‘Nothing burger’ vs. legal pattern: Stoddard’s gun dispute and dismissed domestic battery case

A former Rio Rancho councilor now running for Sandoval County Commission pulled a revolver and threatened to shoot a hotel manager during a dispute over hot tub water temperature, according to a Truth or Consequences police report. Daniel Stoddard called the incident a “nothing burger.” Court and police records show it was not his first encounter with law enforcement involving a firearm.

Stoddard, a Rio Rancho resident seeking the District 3 seat on the Sandoval County Commission, was identified as the suspect in the May 1 incident at Blackstone Hot Springs, 410 Austin Ave., Truth or Consequences, according to police records obtained and reviewed by The Paper. No charges were filed in that case. Less than two years earlier, Rio Rancho police arrested Stoddard at his home on domestic battery charges. His wife separately sought a court order to seize more than 20 firearms she said he possessed. Both cases were ultimately dismissed.

What the Truth or Consequences police report says

The general manager of Blackstone Hot Springs told police he entered Stoddard’s rented room that morning after Stoddard complained his hot tub water was not hot enough. According to the report, Stoddard became agitated, grabbed the manager’s arm, drew a handgun and threatened to shoot him in the head. The manager told police the gun was not pointed directly at him but that he felt threatened. He retreated to the lobby and called 911.

According to the police report, officers located a .38-caliber revolver in a brown bag inside the room and secured it. The report notes both Stoddard and his wife appeared heavily intoxicated at approximately 11:13 a.m., with multiple bottles of alcohol observed in the room. They were both escorted off the property by police and three offenses were documented — aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal trespass and negligent use of a deadly weapon while intoxicated — but no arrests were made. Responding officers consulted the 7th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, which advised that charges were not warranted at that time, according to the police report.

Stoddard disputes the account

Stoddard offered a different account of the incident when he spoke Tuesday with The Paper. He said he paid $300 for the room and wanted the hot water he had paid for. He said his firearm was secured on his nightstand — not drawn during the confrontation — and that the manager saw it there. “He got cross,” Stoddard told The Paper. “I tried to get my hotel fixed. I always carry my weapon. He saw it on my nightstand, and that’s how I assume he knew I had a weapon. There was no story there.”

Stoddard had previously told the Albuquerque Journal the manager was “disgruntled” over his hot tub complaints, and that the manager “was rude to my wife and I … and he called the police. That was it. There were no charges pressed, nothing.” He told the Journal his gun had been stored and that he produced it only when a police supervisor asked about it. “My wife and I were down there on a break. And, yes, did we have a bottle of champagne, and did we want to enjoy the hot springs? That’s why we went there,” Stoddard told the Journal. “It’s a nothing burger, or the DA would have charged me, wouldn’t he?”

A domestic battery arrest and a firearm protection order

That incident is not the first involving Stoddard, guns and alcohol. 

The Paper. has learned that before the Truth or Consequences “nothing burger,” Rio Rancho police arrested Stoddard at his home on Dec. 4, 2024, on charges of battery against a household member and interference with communications, court records show. According to a statement of probable cause, his wife called 911 from her Apple Watch, telling dispatchers Stoddard had punched her in the head multiple times and taken her phone. Although Stoddard denied the altercation turned physical, officers noted a visible bruise on her left eye, according to the probable cause statement.

Two days later, a Sandoval County district court judge issued a temporary restraining order removing Stoddard from the couple’s Rio Rancho home and ordering him to surrender all keys to the residence. That same day, Rio Rancho police filed a separate petition for a Temporary Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order, which a judge granted. In a sworn affidavit supporting the petition, Stoddard’s wife stated he possessed between 20 and 30 firearms. She also alleged Stoddard had pulled a firearm on her in March 2024 and that he “uses his political influence to hurt her and get away with it,” a reference the affidavit indicates to his time as a Rio Rancho city councilor from 2020-2023. She also reported Stoddard’s history of abuse and threats with his various guns and was fearful Stoddard would use one of his 25+ firearms to kill her, according to the petition.

The extreme risk firearm protection order was dismissed Dec. 16 after the court was advised Stoddard’s wife had recanted her testimony in that case. The domestic violence protective order was dismissed Dec. 19 after she did not appear at a scheduled hearing. The criminal battery complaint was dismissed without prejudice April 1, 2025 — not because of the recantation, but on Stoddard’s motion after the court found the district attorney had failed to prosecute the case. Dismissed without prejudice means the complaint can be refiled.

In an interview with The Paper., Stoddard said the December 2024 case grew out of an extraordinarily difficult stretch for his family. His wife, said, was enduring serious health challenges and he nearly lost his sight. “That was not a very good time for us,” Stoddard said. “We forgave each other. We’ve been together 30 years total.” He added: “There is no excuse. I’m not making excuses.”

The race

Stoddard is seeking the Republican nomination for Sandoval County Commission District 3 against Edwin Paul Linson in the June 2 primary. The winner faces Democrat Frank Smith in the general election. Early voting is open now at the Sandoval County Clerk’s office and expands to several locations beginning May 16.

Candidate background

Stoddard previously served on the Rio Rancho City Council, representing District 6 after voters elected him to a four-year term in March 2020. He resigned from the council in April 2023. He said he decided to run again because he believes Sandoval County needs new direction, particularly on property taxes. “There’s people that can’t even sell their house to downsize, because if they downsize, the smaller house is going to cost them more in property taxes,” Stoddard told The Paper. “I believe I can make a difference.”

Sandoval County Commission District 3 — Republican Primary

Candidates: Daniel Stoddard vs. Edwin Paul Linson 

General election opponent: Democrat Frank Smith 

Early voting: Open now at the Sandoval County Clerk’s Office, 1500 Idalia Rd., Bernalillo; expands to additional locations May 16 Primary 

Election Day: Tuesday, June 2 

More information: sandovalcountynm.gov/countyclerk/