Additional charges filed against Nora Springs man in alleged gunfire case

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Several additional charges have been filed against a Nora Springs man who was initially arrested for felony eluding after a gunshot was allegedly fired near a Floyd County deputy making a traffic stop on another vehicle.

John Andrew Salocker, age 40, was charged in Floyd County District Court with attempted murder, a Class B felony; going armed with intent, a Class D felony; assault on persons in certain occupations (a county sheriff’s deputy), a Class D felony; assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, an aggravated misdemeanor; and first-degree harassment, also an aggravated misdemeanor.

According to the criminal reports, Salocker got into a verbal altercation with an alleged victim, a Rudd man, and the alleged victim’s mother on the evening of Oct. 27, got a .22 caliber Howa 1500 rifle from his residence, then drove to the Rudd home of the alleged victim.

“At approximately 2236 hours (10:36 p.m.) the defendant took the rifle and discharged a round in the vicinity of the victim and a Floyd County, Iowa, deputy while the victim was stopped by law enforcement west of his residence,” the reports say.

The initial criminal complaint, on the felony eluding charge, filed by Deputy Luke Chatfield, said he had pulled over a vehicle for a traffic stop and another vehicle approached, stopping west of the deputy’s location, and then a shot was fired from the vehicle.

Chatfield, who is the county’s new K9 officer, pursued the vehicle in a high speed chase through Floyd County until Salocker’s vehicle allegedly drove into a field and Salocker got out and entered a field of harvested corn. Chatfield’s K9, Sirius, identified an area where Salocker was, then Salocker was taken into custody when other law enforcement officers arrived to help with the search, a court document states.

The day after Salocker was taken into custody, on Oct. 28, Floyd County Attorney Rachel Ginbey filed a motion in district court to release Salocker to pre-trial supervision because he was hospitalized with a broken back and the Sheriff’s Office was unable to provide 24-hour custody at the hospital. That motion was granted by a district court magistrate that same day.

On Oct. 31, after the additional charges had been filed, a warrant was issued for Salocker’s arrest, and he was arrested in Nora Springs on Nov. 9 and held under $39,000 cash bond. On Nov. 10 Salocker posted the bond, court records show.

Salocker has been ordered to appear in court Nov. 18 for a preliminary hearing, unless a trial information is filed by the county attorney’s office prior to that, which is typically what happens.