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Stoker still in Missouri

Posted November 03, 2016 11:00 pm

By Pete Spitler Editor@heraldtrib.com

SUNDAY UPDATE:

On Sunday afternoon, a woman named Amy LaVear, who wrote she is Stoker's younger sister, started a GoFundMe page titled "Justice for Jason."

The target for the page was $5,000 to secure legal counsel on her brother's behalf. It does not mention Brockmeyer, only the "negativity" surrounding Stoker's case.

The specifics of the case were not mentioned either.

"On Friday, October 28th, my brother Jason's long battle with personal struggle and addiction came to a head," LaVear wrote. "Now it's time to show him that he isn't alone and that there is a way out of the life he has been leading."

The page had been deleted by Sunday evening. It had garnered one anonymous donation of $100 in three hours.

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ORIGINAL STORY:

As Thursday's funeral services and procession took place in Chester for 22-year-old fallen Chester police officer and volunteer firefighter James Brockmeyer, Jason Michael Stoker was sitting in a Missouri jail cell.

Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker told the Herald Tribune Friday afternoon that the 34-year-old Stoker, of Chester, would remain in Missouri until extradition is resolved.

Stoker is currently charged with aggravated fleeing and eluding a peace officer, a Class 4 felony, in connection to the Oct. 28 rollover accident on Palestine Road north of the Gravel Creek Bridge that resulted in fatal injuries to Brockmeyer.

"It depends on if he waives or decides he wants to fight extradition," Walker said. "Generally speaking, somebody will make a court appearance in the county they get arrested on out-of-state warrants.

"I can't say when that's going to be. From my understanding, he's in the City of St. Louis, it's obviously a big facility, they have a lot of people to process, I checked today and our jail had not heard anything from them."

According to Tom Gross, public information officer for the the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, Stoker - who is being housed at the City Justice Center - was scheduled for an arraignment on Thursday in front of Associate Circuit Court Judge Theresa Burke.

But Gross said he was not sure that arraignment took place as Stoker did not have a listed attorney. Attempts to reach Burke were unsuccessful.

"If he signs an extradition waiver, hopefully it could be as soon as next week," said Walker, when asked when Stoker could return to Randolph County. "If he doesn't sign an extradition waiver, we have to go through that process and it will probably take 30 to 60 days."

Walker was asked if he anticipated further arrests to be made in the case. Previously, Walker stated that anyone found to be concealing Stoker's whereabouts - or aiding him in any way during the four-day manhunt that preceded Stoker's arrest on Tuesday in St. Louis - would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

"Certainly, that's something we'll have to evaluate once we get all the information," Walker said. "I can't say at this point if there would be or not be.

"He was not located in this state, if somebody was doing something in another state, that's outside of my ballpark."

Given Brockmeyer's occupation as a CPD officer, Walker was asked if that affects his role as a prosecutor.

"In one way it's no different because I have a job to do and I've got to do the same job if it's a police officer or anybody else," he said. "But, that being said, whenever it's a police officer, it's somebody that sits across my desk and asks me questions about things and we work together."

"It certainly brings things home a little bit more," Walker continued. "Most of the time, I don't know the victim, but in this particular case, I did know the victim, which makes it a little bit more difficult."

Walker said Brockmeyer was sitting across his desk a week ago getting ready for a preliminary hearing.

"And then you have to go to his visitation and funeral a week or two later," he said. "It definitely hits close to home."

Walker was asked which agency gets credit for Stoker's capture.

"At this point, we're not releasing anything as far as who was involved," he said. "Maybe at some point we could, but there were a lot of different agencies working with us and we were very thankful that they were."

In previous comments to the media, Walker left the door open on the possibility of more charges being filed in the case and he was asked when it may be known if there would be.

"I don't think there's any question that there's gonna be," he said. "But, I have my reasons for wanting to wait for a little bit."

Lastly, Walker was asked about Stoker's pending bench trial - scheduled for Dec. 12 at the Randolph County Courthouse - on a battery charge from August.

According to court documents, Stoker is alleged to have struck Gregory S. Partin in the face with a closed fist and also kicked him in the head.

"That's the least of his worries," Walker said.

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