Sequim man to be arraigned Friday on charges of assaulting deputies

Daniel G. Gockerell

Daniel G. Gockerell

SEQUIM — A Sequim man accused of assaulting two Clallam County Sheriff’s deputies and damaging a store before being brought under control with an officer’s stun gun is set to be arraigned in Clallam County Superior Court on Friday.

Daniel G. Gockerell, 54, who remained in the Clallam County jail in lieu of $150,000 bail Saturday, was charged Friday with two counts of third-degree assault and one count each of attempting to disarm a police officer, hit and run with property damage, and fourth-degree assault-domestic violence.

“This is very dangerous, completely out of control behavior,” Clallam County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Troberg said.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Gockerell allegedly ran into the front wall and door of Thomas Building Center at 301 W. Washington St. in a silver minivan at about 6:40 a.m. Tuesday.

General manager Tony Steinman estimated the damage at between $10,000 and $12,000.

He was arrested at his Belfield Avenue home, about a mile away, after driving through his fence, punching Deputy Brandon Stoppani in the head and being subdued with a stun gun, the Sheriff’s Office said.

At the Sequim Police Department, Gockerell allegedly struggled with Deputy Matt Murphy for his pistol.

Murphy’s hand was cut and required three stitches, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Gockerell also had reportedly punched a woman in the head at his home just as law enforcement arrived, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The unidentified woman was taken to Olympic Medical Center for treatment.

Deputies said they found a .22-caliber rifle and two loaded magazines in the shed, less than two feet away from where Gockerell was arrested and recovered five rifles from the home’s garage.

Harry Gasnick of Clallam Public Defender requested during the Friday hearing that Gockerell’s bail be reduced and that he be released from jail into a substance abuse program.

Clallam County Superior Court Judge Erik Rohrer denied the request.

A mental evaluation after his arrest showed that Gockerell has substance- abuse issues, Troberg said.

Troberg urged that bail be kept at $150,000 because of the seriousness of what Gockerell is accused of and his criminal history.

“The court is not going to reduce the bail amount,” Rohrer said.

“When you add [Gockerell’s] history to it, there’s great concern on the court’s part.”

Gockerell has a 1994 conviction for first-degree assault out of Kitsap County, Troberg said.

Gockerell also pleaded guilty to a hit and run collision with another vehicle along U.S. Highway 101 in Clallam County and was sentenced to nine months in jail, according to Superior Court records.

________

Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsula

dailynews.com.

More in News

Julianna Milles of Sequim, left, and Tama Juarez of Seattle-based Inchel Crystals discuss jewelry at the 2025 Rock, Gem and Jewelry Show on Saturday at the Vern Burton Community Center in Port Angeles. The two-day event, hosted by the Clallam County Gem & Mineral Association, featured numerous vendors offering a selection of gems, rocks, fossils, crystals, beads and finished jewelry. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Gem show

Julianna Milles of Sequim, left, and Tama Juarez of Seattle-based Inchel Crystals… Continue reading

Master projects hearing set today

Permitting for Westbay site paused six months

Mark Gebbia, distribution coordinator with the Sequim Food Bank, organizes food for the next distribution day. Staff report that the food bank has budgeted about $600,000 for food this year, and it already has used reserves to match demand. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
Crunch continues for Sequim Food Bank and its users

Open house, fundraiser set for Sept. 27

Weekly flight operations scheduled

There will be field carrier landing practice operations for aircraft… Continue reading

Naturebridge educators Ana Shinal, left, and Zach Drake demonstrate how water erosion affects the landscape in a test farm assembled by Wyatt Lutrz, 10, and Westley Lutz, 7, at a hands-on display set up by the Naturbridge educational organization at the fourth annual Forever StreamFest on Saturday at Pebble Beach Park in Port Angeles. The environmentally themed festival, hosted by the Port Angeles Garden Club, featured dozens of information booths, displays and youth activities, as well as food, music and a beer garden. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Forever Streamfest

Naturebridge educators Ana Shinal, left, and Zach Drake demonstrate how water erosion… Continue reading

Robbie Hart, third from left, trains the Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA) team students on how to perform the botanical research in the grid on the first day of the experiment. Elk Mountain is in the background. (Eric DeChaine/Western Washington University)
Research sites to monitor Olympic Mountain plants

Long-term data to track climate impact

Murder trial date moved

Delay awaiting results of lab analysis

A group of fifth-graders from The Evergreen School in Shoreline launches a boat they built as a part of a week-long Northwest Maritime program. (Elijah Sussman /Peninsula Daily News)
Students have maritime experience in Port Townsend

Get a hands-on taste of career possibilities

Michael Thill of Boquete, Panama, formerly of Sequim, practices his putts at the disc golf course on Thursday at Lincoln Park in Port Angeles. The park features a full 18-hole course for disc golf enthusiasts. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Putting practice

Michael Thill of Boquete, Panama, formerly of Sequim, practices his putts at… Continue reading

Dwane Sukert, 38, was killed in a trucking collision Sept. 3 near North Bend.
Procession to honor driver killed in crash

Peninsula trucking industry to celebrate life of Dwane Sukert

Hospital working to fix policies

Firm helps simplify OMC’s procedures