard felony amount for false imprisonment involving hostage-taking, according to Golden State Bail Bonds.
Schoch pleaded not guilty during his appearance in Napa County Superior Court on Tuesday and remained in custody Tuesday evening. The Napa County District Attorney's Office reported prosecuting multiple high-profile cases involving felony criminal threats, stalking, and court order violations in the county in August, according to the DA's monthly newsletter.
A Napa Native With Local Roots
Napa Valley Register archives indicate Schoch was raised in the Napa area and survived his stepfather, longtime local resident Bradley Mark Barron, according to a 2022 record. It remains unclear what led to the original arrest warrant that brought officers to the Silverado Trail address in the first place.
The standoff adds to a string of barricade incidents that North Bay law enforcement agencies have managed this year. Hoodline reported on a two-hour Sonoma Plaza standoff in June, where negotiators secured a suspect's surrender after a multi-hour containment. Schoch's case ended differently, with officers relying on a K9 unit rather than negotiation to bring the confrontation to a close.
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