Bail is set at $250,000 for a Centralia man accused of assaulting a woman on Thursday while he was out of custody on bail for a separate case where he is accused of assaulting a different woman in September.
“He is clearly a risk not only to these two alleged victims but the public in general,” Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead said of the defendant, identified as Juvencio Ayala Rodriguez, 30, during a preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Friday.
Ayala Rodriguez is accused of punching a woman in the face, pulling her head back by her hair and grabbing her throat while she was driving in the 1600 block of South Gold Street at approximately 4:15 p.m. on Nov. 30, according to court documents. The woman had reportedly driven Ayala Rodriguez to a hearing in Lewis County Superior Court related to his other assault case, and was driving him home after the hearing when the assault occurred.
A dash-cam audio recording of the incident reportedly confirms the woman’s account, according to court documents.
Ayala Rodriguez is additionally accused of assaulting the same woman a second time on Nov. 30. The woman reported she and Ayala Rodriguez went to an address in the 1100 block of Scammon Creek Road for him to “cool down” overnight before going to “get help in the morning.” They reportedly began arguing, and the woman reported “she tried to calm (Ayala Rodriguez) down because she could tell that he was under the influence of narcotics,” according to court documents. During the argument, Ayala Rodriguez allegedly threw the woman to the ground “by her throat and arms,” according to court documents.
Another resident at the address where the altercation occurred called a relative for help at approximately 10:15 p.m. Video from the residence’s door camera reportedly shows a neighbor, who later reported hearing the altercation from her apartment, “frantically knocking” on the door. The video reportedly shows the victim opening the door and shows Ayala Rodriguez covering the camera with his hand as he leaves the apartment, according to court documents. The video then shows Ayala Rodriguez take the woman’s car and drive away.
Officers with the Centralia Police Department were dispatched just before 11:10 p.m. on Nov. 30.
Officers were unable to locate Ayala Rodriguez in the area at the time they were dispatched, but they arrested him at Logan Street Park shortly after 1 a.m. on Dec. 1 after he reportedly called a friend asking to be picked up from that location. He allegedly had “a small wad of paper containing a narcotic substance” in his pocket at the time of his arrest, according to court documents.
Lewis County Jail records indicate he was booked at 2:15 a.m. on Dec. 1.
The $25,000 bail he posted for his other assault case has been revoked due to the new case, meaning he cannot be released from jail until that case is resolved. In that case, Ayala Rodriguez is accused of assaulting a woman, trapping her inside a residence and trying to stop her from calling 911 in Centralia on Sept. 27. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 11.
For the case filed Dec. 1, Ayala Rodriguez faces two counts of domestic violence second-degree assault and one count of possession of a controlled substance.
“I am finding there is a risk to public safety and that there is a risk that Mr. Ayala Rodriguez would commit a violent offense and seek to intimidate witnesses or seek to interfere with the administration of justice,” Judge J. Andrew Toynbee said during Ayala Rodriguez’s preliminary hearing on Friday, where he granted Halstead’s request for $250,000 bail.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 7.
