A woman was allegedly beaten and held hostage by a 43-year-old man, who is now facing charges in district court.
Nathan Kenneth Eckersell is facing charges of felony attempted strangulation and misdemeanors including battery, intentional destruction of a telecommunication line, and violation of a no-contact order. However, Eckersell has entered a plea of not guilty for the last two charges.
At approximately 8:44 a.m. on December 1st, an officer from the Idaho Falls Police Department promptly attended a residence following a kidnapping report. Dispatch informed the officer that a woman had been forcibly held at the residence and subjected to physical assault. Luckily, she managed to escape and was currently seeking refuge in her vehicle at Eagle Rock Junior High School. This information was obtained from court documents.
Upon officers’ arrival to meet with the victim, she expressed that she had entered Eckersell’s residence after her shift the previous night, where she witnessed him engaging in a drug transaction with two of his acquaintances. The victim further disclosed that Eckersell struggles with addiction to fentanyl and methamphetamine.
After the departure of their two friends, the victim recalls engaging in an argument with Eckersell before both eventually dozed off at around 4 a.m. However, just half an hour later, she abruptly woke up to find Eckersell seated on the edge of the bed, holding a peculiar piece of tin foil in his hands.
According to the victim, she stood up and informed Eckersell that she intended to leave. However, he positioned himself in front of the door, blocking her exit.
According to reports, he allegedly instructed her to sit next to a wooden spool in the garage and smoke with him.
Eckersell instructed the victim to take off her coat in order to prevent her from leaving, considering the cold weather outside. He briefly stepped inside to fetch a glass of water after finishing his smoke. In that moment, the victim seized the opportunity and sprinted out the front door of the house. She quickly made her way to her car and dialed 911 while driving to the school.
The victim suffered from several injuries, including a visible bruise behind her ear, a ruptured blood vessel near her ear, bruises on the front of her chest, scratch marks, and bruising around the base of her neck. Additionally, she experienced lower back and pelvis pain.
After speaking with the victim, the officers attempted to contact Eckersell through phone calls and text messages, but they were unsuccessful in reaching him. Subsequently, they established a perimeter around his residence in an effort to apprehend him. However, Eckersell declined to cooperate or provide any statement, other than asserting that the victim was lying.
According to police reports, officers decided to leave the residence because they believed that Eckersell was home alone and did not meet the necessary criteria for calling in the Idaho Falls SWAT team.
The victim informed officers at EIRMC that she had a previous no-contact order in place with Eckersell.
Vine reported that Eckersell was taken into custody and booked at the Bonneville County jail on December 2. He was given a $35,000 bond, but managed to post bail and was released on December 17.
The accused, Eckersell, is scheduled to make an appearance for a District Court arraignment on February 10th. If found guilty, he may face a maximum prison sentence of 26 and a half years. It is important to note that despite the charges brought against him, it does not automatically indicate his guilt. In our legal system, individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
