Oberling could get suspended sentence in plea deal

Prosecutors will recommend a renowned local artist receive a suspended five-year sentence with the state Department of Corrections for wiring his then-partner’s shower to shock her over the summer.

Nicholas Oberling, 59, admitted to setting up the contraption under oath during a Nov. 28 change of plea hearing in Flathead County District Court. Under questioning from his defense attorney, Sean Hinchey, Oberling maintained that the scheme was meant to scare his former partner.

Oberling’s then significant other contacted authorities from Hungry Horse on July 24 after suffering several shocks while reaching for the shower soap dish, court documents said. Investigators followed exposed wires from the soap dish through a hole cut into the drywall. On the other side, they found the wires wound around another set of stripped wires and plugged into an outlet, according to court documents.

Oberling described the setup as a way to end his relationship with his partner, which elicited a rebuke from Judge Robert Allison, who is overseeing the case.

“If you’re going to break up with someone, there are better ways to do it,” he told Oberling.

Details of the agreement that led to Oberling’s Nov. 28 change of plea were later filed in district court. When Oberling next returns before Allison for his sentence — scheduled for Jan. 25 — prosecutors will ask that he receive a suspended five-year sentence, and pay all court imposed fees and fines.