A Chehalis man charged for allegedly threatening to throw a firecracker into the Main Street Food Mart on Thursday has claimed that he acted in self defense.
A Chehalis Police Department sergeant responded to a report of a dispute at the Food Mart, located in the 300 block of West Main Street, at 11 a.m. on June 3. The sergeant met with an alleged victim who reported that a man, later identified as James L. Williams, had threatened to “explode him” and “removed an item from his pocket that had a fuse on it,” according to court documents.
Williams had allegedly yelled at the victim inside the Food Mart “for getting too close” while the victim was waiting to order food, then asked the victim to “take it outside” before exiting the business, according to court documents.
Williams then allegedly “opened the door to the business, causing (the victim) to believe he may throw the device inside the store.” The victim told police “he thought Williams was serious in his threat,” according to court documents.
Law enforcement contacted Williams at his residence and Williams reportedly “answered the door by pointing an airsoft gun out the cracked door,” according to court documents.
“I know that may seem trivial, but we do have a murder crime pending with a pellet gun,” said Deputy Prosecutor Sara Beigh at Williams’ preliminary hearing on June 4, in reference to a May 19 incident in Moses Lake where an 8-year-old boy died after his brother accidentally shot him with a pellet gun.
“Mr. Williams is lucky he didn’t get shot,” Beigh said.
Williams then allegedly “threw the gun down and later threw a beer can out the door,” but was eventually placed under arrest, according to court documents.
While officers were placing Williams under arrest, they reportedly saw “a few items that appeared to have fuses.”
Officers obtained a search warrant and discovered that the items were “Neon Viper” brand fireworks.
“These appear to be large firecrackers and were consistent with what (the victim) had observed at the Food Mart,” read a statement in the probable cause affidavit.
Williams was booked into the Lewis County Jail at approximately 3 p.m. on June 3 and has been charged with one count of harassment, threat to kill: a Class C felony that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
When asked at his preliminary hearing if he understood the allegations against him, Williams said “no, I was not threatening to kill.”
Williams said that he had told the alleged victim to get away from him and then the alleged victim chased him out of the store.
“It was self defense,” he said.
His attorney, Rachael Tiller, supported Williams’ assertion that he’d acted in self defense. She requested that Williams, who had no prior criminal history, be released on personal recognizance or on an unsecured bail.
Judge James W. Lawler instead granted Beigh’s request for a $20,000 bail due to community safety concerns.
Williams’ next court appearance is an arraignment hearing scheduled for June 10.
