A Centralia man accused of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 16 in January was remanded into custody on $100,000 bail on Tuesday after he responded to a summons notice for a preliminary hearing on felony charges filed in Lewis County Superior Court.
The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office filed three sexual assault felony charges against Joseph Thomas Ellis, 46, on Aug. 14 and sent him a summons notice that same day for an Aug. 27 preliminary hearing, which he was present for.
While both the prosecution and the defense were in agreement on allowing Thomas to remain out of custody on unsecured bail for the duration of his case, Lewis County Superior Court Judge Joely Yeager said the community safety risk posed by Ellis’ alleged crimes warranted secured bail.
“I don't really understand the request for a summons here,” Yeager said Tuesday. “These allegations are extremely concerning.”
Washington state law directs courts to issue summons notices instead of arrest warrants unless the court has reasonable cause to believe the defendant won’t appear in response to a summons, will commit a violent offense or will interfere with witnesses or the administration of justice.
The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office’s reason for requesting a summons notice instead of an arrest warrant for Thomas’ case was likely due to Ellis’ lack of criminal history and the fact that the allegations were several months old, Deputy Prosecutor Joe Bassetti told Yeager on Tuesday.
The victim’s mother reported the sexual assault to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 20 after a deputy was dispatched to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia to pick up the victim’s sexual assault kit, according to court documents.
Ellis is accused of sexually assaulting the victim while the victim and other children were staying with him the weekend of Jan. 5, according to court documents. The children stayed at Ellis’ residence several times after the initial assault.
The victim’s mother reported that the victim “told her she did not tell her sooner because she did not want to make her cry,” disclosing “this has happened more than once, and she only kept going over to protect the other children,” according to court documents.
Ellis’ conditions of release include a provision prohibiting him from having any contact with minors, including his 8-year-old daughter.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller asked Yeager to grant an exception to the condition so Ellis could have contact with his daughter, which Yeager denied.
Ellis’ arraignment hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 5.
