Boulder City has filed a criminal complaint against attorney Stephen Stubbs of Boulder City, charging him with one count of battery, a misdemeanor.
His trial is set to begin May 1 in Boulder City Municipal Court.
The charge stems from a Feb. 20 incident during which Stubbs claims he was hit by a vehicle driven by Steven Wilson, the estranged spouse of his client, Jean Wilson. According to Stubbs, Steven Wilson also physically assaulted him, after which Stubbs instinctively “punched him in the eye.”
“The entire matter was investigated by the Boulder City Police Department and, based upon the investigation and the report that they submitted, I concluded that Mr. Stubbs had battered Mr. Steven Wilson,” said City Attorney Dave Olsen, who filed the complaint.
Additionally, Olsen said the report didn’t present “sufficient evidence” to pursue charges against Steven Wilson.
“Quite frankly, if there had been evidence supporting that, battering with a motor vehicle is not a misdemeanor. That would have had to be reviewed and handled by the district attorney’s office,” Olsen said, noting it would have been a felony charge.
According to Stubbs, the Feb. 20 incident involved the ownership and occupancy of a residence on Nadine Way that came into question after a domestic dispute between Jean Wilson and Steven Wilson about six months ago.
Stubbs said Steven Wilson made “untrue” accusations against his wife during that incident that led to her arrest. While she was out of the house, Steven Wilson took possession of the property. Even with a protective order, Jean Wilson was not able to get into her home, he said.
On Feb. 20, after a court appearance during which Jean Wilson was given legal possession of the home and a judge ordered Steven Wilson to vacate, Stubbs became the focus of increasingly hostile verbal assaults from Steven Wilson.
Stubbs said court bailiffs had to stay late in court so he could safely leave.
Later that day, as Jean Wilson was taking possession of the home, Steven Wilson drove to the property and hit Stubbs with his truck as the attorney was standing in the driveway looking at his cellphone, Stubbs said.
“I was on the ground, sitting up on the driveway and yelling at him, when he approached me,” Stubbs said. “As he approached me, he grabbed my shoulders and pushed me down farther, even though I was already on the ground.
“It was a fight or flight thing,” he said. “I punched him in the eye, and evidently with that one punch I crushed his eye socket.”
At that point, police arrived and Stubbs said he went to the hospital to have his injuries looked at.
“They decided not to charge Mr. Wilson and instead charged me with battery for hitting him in the face. It was a classic case of self-defense,” Stubbs said.
“My objective was to treat Mr. Stubbs the same as we would treat anyone in this case,” Olsen said.
In the past, Stubbs has been embroiled in numerous lawsuits with former Police Chief Thomas Finn regarding the Mongols Motorcycle Club.