Staff Report

Seth David Stonebraker

SYRACUSE — A Kendallville man was recently arrested after punching a man to the point where his injury required staples.

Seth David Stonebraker, 27, 4774 E. SR 8, Kendallville, is charged with battery causing serious bodily injury, a level 5 felony; battery, a class A misdemeanor; and disorderly conduct, a class B misdemeanor.

On July 26, 2020, a Syracuse Police officer responded to a report of a fight in progress at The Frog Tavern. Upon arrival, the officer found a man lying on his back in a parking lot. The man had been hit in the head and had a substantial laceration to his head; the wound needed five staples.

According to court documents, the man said he had been in an earlier altercation with Stonebraker and was approaching him to apologize. The man said he doesn’t remember anything after approaching Stonebraker since he was knocked unconscious. The man described the initial altercation with Stonebraker as physical, including pushing, blocking a punch and wrestling to the ground. The man also said he didn’t punch Stonebraker during the altercation.

Stonebraker was found in The Frog Tavern’s parking lot and allegedly told the officer, “That guy punched me first, man. I was defending my life.”

One witness identified Stonebraker as the individual who hit the man and knocked him unconscious. A second witness said they saw the man approach Stonebraker, with Stonebraker hitting him.

The man spoke with Stonebraker several weeks after the incident and said Stonebraker apologized. Through the conversation, the man learned that Stonebraker punched him in the head with his fist, causing the man to fall and hit his head on the pavement.

Stonebraker was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on Jan. 25, with a $10,250 surety and cash bond.