A 34-year-old New Philadelphia man is back behind bars after allegedly cutting off his court-ordered ankle monitor and then headbutting, kicking, and trying to knee the deputies sent to take him into custody. David Ray Hochstetler now faces felony assault charges on top of an already growing list of criminal cases that piled up across Tuscarawas County over just a few weeks this summer.
According to WJER, deputies responded to Hochstetler's address on Wainwright Road Southeast last Monday after he allegedly threw his ankle monitor out the front door. Capt. Travis Stocker said Hochstetler had been released on his own recognizance in a separate burglary case just weeks earlier, and cutting off the monitor violated the terms of that release. Wainwright is an unincorporated community in Warwick Township, situated between Tuscarawas and New Philadelphia, according to Kiddle.
Per Stocker's account, Hochstetler did not go quietly. Deputies say he headbutted one deputy, kicked another during an attempt to place him in leg restraints, and tried to knee a third deputy in the groin. Stocker said Hochstetler sustained facial injuries — visible in his mugshot as a black eye and scratches — while struggling during the arrest attempt. Despite the chaos, the captain said deputies involved were not injured.
Felony Charges Stack Up Alongside Resisting Arrest
Hochstetler is now charged with two felony counts of assault, felony attempted assault, and resisting arrest, the station's report notes. Stocker said Hochstetler told deputies during the encounter that he was ready to go to jail. He is currently held in the Tuscarawas County Jail with bail set at $25,000.
The felony-level charges reflect how seriously Ohio law treats confrontations with officers. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 2903.13, assaulting a peace officer performing official duties elevates what would otherwise be a first-degree misdemeanor to a fourth-degree felony, punishable by six to 18 months in prison and fines up to $5,000 per count, according to Smith Law. By contrast, standard simple assault against someone without that protected status carries up to 180 days in jail. Separately, Ohio Revised Code Section 2921.33 generally makes resisting arrest a second-degree misdemeanor with up to 90 days in jail, but the offense escalates to a first-degree misdemeanor if the resistance causes physical harm to an officer, as detailed by Brian Morrissey, Attorney at Law.
It remains unclear whether prosecutors will pursue additional charges tied to the destroyed ankle monitor itself. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 2921.34, a person who purposely breaks or attempts to break court-ordered electronic monitoring or supervised release detention commits the crime of escape, per Ohio Laws. Ohio's administrative rules for electronic home monitoring also require host residents to sign written agreements allowing unannounced visits from monitoring staff and to keep firearms off the premises during confinement, according to the same source.
A Summer of Escalating Cases
This is not Hochstetler's first run-in with Tuscarawas County authorities this summer. On July 13, he was arrested on a charge of soliciting another for sexual activity for hire, with that case now pending in Southern District Court. He is also facing a burglary charge accusing him of stealing a rooster, a case that has since been referred to the Tuscarawas County grand jury for a decision on formal indictment.
The Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas General Trial Division in New Philadelphia oversees that grand jury process, which determines whether probable cause exists to indict on felony counts. Meanwhile, the Tuscarawas County Court Southern District in Uhrichsville holds jurisdiction over misdemeanor offenses and felony preliminary hearings for southern townships including Warwick Township, where Hochstetler lives.
Hochstetler's preliminary hearing in the assault case is scheduled for next Wednesday, August 19. He also has a pre-trial hearing set for September 1 in the soliciting case in Southern District Court. Capt. Stocker, a Marine Corps veteran and longtime member of the sheriff's office who has served as both sergeant and lieutenant, provided the official details of last Monday's confrontation.
Hochstetler remains held on the $25,000 bond at the Tuscarawas County Jail in New Philadelphia, a facility with a state-recommended capacity of 112 inmates that housed 95 prisoners during its most recent state inspection, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. With three separate cases now working through the county court system, it will be up to the grand jury and the assigned judges to sort out how much additional time Hochstetler could face.
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