Bail has been set at $100,000 for a man accused of trying to break into two houses on Downing Road in Centralia on Friday.
The man, identified as Mitchell Borden, 35, of Centralia, allegedly tried to get into a residential garage in the 410 block of Downing Road before trying to use his shoulder to open the door of a neighboring house, according to court documents.
Officers located Borden around the corner, in the 700 block of Eureka Avenue, shortly after the attempted break-ins were reported.
When he was contacted, officers learned there was an active Department of Corrections warrant for Borden’s arrest stemming from an unrelated Thurston County attempt to elude, DUI and hit-and-run case that was filed in January.
Borden also has a pending case in Lewis County Superior Court stemming from an alleged Dec. 25, 2022 burglary to a residence in the 1510 block of Lum Road.
He was arrested on a warrant for that case in February 2023, after he allegedly eluded from officers on foot on Dec. 29. Borden’s bail was set at $50,000, which he posted on March 27, according to court documents.
While a judge set Borden’s bail at $20,000 over the weekend for his current case, Judge Joely Yager noted that the judge didn’t have access to Borden’s criminal history or the charging information, which wasn’t available until court reopened Monday.
“It’s really his criminal history that is so concerning … that is where the threat to community safety and inability to follow court orders lie,” Yeager said during Borden’s preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday.
Yeager called Borden’s criminal history “atrocious,” noting most of it occurred within the last five years.
Borden’s criminal history includes a May 2021 conviction stemming from a September 2020 incident when Borden led officers on a 100 mph pursuit through downtown Centralia in a stolen vehicle, during which he struck a fire hydrant, caused a head-on collision with a passenger vehicle driving in the opposite lane near Seminary Hill Road and rammed into an officer’s vehicle before crashing near Centralia High School property and fleeing on foot. Officers located and arrested him at a motel several days later, according to court documents.
For that case, Borden was sentenced in June 2021 to 27.75 months in prison with credit for time served, followed by 27.75 months on probation.
Borden’s trial for the December 2022 burglary is scheduled to begin June 12.
His arraignment hearing for the most-recent case is scheduled for Thursday, April 20.
