Silverton man agrees to peace bond after alleged Village office disruption
CORRECTION
In our article, 'Silverton man pleads guilty to Village office disruption' published February 8, we made a grave error. Silverton resident Stuart Nelson did not plead guilty to threatening the Village's chief administrative officer, as reported. He did not enter a plea at all; instead, he agreed to enter into a peace bond. This means, as reported in our February 8 article, that he agreed to stay away from the Silverton CAO and the Village office for 135 days, unless he needed to attend to Village business.
The article also describes the alleged confrontation between Nelson and the CAO as if it were fact. The peace bond agreement made it unnecessary for the court to prove this, so we should have inserted the word "allegedly" in the sentence describing the alleged confrontation.
In Nakusp court on January 25, long-time Silverton resident Stuart Nelson agreed to enter into a peace bond after being accused of threatening the Village’s chief administrative officer, Viv Thoss, in March last year. Nelson was given a 135-day no contact order.
Nelson’s sentence is not a criminal conviction; he maintains no criminal record unless he breaches the terms of the peace bond. Judge Robert Brown reiterated this a few times.
In March 2023, Nelson allegedly entered the Silverton Village office and told CAO Thoss that she should be let go from her position, or he will “go in and pull her out himself.” Nelson also allegedly warned that he would lock her out of the building after pulling her out. Two councillors witnessed the confrontation.
In the wake of the incident, Thoss continued to fear for her safety.
Judge Brown believed Thoss had reasonable fear of Nelson, and that this is a “fit and just sentence under the circumstances.”
“That old temper can get you in a heck of a lot of trouble,” he warned.
The defense lawyer, Mason Goulden, said Nelson accepts responsibility for his actions. He came to court voluntarily, giving up his right to a trial, and admits he was wrong.
Nelson was quiet, but perked up when the judge asked him about his profession as an equipment contractor.
The order was put into effect immediately. Nelson must stay away from Thoss and the Village office for 135 days. The only exception is if he needs to attend to Village business, such as paying bills. In that case, he can go to the office and leave immediately after conducting his business.
Rachael Lesosky, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Valley Voice
